Saturday, August 31
New Orleans, La.
11:00 AM
Mississippi State
1-0
38
at
28
Louisiana
0-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Mississippi State
7
14
7
10
38
Louisiana
7
7
0
14
28
Tommy Stevens accounted for three touchdowns in his first start for the Bulldogs, including this 4-yard rush that put State up 21-14 at halftime.
State Holds Off Louisiana, 38-28, In Season-Opening Victory
August 31, 2019 | Football
by Mikaela Elizondo, Graduate Assistant/Communications
NEW ORLEANS – Mississippi State tallied 21 unanswered points over a 17:24 span during the second, third and fourth quarters en route to a 38-28 victory over Louisiana on Saturday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, home of the NFL's New Orleans Saints.
The Bulldogs (1-0) have won nine of their last 12 season openers and the second straight under Joe Moorhead.
"We talked to the kids last night about how to respond to success and adversity," Moorhead said. "Certainly, we had a few guys go down and a bunch of guys stepped up and made some big plays. What we wanted to do offensively was strike a balance with the ability to run the ball and pass the ball successfully. We took a positive step in that regard. Defensively, we bent and we didn't really break. Ultimately at the end, it's not about one phase or one unit. It's about us playing together as a team. It's going to be old-school Mississippi State football. We are going to have to find a way on a weekly basis to fight, scratch and claw and find a way to win football games."
It took only six plays and under three minutes for State to score the first points of the contest, as Tommy Stevens connected with Osirus Mitchell for a 31-yard strike.
The two squads went back-and-forth for much of the first half. MSU headed into the break with a 21-14 lead after Stevens completed an 11-play, 82-yard march with a 4-yard touchdown rush for the go-ahead score with 31 seconds left.
State ripped off another 14 straight points on a Kylin Hill 5-yard touchdown and an Austin Williams 12-yard scoring reception to take command, stretching the lead to 35-14. Williams' score was setup early in the fourth quarter on a beautiful 40-yard punt return from Malik Dear.
Louisiana (0-1) responded in the fourth with 14 points of their own to come within one score, but a a 37-yard field goal by Jordan Lawless secured the 10-point Bulldog win.
In his debut in Maroon and White, Stevens proved to be effective and efficient at the quarterback position. He completed 67 percent of his passes going 20-of-30 for 236 yards and two touchdowns. He added 37 yards and one score on the ground.
The Bulldogs' ground attack was fueled by Hill, who exploded for 197 yards on 27 carries and one score. Hill's performance marks his fourth career 100-yard rushing game.
MSU's defensive unit forced five turnovers which included an interception and a recovered fumble by Cameron Dantzler. The Bulldogs have forced at least one turnover in 17 consecutive games dating back to 2017 and have recorded a pick in their last eight outings.
Erroll Thompson paced the defense with 10 tackles ignited by nine solo stops, and Jaquarius Landrews followed with eight tackles of his own.
Mississippi State opens a three-game homestand versus Southern Miss next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT from Davis Wade Stadium. The game will be televised by ESPNU and available online through the WatchESPN platform.
For more information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU football on its social media platforms by searching for "HailStateFB" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
NEW ORLEANS – Mississippi State tallied 21 unanswered points over a 17:24 span during the second, third and fourth quarters en route to a 38-28 victory over Louisiana on Saturday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, home of the NFL's New Orleans Saints.
The Bulldogs (1-0) have won nine of their last 12 season openers and the second straight under Joe Moorhead.
"We talked to the kids last night about how to respond to success and adversity," Moorhead said. "Certainly, we had a few guys go down and a bunch of guys stepped up and made some big plays. What we wanted to do offensively was strike a balance with the ability to run the ball and pass the ball successfully. We took a positive step in that regard. Defensively, we bent and we didn't really break. Ultimately at the end, it's not about one phase or one unit. It's about us playing together as a team. It's going to be old-school Mississippi State football. We are going to have to find a way on a weekly basis to fight, scratch and claw and find a way to win football games."
It took only six plays and under three minutes for State to score the first points of the contest, as Tommy Stevens connected with Osirus Mitchell for a 31-yard strike.
The two squads went back-and-forth for much of the first half. MSU headed into the break with a 21-14 lead after Stevens completed an 11-play, 82-yard march with a 4-yard touchdown rush for the go-ahead score with 31 seconds left.
State ripped off another 14 straight points on a Kylin Hill 5-yard touchdown and an Austin Williams 12-yard scoring reception to take command, stretching the lead to 35-14. Williams' score was setup early in the fourth quarter on a beautiful 40-yard punt return from Malik Dear.
Louisiana (0-1) responded in the fourth with 14 points of their own to come within one score, but a a 37-yard field goal by Jordan Lawless secured the 10-point Bulldog win.
In his debut in Maroon and White, Stevens proved to be effective and efficient at the quarterback position. He completed 67 percent of his passes going 20-of-30 for 236 yards and two touchdowns. He added 37 yards and one score on the ground.
The Bulldogs' ground attack was fueled by Hill, who exploded for 197 yards on 27 carries and one score. Hill's performance marks his fourth career 100-yard rushing game.
MSU's defensive unit forced five turnovers which included an interception and a recovered fumble by Cameron Dantzler. The Bulldogs have forced at least one turnover in 17 consecutive games dating back to 2017 and have recorded a pick in their last eight outings.
Erroll Thompson paced the defense with 10 tackles ignited by nine solo stops, and Jaquarius Landrews followed with eight tackles of his own.
Mississippi State opens a three-game homestand versus Southern Miss next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT from Davis Wade Stadium. The game will be televised by ESPNU and available online through the WatchESPN platform.
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
LA
Total Yards
497
430
Pass Yards
236
267
Rushing Yards
261
163
Penalty Yards
40
45
1st Downs
29
27
3rd Downs
4
4
4th Downs
0
0
TOP
30:37
29:16
1st Quarter
MS 7, LA 0
MS - Osirus Mitchell 31 yd pass from Tommy Stevens (Jordan Lawless kick) 6 plays, 74 yards, TOP 2:33
MS 7, LA 7
LA - Elija Mitchell 3 yd run (Stevie Artigue kick), 3 plays, 15 yards, TOP 1:05
2nd Quarter
MS 14, LA 7
MS - Nick Gibson 8 yd run (Jordan Lawless kick), 5 plays, 42 yards, TOP 1:56
MS 14, LA 14
LA - Nick Ralston 11 yd pass from Levi Lewis (Stevie Artigue kick) 10 plays, 69 yards, TOP 4:41
MS 21, LA 14
MS - Tommy Stevens 4 yd run (Jordan Lawless kick), 11 plays, 82 yards, TOP 3:54
3rd Quarter
MS 28, LA 14
MS - Kylin Hill 5 yd run (Jordan Lawless kick), 9 plays, 65 yards, TOP 4:06
4th Quarter
MS 35, LA 14
MS - Austin Williams 12 yd pass from Tommy Stevens (Jordan Lawless kick) 1 plays, 12 yards, TOP 0:07
MS 35, LA 21
LA - Levi Lewis 1 yd run (Stevie Artigue kick), 9 plays, 69 yards, TOP 3:03
MS 35, LA 28
LA - Trey Ragas 17 yd run (Stevie Artigue kick), 14 plays, 99 yards, TOP 4:36
MS 38, LA 28
MS - Jordan Lawless 37 yd field goal 6 plays, 23 yards, TOP 1:43
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
20
TD
2
YDS
236
INT
0
Players Mentioned
CB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
S
/ Football
K
/ Football
WR
/ FootballQB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
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