Mississippi State
8-5
University of Central Florida
10-4
State Takes 49th Liberty Bowl With 10-3 Victory Over UCF In Defensive War
December 29, 2007 | Football
? Official Statistics
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Mississippi State cashed in on Central Florida's fourth turnover of the game, marching to the lone touchdown of the day late in the fourth quarter, to defeat the Knights 10-3 in the 49th renewal of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, a game that was otherwise very defensive in nature. With the win, MSU ended the 2007 season at 8-5, its most wins since 2000, and improved to 2-0 all-time over UCF which ended the year 10-4 after winning its last seven games and claiming the Conference USA crown. The Bulldogs also improved to 7-6 all-time in bowl games with the victory and has now been victorious its last three bowl appearances. The late score, a 1-yard plunge by running back Anthony Dixon, came with just 1:54 remaining in the game. It capped a 10-play, 59-yard drive, State's longest of the day by almost 20 yards, that was setup by Bulldog Keith Fitzhugh's interception of Knight quarterback Kyle Israel, his third throwing miscue of the contest. But until that point in the game, neither team had generated much offense in a game very much controlled by the defenses. Only two second quarter field goals - one by each team - graced the scoreboard in the first three quarters and the teams would combined for just 418 yards of total offense in the affair. After a scoreless first quarter started the lowest scoring first half in Liberty Bowl history, UCF finally broke scoring ice after gaining excellent field position at the Bulldog 46 early in the second period. The Knights then moved the ball 18 yards to set up a Michael Torres 45-yard field goal that just cleared the crossbar. UCF led 3-0 with 11:49 to go before the intermission. After the Knights forced a State punt on the next drive, the Bulldogs got their first break of the afternoon. MSU's Derek Pegues, named the game's Most Valuable Player, picked off the first of two passes at the Knight 46 and returned it 40 yards to the 6-yard line. UCF stood strong, however, and held MSU to a 22-yard Adam Carlson field goal, tying the game at the 6:02 mark. UCF would have scoring chances on two consecutive drives in the third and fourth periods but Torres, who came into the game having hit 19-of-21 field goals on the year, would miss from 32 and 37 yards on those drives, negating some offensive momentum that the Knights had built at that point in the contest. Dixon ended the day with 86 yards on 24 carries for the Bulldogs, who managed just 198 yards from scrimmage the entire game. State's defense held Central Florida's star running b
? Official Statistics (PDF)
? Postgame Notes & Quotes (PDF)
The game's attendance of 63,816 established a new Liberty Bowl record. The previous record of 61,497 was set in 1991 when the Bulldogs played Air Force.
Team Stats
UCF 3, MS 0
UCF - TORRES, Michael 45 yd field goal 5 plays, 18 yards, TOP 1:43
UCF 3, MS 3
MS - Adam Carlson 22 yd field goal 4 plays, 1 yards, TOP 1:37
UCF 3, MS 10
MS - Anthony Dixon 1 yd run (Adam Carlson kick), 10 plays, 59 yards, TOP 3:53
