Mississippi State
3-3 , 1-2
Tennessee
2-4 , 1-2
Bulldogs Drop 20-10 Decision At Tennessee
October 12, 2019 | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Mississippi State was handed a 20-10 defeat by Tennessee on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee (2-4, 1-2 SEC) limited the Bulldogs (3-3, 1-2 SEC) to 267 yards and held the SEC's leading-rusher in Kylin Hill to 13 yards on 11 attempts.
On its first possession of the game, Tennessee marched down to the State 12-yard line, but Cameron Dantzler came away with an interception in the endzone to end the Vols' threat.
The Vols drew blood first as Tim Jordan hauled one in from 15 yards out to give Tennessee a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Jace Christmann put the Bulldogs on the board early in the second quarter with a career-long 51-yard field goal, bringing the score to 7-3.
Brian Cole II held the Vols' to a four-point lead as he terminated their 68-yard drive in the second with another endzone pick for the Bulldogs.
A pair of Brent Cimaglia field goals in the second and third quarters extended Tennessee's advantage to 13-3.
State was able to gain some momentum late in the contest, registering 132 yards of total offense during the fourth quarter.
Garrett Shrader, who entered the contest in the third quarter, led the Bulldogs on a 90-yard march to the endzone, highlighted by a 21-yard pass to Osirus Mitchell and two rushes by Shrader that resulted in 23 total yards. The drive culminated with a 17-yard pass to Deddrick Thomas for his first touchdown reception of the season.
Nine plays later, Jarrett Guarantano found Tyler Byrd from 39 yards out to bring the Volunteers to a final margin of 20-10. A key play for Tennesse was a third down conversion with six yards to go when Guarantano connected with Jordan for a gain of nine yards.
The Bulldogs attempted to rally late and drove into Tennessee territory but the Vols recorded three of their seven sacks of the contest on State's final drive.
Dantzler and Cole II's interceptions brought State's takeaway total this season to 16. Entering the contest, the Bulldogs ranked third in the FBS in turnovers.
MSU has recorded at least one takeaway in 22 straight games and has compiled 43 total turnovers gained in that span. The streak marks the longest active streak in the FBS.
The Maroon and White's defense was led by Erroll Thompson who recorded 13 tackles and 1 tackle for loss. Thompson's 13 tackles marks his second 10-plus tackle performance this season. C.J. Morgan matched his career-high with nine tackles, ignited by five solo stops.
MSU will now return to Starkville for its first home contest in nearly a month as the Bulldogs welcome fifth-ranked LSU to Starkville on Oct. 19. The official kickoff time and television assignment for the game are expected to be released by the SEC late Saturday or Sunday morning. The game will be at either 11 a.m. (ESPN), 2:30 p.m. (CBS) or 5 p.m. (ESPN)
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU football on its social media platforms by searching for "HailStateFB" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Team Stats
MS 0, UT 7
UT - Jordan,T. 15 yd run (Cimaglia,B. kick), 8 plays, 60 yards, TOP 4:31
MS 3, UT 7
MS - Jace Christmann 51 yd field goal 13 plays, 59 yards, TOP 7:08
MS 3, UT 10
UT - Cimaglia,B. 49 yd field goal 4 plays, 5 yards, TOP 0:59
MS 3, UT 13
UT - Cimaglia,B. 22 yd field goal 7 plays, 56 yards, TOP 3:46
MS 10, UT 13
MS - Deddrick Thomas 17 yd pass from Garrett Shrader (Jace Christmann kick) 8 plays, 90 yards, TOP 3:37
MS 10, UT 20
UT - Byrd,T. 39 yd pass from Guarantano,J. (Cimaglia,B. kick) 9 plays, 91 yards, TOP 5:44
