State Takes Care Of Blue Raiders, 31-22

Saturday, October 25

Starkville

6:00 p.m.

Mississippi State

Middle Tennessee (HC)

State Takes Care Of Blue Raiders, 31-22

October 25, 2008 | Football

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

? Official Statistics
? Official Statistics (PDF)
? Postgame Notes & Quotes (PDF)

STARKVILLE, Miss. ? Anthony Dixon made sure the 40,024 fans in attendance at Scott Field on this homecoming night would depart in good spirits.

The junior running back rushed for 126 yards and scored three times to propel the Bulldogs to a 31-22 come-from-behind victory against Middle Tennessee on Saturday in a game televised nationally by ESPNU.

With his impressive efforts on this chilly night, the Terry, Miss., native has now eclipsed the 100-yard mark eight times in his career, while his 29 touchdowns are a school record.

Yet it was quarterback Tyson Lee who provided what turned out to be the decisive points.

With 4:30 left in the third quarter and Middle Tennessee enjoying a slim 16-14 lead, Lee scored a touchdown from 5-yards out to put the Bulldogs back on top.

It was a lead MSU never relinquished.

From that point the Bulldogs, who improved to 3-5 overall and host Kentucky at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 1, padded their advantage with a 37-yard field goal by Adam Carlson and 1-yard plunge by Dixon, his third and final one of the game.

And this was certainly a night the Bulldogs needed his production.

Although MSU bolted out to a 14-3 lead on 4- and 62-yard runs by Dixon on its first two possessions to open the game, Middle Tennessee battled back and closed the gap to 14-13 on a 14-yard pass from Joe Craddock to Eldred King with 6:29 left in the opening half.

Then in the third quarter, the Blue Raiders took the lead for the first time when Alan Gendreau connected on a 23-yard field goal, his third of the night, at the 9:55 mark.

Their final points were the result of a 1-yard dive by Phillip Tanner with 2:45 to play, but it was too little, too late.

As for the victorious Bulldogs, they scored four rushing TDs for the first time in a game since achieving the feat in a 36-28 victory against arch-rival Ole Miss in 2001.

Mississippi State, which now owns a homecoming ledger of 47-20-3, amassed 366 yards of offense, with 169 coming on the ground. Lee also threw for 197 yards on 17-of-25 passing, with Arnil Stallworth grabbing four of the passes for a team-high 60 yards. Middle Tennessee finished with 348 yards and were held to just 80 on the ground. Craddock did throw for 235 yards and completed 23 of his 40 passes. His top receiver was Eldred, who had 11 catches for 164 yards.

Defensively, Marcus Washington and Jasper O'Quinn led MSU's attack with nine tackles each.

Neither team turned the football over.