Saturday, September 3
Starkville
11:00 AM
Mississippi State
0-1
20
vs
21
South Alabama
1-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
South Alabama
0
0
7
14
21
Mississippi State
7
10
3
0
20
Damian Williams amassed over 236 yards of total offense in his second career start.
Bulldogs Drop Season Opener To Jaguars
September 03, 2016 | Football
STARKVILLE, Miss. - In the season opener for both teams, South Alabama (1-0) upset Mississippi State (0-1) 21-20 at Davis Wade Stadium Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs took a 17-0 lead into halftime, but the Jaguars answered by outscoring State 21-3 in the second half, capped with the go-ahead touchdown in the final minute. MSU got the ball with 57 seconds left and quickly raced down the field, but the potential game-winning field goal attempt with nine seconds remaining bounced off the left upright, allowing USA to take a knee and close out the upset win.
"We had some opportunities to win the game and didn't take advantage of them," head coach Dan Mullen said. "They made plays when they needed to make plays to win the game."
The Bulldogs amassed 382 yards of offense, led by junior quarterback Damian Williams who completed 20-of-28 passes for 143 yards and one touchdown, while also rushing for a game-high 93 yards. Senior receiver Fred Ross was Williams' favorite target, catching six passes for 34 yards.
Defensively, MSU allowed 379 yards while holding the Jaguars to only 94 yards on the ground. Freshman linebacker Leo Lewis paced the team with nine tackles, including for two for loss. Senior defensive end A.J. Jefferson led the team with four tackles for loss, including two quarterback sacks.
Mississippi State returns to action at home next week, hosting South Carolina to open its SEC schedule at 6 p.m. on either ESPN or ESPN2.
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The Bulldogs took a 17-0 lead into halftime, but the Jaguars answered by outscoring State 21-3 in the second half, capped with the go-ahead touchdown in the final minute. MSU got the ball with 57 seconds left and quickly raced down the field, but the potential game-winning field goal attempt with nine seconds remaining bounced off the left upright, allowing USA to take a knee and close out the upset win.
"We had some opportunities to win the game and didn't take advantage of them," head coach Dan Mullen said. "They made plays when they needed to make plays to win the game."
The Bulldogs amassed 382 yards of offense, led by junior quarterback Damian Williams who completed 20-of-28 passes for 143 yards and one touchdown, while also rushing for a game-high 93 yards. Senior receiver Fred Ross was Williams' favorite target, catching six passes for 34 yards.
Defensively, MSU allowed 379 yards while holding the Jaguars to only 94 yards on the ground. Freshman linebacker Leo Lewis paced the team with nine tackles, including for two for loss. Senior defensive end A.J. Jefferson led the team with four tackles for loss, including two quarterback sacks.
Mississippi State returns to action at home next week, hosting South Carolina to open its SEC schedule at 6 p.m. on either ESPN or ESPN2.
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Team Stats
USA
MS
Total Yards
379
382
Pass Yards
285
143
Rushing Yards
94
239
Penalty Yards
57
41
1st Downs
19
22
3rd Downs
5
2
4th Downs
2
0
TOP
36:41
23:19
1st Quarter
USA 0, MS 7
MS - Deddrick Thomas 4 yd pass from Damian Williams (Westin Graves kick) 7 plays, 60 yards, TOP 2:29
2nd Quarter
USA 0, MS 14
MS - B. Holloway 7 yd run (Westin Graves kick), 6 plays, 80 yards, TOP 1:59
USA 0, MS 17
MS - Westin Graves 37 yd field goal 10 plays, 64 yards, TOP 3:46
3rd Quarter
USA 7, MS 17
USA - Magee, Josh 20 yd pass from Davis, Dallas (Patterson,Gavin kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:47
USA 7, MS 20
MS - Westin Graves 48 yd field goal 11 plays, 46 yards, TOP 3:30
4th Quarter
USA 14, MS 20
USA - Thomas, Tyreis 4 yd run (Patterson,Gavin kick), 9 plays, 99 yards, TOP 4:39
USA 21, MS 20
USA - Everett, Gerald 4 yd pass from Davis, Dallas (Patterson,Gavin kick) 9 plays, 71 yards, TOP 5:06
Game Leaders
CMP
20
TD
1
YDS
143
INT
0
CMP
0
TD
0
YDS
0
INT
0
Players Mentioned
DL
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