Griffin And Defense Pave Way To 24-10 MSU Win Over NC State

Saturday, September 11

Starkville

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

2-0 , 0-0

NC State

1-1 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

NC State

Mississippi St.

Griffin And Defense Pave Way To 24-10 MSU Win Over NC State

September 11, 2021 | Football, Joel Coleman

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By: Joel Coleman, Senior Writer

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State's Lideatrick Griffin electrified the home crowd as he returned the games' opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to set the stage for MSU's 24-10 victory over NC State on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.

Griffin became only the fifth Bulldog all-time to record a 100-yard kickoff return, joining Brandon Holloway, Jameon Lewis, Fred Reid and Glen Davis. In the process, he laid the foundation for a successful night across the board for the Maroon and White as MSU improved to 2-0 this season. NC State fell to 1-1.

The Bulldog defense was stout, holding NC State out of the end zone until late in the fourth quarter. Emmanuel Forbes paced Mississippi State with a career-high 11 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. MSU finished the evening with nine total tackles for loss, including four sacks.

State also forced three turnovers. Safety Jalen Green recorded an interception and fumble recovery. Linebacker Jett Johnson forced the fumble that was recovered by Green. Safety Fred Peters also recorded a pick to seal the win with only seconds to play. MSU now has at least one takeaway in 36 of its last 41 games including both contests this season.

On the other side of the football for the Bulldogs, quarterback Will Rogers continued his strong start to the season. Rogers completed 33 of his 49 pass attempts for 294 yards and two touchdowns. It marked the sophomore's seventh career 200-plus-yard passing game, a total that is tied for ninth in Mississippi State history.

Nine different Bulldogs caught passes from Rogers with Jo'quavious Marks hauling in a team-high seven catches and Dillon Johnson pacing State with a career-high 70 receiving yards.

Griffin's game-starting touchdown return had the Bulldogs off and running from the opening bell. State led 7-0 after one quarter of play. Following a 45-yard field goal from NC State in the opening moments of the second quarter, the Bulldogs increased their lead just before halftime when Rogers found Malik Heath for a 21-yard scoring pass that completed a 13-play, 83-yard drive.

MSU rode its offensive momentum right into the second half. Following Jett Johnson's forced fumble and Green's recovery, State took advantage of a short field. With 8:59 left in the third quarter, Rogers found Jaden Walley on a four-yard touchdown toss to go up 21-3.

The Bulldogs added to their advantage in the fourth quarter when Nolan McCord drilled a 32-yard field goal with 12:30 left to play to make it 24-3. NC State was able to close the gap with a touchdown with 1:06 remaining, but after the Wolfpack recovered an onside kick, Peters cemented the MSU win with his interception.

Noteworthy

Kicking Things Off

Lideatrick Griffin returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. It was the fifth 100-yard kick return in school history and the first taken back for a touchdown since Brandon Holloway returned one 100 yards against Southern Miss on Sept. 5, 2015.

Shutdown Sacks

MSU recorded three sacks in the fourth quarter alone and finished with four on the day. Overall, State made nine tackles for loss, and 12 different players were credited with at least 0.5 tackles for loss.

Green Day

Jalen Green picked up his second career interception and first fumble recovery for two takeaways. He also matched his career high with two pass breakups and added 0.5 tackles for loss.

Turning On The Jetts

Jett Johnson made a career-high nine tackles, including five solo stops. Entering the 2021 season, he had recorded five total tackles for his career. He also forced a fumble for the first time in his career and added a pass breakup.

YAC Out Of The Backs

Dillon Johnson led MSU with a career-high 70 receiving yards, and 48 of those yards came after the catch. Jo'quavious Marks was close behind with 43 yards after catch. The Bulldogs finished the day with 51.7 percent of their yards through the air coming after the catch (152-of-294).

Next Up for MSU…

Mississippi State hits the road for the first time this season as the Bulldogs travel to Memphis (2-0) for a 3 p.m. CT kickoff on Saturday, Sept. 18, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

For more information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU football on its social media platforms by searching for "HailStateFB" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.