Photo by: Kevin Snyder/MSU Athletics
A Total Team Effort By The Bulldogs
October 02, 2022 | Football
STARKVILLE – Stars like Will Rogers, Emmanuel Forbes, Dillon Johnson, Rara Thomas and Jett Johnson shined for Mississippi State on Saturday.
But it took a total team effort by the Bulldogs to take down then No. 17 Texas A&M. MSU received major contributions from players up and down the depth chart in their 42-24 upset of the Aggies.
"Anytime the team is making big plays, whether it's on offense or defense, I think we all just kind of feed off of each other," Rogers said.
The man starting opposite of Forbes at cornerback, Decamerion Richardson, made as big an impact on the game as anybody. Richardson finished second on the team with nine tackles to go along with a fumble recovery and also added a 50-yard touchdown on a scoop-and-score opportunity following Forbes' blocked field goal.
Richardson, a junior making his sixth straight start, currently ranks third on the team with 30 tackles on the year.
"I've come a long way since I first got here," Richardson said. "When I first came in, I was real raw. I've come a long way."
J.P. Purvis, Sherman Timbs and John Lewis helped bridge the gap for the Bulldogs' shorthanded linebacking corps. Purvis posted a career-high seven tackles including 1.5 sacks and a quarterback hurry while Timbs matched his personal-best with three stops and a half-tackle for loss.
"We had fresh bodies coming in and out," Johnson said. "A big shout out to J.P. Purvis. That boy balled out."
Sophomore defensive tackle Jevon Banks also got in on the fun. Banks combined with Purvis on a sack – the first of his career – as well as tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage that nearly led to another interception.
"I think they did really well," Forbes said. "That was the game plan to get a lot of young faces in the game and just execute and play fast and physical. They played well."
The strategy to rotate multiple guys through on defense might not be exclusive to just the Texas A&M game. Mississippi State may implement that more and more as the season progresses.
"A&M is so big and strong that you've got to keep people fresh as best you can," said head coach Mike Leach. "I thought they played good and coming down the stretch we've got to do more of that too."
State also did some shuffling on the left side of its offensive line. Nick Jones moved from left guard to left tackle in the absence of Kwatrivous Johnson while Steven Losoya III earned his first start at left guard after transferring from Middle Tennessee State in the offseason.
"I thought they did awesome," Rogers said. "With 'Dollar Bill' going down, I think we had a great week of practice and those five guys practiced really hard. With Steven coming in at left guard and Nick bumping out to left tackle, I think they did a pretty smooth job transitioning over. Credit to those guys.
"I think that says a lot about the guys that we recruit and bring in, guys that can bump around and play multiple positions and do whatever they need to do for the team to be successful."
It was the sixth consecutive start for Jones and just his second career start at left tackle. He filled in for eventual first round NFL Draft pick Charles Cross at left tackle during last year's Liberty Bowl and had started the first four games at left guard this fall.
"Nick does a good job and has been for quite some time," Leach said. "Nick's kind of an unsung guy but I thought our whole offensive line did a good job."
The offensive line paved the way for 473 yards, which included a season-best 144 yards on the ground. It was second-highest rushing total in Leach's three seasons at MSU and the Bulldogs did not surrender a single sack.
"They were just moving bodies man," Dillon Johnson said. "I've got a lot of confidence in those guys. Everyday we've been practicing and getting better at running the ball. We ran the ball a lot more. Coach Leach preaches that if we get five or six yards then we're going to continue running the ball. (Saturday) the run game was great and had over 100 yards as a group. We give all the credit to the O-line, they opened up some great holes for us."
Justin Robinson also had a big day for the Bulldogs, leading the team with seven catches for a career-best 50 yards. The Georgia transfer had only three grabs on the year entering Saturday's contest.
"I thought Justin had a good game for kind of a debut as far as playing that many snaps," Leach said.
Robinson was one of seven players that made three or more catches against the Aggies. Thomas had a career-high 134 receiving yards, which included a season-long 75-yard touchdown grab. Rufus Harvey and Caleb Ducking were also scoring targets for Rogers. Â
"I thought they did a great job," Rogers said. "From Rara all the way down to J-Rob, who hasn't played as many snaps. I think it speaks a lot to coach (Steve) Spurrier and coach (Drew) Hollingshead for getting guys prepared to play in this system."
Following Saturday's win, State entered the national rankings at No. 23 in both the Associated Press and coaches polls. It's a further testament to what Leach and his coaching staff try to instill into their players every day at practice about being singularly focused on each and every play.
"The biggest thing is just do your job," Leach said. "You've got to play pretty tight, do your job and be pretty sharp and I thought we were."
Â
But it took a total team effort by the Bulldogs to take down then No. 17 Texas A&M. MSU received major contributions from players up and down the depth chart in their 42-24 upset of the Aggies.
"Anytime the team is making big plays, whether it's on offense or defense, I think we all just kind of feed off of each other," Rogers said.
The man starting opposite of Forbes at cornerback, Decamerion Richardson, made as big an impact on the game as anybody. Richardson finished second on the team with nine tackles to go along with a fumble recovery and also added a 50-yard touchdown on a scoop-and-score opportunity following Forbes' blocked field goal.
Richardson, a junior making his sixth straight start, currently ranks third on the team with 30 tackles on the year.
"I've come a long way since I first got here," Richardson said. "When I first came in, I was real raw. I've come a long way."
J.P. Purvis, Sherman Timbs and John Lewis helped bridge the gap for the Bulldogs' shorthanded linebacking corps. Purvis posted a career-high seven tackles including 1.5 sacks and a quarterback hurry while Timbs matched his personal-best with three stops and a half-tackle for loss.
"We had fresh bodies coming in and out," Johnson said. "A big shout out to J.P. Purvis. That boy balled out."
Sophomore defensive tackle Jevon Banks also got in on the fun. Banks combined with Purvis on a sack – the first of his career – as well as tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage that nearly led to another interception.
"I think they did really well," Forbes said. "That was the game plan to get a lot of young faces in the game and just execute and play fast and physical. They played well."
The strategy to rotate multiple guys through on defense might not be exclusive to just the Texas A&M game. Mississippi State may implement that more and more as the season progresses.
"A&M is so big and strong that you've got to keep people fresh as best you can," said head coach Mike Leach. "I thought they played good and coming down the stretch we've got to do more of that too."
State also did some shuffling on the left side of its offensive line. Nick Jones moved from left guard to left tackle in the absence of Kwatrivous Johnson while Steven Losoya III earned his first start at left guard after transferring from Middle Tennessee State in the offseason.
"I thought they did awesome," Rogers said. "With 'Dollar Bill' going down, I think we had a great week of practice and those five guys practiced really hard. With Steven coming in at left guard and Nick bumping out to left tackle, I think they did a pretty smooth job transitioning over. Credit to those guys.
"I think that says a lot about the guys that we recruit and bring in, guys that can bump around and play multiple positions and do whatever they need to do for the team to be successful."
It was the sixth consecutive start for Jones and just his second career start at left tackle. He filled in for eventual first round NFL Draft pick Charles Cross at left tackle during last year's Liberty Bowl and had started the first four games at left guard this fall.
"Nick does a good job and has been for quite some time," Leach said. "Nick's kind of an unsung guy but I thought our whole offensive line did a good job."
The offensive line paved the way for 473 yards, which included a season-best 144 yards on the ground. It was second-highest rushing total in Leach's three seasons at MSU and the Bulldogs did not surrender a single sack.
"They were just moving bodies man," Dillon Johnson said. "I've got a lot of confidence in those guys. Everyday we've been practicing and getting better at running the ball. We ran the ball a lot more. Coach Leach preaches that if we get five or six yards then we're going to continue running the ball. (Saturday) the run game was great and had over 100 yards as a group. We give all the credit to the O-line, they opened up some great holes for us."
Justin Robinson also had a big day for the Bulldogs, leading the team with seven catches for a career-best 50 yards. The Georgia transfer had only three grabs on the year entering Saturday's contest.
"I thought Justin had a good game for kind of a debut as far as playing that many snaps," Leach said.
Robinson was one of seven players that made three or more catches against the Aggies. Thomas had a career-high 134 receiving yards, which included a season-long 75-yard touchdown grab. Rufus Harvey and Caleb Ducking were also scoring targets for Rogers. Â
"I thought they did a great job," Rogers said. "From Rara all the way down to J-Rob, who hasn't played as many snaps. I think it speaks a lot to coach (Steve) Spurrier and coach (Drew) Hollingshead for getting guys prepared to play in this system."
Following Saturday's win, State entered the national rankings at No. 23 in both the Associated Press and coaches polls. It's a further testament to what Leach and his coaching staff try to instill into their players every day at practice about being singularly focused on each and every play.
"The biggest thing is just do your job," Leach said. "You've got to play pretty tight, do your job and be pretty sharp and I thought we were."
Â
Players Mentioned
DE
/ Football
OL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
CB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
OL
/ Football
LB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
CB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ FootballFOOTBALL | Jahron Manning Game Week at Florida
Monday, October 13
FOOTBALL | Brenen Thompson Game Week at Florida
Monday, October 13
FOOTBALL | Kalvin Dinkins Game Week at Florida
Monday, October 13
FOOTBALL | Blake Shapen Game Week at Florida
Monday, October 13