With all the “Fire Dan Mullen” chatter on social media, one may have thought Mississippi State dropped a South Alabama-style stinker in the wee hours of Saturday morning in Provo, Utah.
The Bulldogs lost 28-21 in double overtime to BYU. It wasn’t some moral victory that the Bulldogs’ defense looked somewhat like the defense we thought it would look like, but six days after what fans watched unfold against Auburn, that had to be somewhat of a silver lining.
5 TAKEAWAYS
Leo Lewis continues to look good: The freshman linebacker had 12 tackles. He also had an ugly moment when he lunged a knee into BYU QB Taysom Hill on the ground. That can’t happen, but what can happen is Lewis’ continued growth, and that looks promising.
Give Aeris Williams the dang ball: Williams looked to many fans as the go-to back in 2016. Until his 21 carries Friday, the sophomore had 15 touches total. In his best output thus far, Williams had 21 carries for 82 yards against the Cougars. That came with Brandon Holloway out, but he’s earned more touches with or without Holloway.
Tough bowl outlook: Mississippi State is 2-4. Let’s say the Bulldogs beat Kentucky and Samford. They’ll then have to beat two of either Texas A&M, Alabama, Arkansas or Ole Miss.
Right on target with the flags: BYU had 9 penalties for 84 yards and got away with them. Mississippi State was right on its season average with 7 penalties for 63 yards. The Bulldogs got away with less. One was a pass interference that led to a touchdown in the first quarter. BYU’s touchdown to tie the game at 14 came with the aid of a roughing the passer and a facemask.
First blemish for Mullen on the road in non-conference: That was the first non-conference loss on the road in Mullen’s tenure in Starkville. Of course, he also directed a loss at home to South Alabama and not all non-conference teams are created equal, so weigh your own thoughts. Mullen is 30-7 in non-SEC games. The immediate images are the USA loss, a tight win at UMass and Friday in Provo.
REPORT CARD
Offense: C – That may seem a bit rough. Getting Williams involved in the run game is a plus. Keith Mixon and Fred Ross with 9 catches for a combined 138 yards is a good sign. Nick Fitzgerald has to figure out how to expand his game. If he does, those weapons will be more dangerous. But it’s not a B just yet.
Defense: A – Despite a couple of bonehead penalties, the defense earned a solid grade. Richie Brown and Lewis were a solid senior/freshman force and a strip nearly ended the game in the first overtime. A fortunate bounce kept BYU alive. The Bulldogs controlled the front and held one of the best backs in the country, Jamaal Williams, to 76 yards on 26 carries.
Special teams: C – Westin Graves missed a 42-yarder in the first quarter. Not to pretend like that’s a 22-yarder, but it has to be converted. What it leads to is the doubt Mullen had in a repeat attempt in a tied game late.
Coaching: C – Fitzgerald has trouble with the deep ball. It shouldn’t take as long as it did to get Williams involved from the backfield. And it shouldn’t take as long as it does to dump balls off to the explosive Mixon. Dude is a difference-maker, and his four catches were the most this season. Go to him.
Overall: C – Still a loss, a loss the Bulldogs had chances to win. The defense made stops but also helped along a couple of scoring drives. The offense wasn’t consistent enough to be winningly effective.
GAME PLAN
Tempo was cruising early on. Mississippi State got Ross involved early, and Mixon’s touchdown could have been a tone-setter. But as the defense held its own, the offense couldn’t muster enough consistency to pull away.
GAME BALLS
RB Aeris Williams: 21 rushes for 82 yards. Showed what he can do when given the chance.
WR Keith Mixon: Absolutely dynamite freshman. Took the desperate pass from Fitzgerald and did all the work on a 44-yard touchdown down the sideline. Had 4 catches for 69 yards.
LB Dezmond Harris: The junior had 4 tackles, 1 for a loss. His TFL was, at the time, a potential game-saver near the end zone at the end of the third quarter. Had a couple of textbook, open-field tackles and made a solid case to see more time.
