Photo by: Austin Perryman/MSU Athletics
Where Griffin's return ranks in MSU history
September 17, 2021 | Football
STARKVILLE – Last weekend, Lideatrick Griffin ignited Mississippi State on the very first play of the game against NC State.
Griffin returned the opening kickoff from end zone to end zone marking the fifth time the Bulldogs have returned a kickoff for 100 yards in school history. Griffin joined an exclusive club that includes Brandon Holloway (vs. Southern Miss, 2015), Jameon Lewis (vs. Ole Miss, 2012), Fred Reid (vs. Memphis, 2003) and Glen Young (vs. LSU, 1980).
"There's a lot of people that did a good job there," said MSU special teams coordinator Matt Brock. "I thought our blocking was really good overall. Collin Duncan had a nice block, Austin Williams got enough of his guy and really our wedge did a nice job of fitting their threats thick. (NC State) had a guy kind of overrun it but the biggest thing is the guys really fit it up and gave 'Tulu' a little seam.
"Tulu's got the explosiveness and the vision to hit it and run through any smoke that is there. He broke two tackles. We had a double team that was really good and they actually knocked it back into one of their fold players and created a little hesitation. Ultimately, it was great. They've practiced really hard on that unit and I was just happy that it paid off for us."
It was the first time the Bulldogs have scored on the opening kickoff of the game since Kevin Prentiss brought the game's first play back 91 yards at South Carolina on Sept. 26, 1998. Lewis' 100-yard return against Ole Miss in 2012 also came on Mississippi State's first touch but followed the Rebels' first possession.
Griffin has now reached the century mark in kickoff return yardage in three straight games dating back to last year's Armed Forces Bowl victory against Tulsa. The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder was selected as the bowl's Most Valuable Player with 138 yards on four kickoff returns (long 53) and also added a 13-yard touchdown catch.
Griffin opened the 2021 campaign with a 38-yard return but it was his 70-yarder in the fourth quarter that helped spark the Bulldogs' comeback against Louisiana Tech. He finished that contest with a career-high 144 yards on four returns.
"I don't know that 'Tulu' has had a bad game as a returner to be honest," Brock said. "There's been times that he hasn't got the ball that often because of different things…When he touches the ball, he's elusive. What it does is help the rest of the group because they know what he can do and gives them that much more motivation to execute their assignments."
The sophomore from Philadelphia, Miss., currently ranks second in the FBS and leads the SEC in both kick return yardage (244) and yards per return (48.8).
Now that the word is out on how dynamic a returner Griffin is, opponents may try to start kicking away from him or out of the end zone to ensure he does not get a chance to make another impactful return.
After his 100-yard touchdown to start the NC State game, the second kickoff resulted in a touchback and the third was an onside kick at the end of the game.
"You would have to ask NC State, but everyone tries to kick it through the end zone," said MSU head coach Mike Leach. "I think they were trying to on the first one, and it just came up a little bit short. I don't know if that is true or not. If they can, they will try to kick it through the end zone. If you can't do that, you try to get it up really high and have everybody underneath it or you have some kind of a deal where you switch sides that you are kicking to. But yeah, he has their attention now."
Griffin now has five kickoff returns of over 40 yards in his career and is one of only five Bulldogs since 1992 with three or more 100-yard kickoff return games in their careers. He needs one more 100-yard kickoff return game to join Reid, Leon Berry, Derek Pegues and Pig Prather, all of whom had four such games during their Mississippi State careers.
Griffin returned the opening kickoff from end zone to end zone marking the fifth time the Bulldogs have returned a kickoff for 100 yards in school history. Griffin joined an exclusive club that includes Brandon Holloway (vs. Southern Miss, 2015), Jameon Lewis (vs. Ole Miss, 2012), Fred Reid (vs. Memphis, 2003) and Glen Young (vs. LSU, 1980).
"There's a lot of people that did a good job there," said MSU special teams coordinator Matt Brock. "I thought our blocking was really good overall. Collin Duncan had a nice block, Austin Williams got enough of his guy and really our wedge did a nice job of fitting their threats thick. (NC State) had a guy kind of overrun it but the biggest thing is the guys really fit it up and gave 'Tulu' a little seam.
"Tulu's got the explosiveness and the vision to hit it and run through any smoke that is there. He broke two tackles. We had a double team that was really good and they actually knocked it back into one of their fold players and created a little hesitation. Ultimately, it was great. They've practiced really hard on that unit and I was just happy that it paid off for us."
It was the first time the Bulldogs have scored on the opening kickoff of the game since Kevin Prentiss brought the game's first play back 91 yards at South Carolina on Sept. 26, 1998. Lewis' 100-yard return against Ole Miss in 2012 also came on Mississippi State's first touch but followed the Rebels' first possession.
Griffin has now reached the century mark in kickoff return yardage in three straight games dating back to last year's Armed Forces Bowl victory against Tulsa. The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder was selected as the bowl's Most Valuable Player with 138 yards on four kickoff returns (long 53) and also added a 13-yard touchdown catch.
Griffin opened the 2021 campaign with a 38-yard return but it was his 70-yarder in the fourth quarter that helped spark the Bulldogs' comeback against Louisiana Tech. He finished that contest with a career-high 144 yards on four returns.
"I don't know that 'Tulu' has had a bad game as a returner to be honest," Brock said. "There's been times that he hasn't got the ball that often because of different things…When he touches the ball, he's elusive. What it does is help the rest of the group because they know what he can do and gives them that much more motivation to execute their assignments."
The sophomore from Philadelphia, Miss., currently ranks second in the FBS and leads the SEC in both kick return yardage (244) and yards per return (48.8).
Now that the word is out on how dynamic a returner Griffin is, opponents may try to start kicking away from him or out of the end zone to ensure he does not get a chance to make another impactful return.
After his 100-yard touchdown to start the NC State game, the second kickoff resulted in a touchback and the third was an onside kick at the end of the game.
"You would have to ask NC State, but everyone tries to kick it through the end zone," said MSU head coach Mike Leach. "I think they were trying to on the first one, and it just came up a little bit short. I don't know if that is true or not. If they can, they will try to kick it through the end zone. If you can't do that, you try to get it up really high and have everybody underneath it or you have some kind of a deal where you switch sides that you are kicking to. But yeah, he has their attention now."
Griffin now has five kickoff returns of over 40 yards in his career and is one of only five Bulldogs since 1992 with three or more 100-yard kickoff return games in their careers. He needs one more 100-yard kickoff return game to join Reid, Leon Berry, Derek Pegues and Pig Prather, all of whom had four such games during their Mississippi State careers.
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