Mississippi State
1-1
Southeastern Louisiana
1-1
Mississippi State Takes Care Of Business With 34-10 Win Over Southeastern Louisiana
September 06, 2008 | Football
? Official Statistics
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? Behind a stout defensive effort and solid offensive performance, Mississippi State kicked off its 2008 home opener against Southeastern Louisiana in commanding fashion on Saturday night at Scott Field, 34-10. The Bulldogs (1-1), who host Auburn next, totaled 401 yards and limited the Lions to just eight first downs and 148 yards of offense. SLU attacked first with a 46-yard field goal by Jeff Turner in the opening frame, but MSU answered quickly with a 50-yard reception by Marcus Green to set up Anthony Dixon's 14-yard touchdown, giving the Bulldogs a 7-3 advantage, one it never relinquished. The second quarter began with a drive by MSU, resulting in a 33-yard field goal by Adam Carlson. Two drives later, the Bulldogs marched down the field once again for another 41-yard field goal from Carlson, making the score 13-3. With 10 seconds left in the first half, Wesley Carroll connected with tight end Austin Wilbanks on a 1-yard pass, stretching MSU's lead to 20-3. Early in the third frame, MSU showed no mercy as Dixon rushed for another touchdown. SLU tried to fight back, coming up short with a fumble recovered by MSU's Cortez McCraney. The recovery put the Bulldogs at the SLU 27-yard line. D?j? vu occurred as Dixon rushed eight yards for yet another MSU touchdown, which placed him second on the school's all-time list behind Michael Davis with 25. The Lions (1-1) finally found the end zone at the 4:54 mark of the fourth quarter when Jay Lucas rushed for a 1-yard scoring plunge for the game's final points. SLU finished with just 33 yards on the ground, while MSU amassed 216. The junior Dixon led all rushers with 80 yards on 18 carries, while Christian Ducre totaled 67 yards on 10 carries. The Bulldogs, who bounced back nicely following their 22-14 setback at Louisiana Tech last week, also threw for 185 yards, as three different quarterbacks saw action. Carroll, who started the game, was 15 of 23 for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Tyson Lee came off the bench and completed all three of his attempts for 27 yards.
? Official Statistics (PDF)
? Postgame Notes & Quotes (PDF)
Team Stats
SLU 3, MS 0
SLU - Turner, Jeff 46 yd field goal 5 plays, 26 yards, TOP 3:02
SLU 3, MS 7
MS - Anthony Dixon 14 yd run (Adam Carlson kick), 4 plays, 65 yards, TOP 1:22
SLU 3, MS 10
MS - Adam Carlson 33 yd field goal 17 plays, 64 yards, TOP 7:38
SLU 3, MS 13
MS - Adam Carlson 41 yd field goal 4 plays, 6 yards, TOP 1:06
SLU 3, MS 20
MS - Austin Wilbanks 1 yd pass from Wesley Carroll (Adam Carlson kick) 9 plays, 46 yards, TOP 3:22
SLU 3, MS 27
MS - Brandon McRae 3 yd pass from Wesley Carroll (Adam Carlson kick) 11 plays, 65 yards, TOP 5:18
SLU 3, MS 34
MS - Anthony Dixon 7 yd run (Adam Carlson kick), 5 plays, 27 yards, TOP 2:14
SLU 10, MS 34
SLU - Lucas, Jay 1 yd run (Turner, Jeff kick), 8 plays, 86 yards, TOP 4:41
