Saturday, November 18
Fayetteville, Ark.
11:00 AM
Mississippi State
8-3 , 4-3
28
at
21
Arkansas
4-7 , 1-6
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Mississippi State
0
14
0
14
28
Arkansas
14
0
7
0
21
Fourth-Quarter Rally Lifts No. 16 MSU To 28-21 Win At Arkansas
November 18, 2017 | Football
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - In a game that came down to the final play, No. 16 Mississippi State (8-3, 4-3 SEC) beat Arkansas (4-7, 1-6) 28-21 in Fayetteville on the back of a Nick Fitzgerald touchdown pass to Deddrick Thomas with 17 seconds left in the game. After State's defense stopped a lateral-filled final attempt by the Hogs to tie it up, the Bulldogs victory was secured.
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Arkansas went up early after a punt on their first possession was shanked and bounced off an unaware MSU defender, giving the Razorbacks a second chance that they took advantage of. In fact, all three of the Arkansas scores came off miscues as their following touchdown was a fumble by MSU that a Razorback defender recovered in the end zone. UA's final score of the game came after the Razorbacks fumbled a ball that got bobbled forward all the way to the one, where a Razorback finally recovered it.
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Mississippi State's defense held strong otherwise, only allowing Arkansas 221 total yards and only 97 yards rushing. MSU junior rusher Montez Sweat stood out, registering 2.5 sacks on four total tackles. Johnathan Abram and Jeffery Simmons led the Bulldogs with five tackles each, Abram forcing a fumble and Simmons notching another sack.
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Offensively, Fitzgerald went over 100 yards on the ground yet again, leading MSU with 101 yards on 22 carries and a score. Junior running back Aeris Williams was just behind him with 71 yards and a touchdown. Freshman receiver Reggie Todd, who scored the tying touchdown to make it 21-21, was MSU's leading receiver with 50 yards and a score on three catches.
State will now host arch rival Ole Miss in the annual Battle for the Golden Egg on Thanksgiving night, Nov. 23, at Davis Wade Stadium. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT and be televised nationally by ESPN.Â
HEAD COACH DAN MULLEN QUOTES:
On the touchdown to tie the game at 21…
"He ran a perfect route. I think it was third down and to that point, we had been trying to run the ball and pound away. They started crowding the line of scrimmage and so you get one-on-one's when that happens. We thought we could get good protection on the play and we did. Everybody filled to try and stop the run. Fitzgerald, after missing a couple of throws in the game, I think, threw a strike on that one."
On if there was a hangover from the Alabama game…
"I don't think so. We had great week of preparation. It's late in the season and you come out to a tough environment on a windy and cold day. The ball didn't bounce our way all game long. When we evaluate the film, every coach and player can say this can be better. I thought our guys were ready to go, they had a great attitude all week. We're playing a tough team on the road in November in the SEC. It's tough to win that way."
On quarterback Nick Fitzgerald's game…
"I think it shows his maturity that when he has a tough game, he can bounce back late and make big plays. I'm sure he's frustrated as the game goes on, but just play the next play. Maturity was probably the best part of his performance today."
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Arkansas went up early after a punt on their first possession was shanked and bounced off an unaware MSU defender, giving the Razorbacks a second chance that they took advantage of. In fact, all three of the Arkansas scores came off miscues as their following touchdown was a fumble by MSU that a Razorback defender recovered in the end zone. UA's final score of the game came after the Razorbacks fumbled a ball that got bobbled forward all the way to the one, where a Razorback finally recovered it.
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Mississippi State's defense held strong otherwise, only allowing Arkansas 221 total yards and only 97 yards rushing. MSU junior rusher Montez Sweat stood out, registering 2.5 sacks on four total tackles. Johnathan Abram and Jeffery Simmons led the Bulldogs with five tackles each, Abram forcing a fumble and Simmons notching another sack.
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Offensively, Fitzgerald went over 100 yards on the ground yet again, leading MSU with 101 yards on 22 carries and a score. Junior running back Aeris Williams was just behind him with 71 yards and a touchdown. Freshman receiver Reggie Todd, who scored the tying touchdown to make it 21-21, was MSU's leading receiver with 50 yards and a score on three catches.
State will now host arch rival Ole Miss in the annual Battle for the Golden Egg on Thanksgiving night, Nov. 23, at Davis Wade Stadium. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT and be televised nationally by ESPN.Â
HEAD COACH DAN MULLEN QUOTES:
On the touchdown to tie the game at 21…
"He ran a perfect route. I think it was third down and to that point, we had been trying to run the ball and pound away. They started crowding the line of scrimmage and so you get one-on-one's when that happens. We thought we could get good protection on the play and we did. Everybody filled to try and stop the run. Fitzgerald, after missing a couple of throws in the game, I think, threw a strike on that one."
On if there was a hangover from the Alabama game…
"I don't think so. We had great week of preparation. It's late in the season and you come out to a tough environment on a windy and cold day. The ball didn't bounce our way all game long. When we evaluate the film, every coach and player can say this can be better. I thought our guys were ready to go, they had a great attitude all week. We're playing a tough team on the road in November in the SEC. It's tough to win that way."
On quarterback Nick Fitzgerald's game…
"I think it shows his maturity that when he has a tough game, he can bounce back late and make big plays. I'm sure he's frustrated as the game goes on, but just play the next play. Maturity was probably the best part of his performance today."
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Team Stats
MS
AR
Total Yards
348
221
Pass Yards
153
124
Rushing Yards
195
97
Penalty Yards
47
35
1st Downs
19
12
3rd Downs
8
3
4th Downs
2
0
TOP
33:31
26:29
1st Quarter
MS 0, AR 7
AR - David Williams 3 yd run (Connor Limpert kick), 3 plays, 36 yards, TOP 0:54
MS 0, AR 14
AR - Briston Guidry 0 yd fumble recovery (Connor Limpert kick)
2nd Quarter
MS 7, AR 14
MS - Fitzgerald,Nick 18 yd run (Christmann,Jace kick), 8 plays, 50 yards, TOP 2:45
MS 14, AR 14
MS - Williams,Aeris 8 yd run (Christmann,Jace kick), 3 plays, 17 yards, TOP 1:26
3rd Quarter
MS 14, AR 21
AR - Devwah Whaley 1 yd run (Connor Limpert kick), 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:53
4th Quarter
MS 21, AR 21
MS - Todd,Reggie 37 yd pass from Fitzgerald,Nick (Christmann,Jace kick) 6 plays, 55 yards, TOP 3:06
MS 28, AR 21
MS - Thomas,Deddrick 6 yd pass from Fitzgerald,Nick (Christmann,Jace kick) 9 plays, 44 yards, TOP 2:44
Game Leaders
CMP
12
TD
2
YDS
153
INT
0
Players Mentioned
DB
/ FootballQB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
DL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
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