Inside The Largest MSU Comeback Ever
September 04, 2021 | Football, Joel Coleman
MSU puts forth complete team effort in fourth quarter rally.
STARKVILLE – In 121 previous seasons of Mississippi State football, there's never, ever been a day like the one that started the 122nd one on Saturday.
With 13:11 left in the fourth quarter of the season opener, MSU fell behind Louisiana Tech 34-14. By the time the final horn sounded, State had roared back for a 35-34 win, marking the largest comeback in school history.
So how did it happen? How did the maroon-and-white-clad Bulldogs pull off the unforgettable rally against the Bulldog bunch from Ruston, Louisiana? Let's take a quick look inside.
Don't Stop Believing
When the fourth quarter rolled around, MSU fans carried on the tradition of singing along with Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" prior to the start of the period.
Down on the sidelines, State head coach Mike Leach wasn't singing, but he still had hope. His team had once led 14-0. Way back in the first quarter, MSU got a pair of Will Rogers touchdown passes – one to Jo'quavious Marks and one to Jamire Calvin. State had already proven it had the capability to put points up quickly.
Yes, since that point, Louisiana Tech had built a three-score lead, but 15 minutes remained. Leach, in a way only Mike Leach can, made sure his Bulldogs knew there was still plenty of football left.
"Basically I told them we'd tried every way known to man to lose it, so just for fun, let's try something different," Leach said of his late message.
The mission was clear. The previous couple of quarters hadn't gone the way MSU had hoped as Louisiana Tech put State in a deep hole. But there'd be no rolling over. That's not in the Mississippi State DNA.
"He was just talking about how we're a better team than we were playing like,' receiver Jamire Calvin said of Leach's speech. "We were just making mistakes and shooting ourselves in the foot. They weren't beating us; we were beating ourselves. He just said to lock in and make plays and be consistent with what we were doing."
With that, it was time for MSU to prove the adage right that it's not how things start, but how they finish that counts.
Hold On To That Feeling
State's deficit grew larger in the opening moments of the fourth quarter. Louisiana Tech stretched its lead to 20 on a 33-yard field goal.
Mississippi State needed a jolt. It needed a shot in the arm. Who better to give it to them than the electric Lideatrick Griffin? Griffin had actually started the game with an exciting 38-yard kickoff return way back in the first quarter. Well he nearly doubled that effort, just when MSU had to have it most.
Griffin ripped off a career-best 70-yard kick return to breathe new life into Davis Wade Stadium. State was still down 20 points, but suddenly, the homestanding Bulldogs were in striking distance only 21 yards from the end zone.
"I feel like that turned the whole stadium up and the sidelines," Calvin said of Griffin's return. "It gave us the energy we needed to push us towards the win."
While the cowbells clanged for Griffin, Leach saw others deserving praise, too.
"The thing is, that was a full-unit deal," Leach said of Griffin's return. "As that's going down the field, I saw a number of great, key blocks. It looked to me like we executed the return really well and there was a lot of good blocking involved in that. There were a lot of unsung heroes on that. [Griffin] gets the credit for the return, but there's a lot of unsung heroes in the middle of that deal."
Three plays later, Mississippi State was in the end zone. MSU suddenly trailed only 34-21 with more than 12 minutes left. This game wasn't over. Not by a long shot. State simply had to keep clawing.
"After [Griffin's] return, we finally got that touchdown," Calvin said. "That kind of jumpstarted the offense. We were all communicating. Every drive, we started going out there with the mentality that we were going to score. We were talking to each other saying, 'We're going to score.' We just kept that mentality every drive."
Completing The Comeback
You don't come back from three scores down without everyone contributing. MSU needed its offense, defense and special teams all to click to pull this off. It's precisely what State got.
"All three sides rose," Leach said. "It was definitely some kind of teamwide mentality thing."
Mississippi State's special teams and offense were already starting to roll. Then, the defense did its part. A quick three-and-out gave MSU the football right back. It put more fuel on the State offense's fire.
"When our defense gives us a stop, we've got to give them a present and go score," Marks said.
Marks, Rogers and company indeed quickly became gift givers. MSU drove 77 yards on seven plays, scoring on a five-yard rush from Marks. That made it 34-28.
Then, after State's defense forced a second-straight three-and-out, MSU surged ahead. Rogers hit Jaden Walley with a 15-yard touchdown pass to polish off a five-play drive. Brandon Ruiz's extra point gave State the lead.
The only problem? 3:37 remained on the clock. Louisiana Tech was going to get a chance to reclaim the lead.
The visiting set of Bulldogs eventually pushed the football all the way down to the MSU 28-yard line. Louisiana Tech then set up for a potential game-winning 46-yard field goal on the contest's final play.
Everyone held their breath.
"I hope they miss it," State linebacker Nathaniel Watson said of his thoughts at the time.
Miss it, they did. The clock ran out. This unforgettable game was wrapped in maroon and white.
Moving Forward
It was, by any measure, a special final quarter of football for Mississippi State. Before Saturday, MSU's largest comeback in a game had come way back in 1999 when State overcame a 16-point deficit to top Auburn.
"We settled down [on Saturday]," Leach said. "We played fast for the full fourth quarter. We made up a lot of lost ground and I thought really played well that quarter."
There's no running from the fact MSU had a hole to dig out of to begin with though. So State might've won, but they're not settling. The fourth quarter was great, but the ones before it displayed there's still work to do.
"It's a bittersweet feeling," Calvin said. "At the end of the day, we didn't quit. That says a lot about the team that we can battle back and not quit. At the same token, it shows how much better we need to get if we want to be a top team and championship team."
So the grind begins again on Sunday. It's a new week. NC State is headed to Starkville next weekend. There's no time to rest on the satisfaction of the largest MSU comeback ever.
"I think right now everyone is happy that we won," Leach said of his team. "I'd like them to draw a lot of confidence and perspective on how well we can play when we all play together.  I also think there's a sense we have a lot of work to do…We've just got to keep pushing."
Keep pushing. Or put another way, keep fighting, in much the same way State did Saturday.
"It got rough out there at times," Watson said. "We were down, but we fought and clawed all the way back to the top. You just have to keep on fighting."
