Mississippi State
4-2 , 1-2
Troy
1-4 , 0-1
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 17 |
| Mississippi State | 21 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 45 |
Bulldogs Cruise Past Troy 45-17 As Mullen Earns 50th Career Victory
October 10, 2015 | Football
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State (4-2, 1-2 SEC) beat Troy (1-4) 45-17 in front of a crowd of 60,000 at Davis Wade Stadium Saturday afternoon. The victory secured win No. 50 at MSU for head coach Dan Mullen.
“When I came here, we had a vision of what we wanted to build,” Mullen said. “Only two other people have done that here at Mississippi State, so it's a great honor, but it's really about the program.”
A quick start for the Bulldogs sealed the game early as MSU scored touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams all before the end of the first quarter. State coaches talked in the week leading up to the game about a desire to start faster on both sides of the ball. Mullen was pleased to see his team respond so well.
“I thought we played with a lot of juice, a lot of energy,” Mullen said. “We had a little edge to us to start the game off. We exploded into that game.”
Senior quarterback Dak Prescott only played three series while battling a stomach virus, opening the door for freshman quarterback Nick Fitzgerald to have a career day, He completed 6-of-7 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with a passer rating of 349.2. He also rushed for a score.
Overall, MSU outgained Troy 336-254, holding the Trojans to just over three yards per play and less than 100 yards rushing. MSU's defense was led by its defensive ends, junior A.J. Jefferson and senior Ryan Brown combining for 5.5 tackles for loss, including 1.5 sacks.
Overall, MSU's defense registered 15 tackles for loss, four sacks and eight passes broken up.
The defensive pressure, particularly the run stopping, was a goal for MSU entering the contest.
“I thought that was really important for us coming into the game,” Mullen said.
Mullen, in his 83rd game, became the third coach in MSU history to claim 50 victories. He is the second-quickest to do so. College Football Hall of Famer Allyn McKeen won his 50th in his 63rd game on Oct. 26, 1946. By comparison, Jackie Sherrill won No. 50 in his 94th game on Sept. 4, 1999.
Mississippi State hosts Louisiana Tech next Saturday at 11 a.m. on the SEC Network. The game will surround MSU's 2015 Homecoming festivities.
Team Stats
TROY 0, MS 7
MS - Fred Ross 59 yd pass from Dak Prescott (Westin Graves kick) 2 plays, 65 yards, TOP 0:36
TROY 0, MS 14
MS - Nelson Adams 0 yd fumble recovery (Westin Graves kick)
TROY 0, MS 21
MS - Fred Ross 77 yd punt return (Westin Graves kick)
TROY 0, MS 24
MS - Westin Graves 42 yd field goal 13 plays, 50 yards, TOP 4:58
TROY 0, MS 31
MS - D.Wilson 28 yd pass from Nick Fitzgerald (Westin Graves kick) 5 plays, 52 yards, TOP 1:29
TROY 0, MS 38
MS - Nick Fitzgerald 1 yd run (Westin Graves kick), 4 plays, 55 yards, TOP 1:03
TROY 7, MS 38
TROY - Pruitt, D. 5 yd run (Solomon, Jed kick), 15 plays, 77 yards, TOP 9:08
TROY 14, MS 38
TROY - Burks, Brandon 74 yd run (Solomon, Jed kick), 2 plays, 82 yards, TOP 0:53
TROY 14, MS 45
MS - Donald Gray 49 yd pass from Nick Fitzgerald (Westin Graves kick) 1 plays, 49 yards, TOP 0:11
TROY 17, MS 45
TROY - Solomon, Jed 21 yd field goal 12 plays, 65 yards, TOP 4:39
