Toughing It Out
November 06, 2022 | Football, Joel Coleman
Bulldogs’ resilient character shines through in overtime win over Auburn.
STARKVILLE – It was back on August 27 – a week before Mississippi State's season started – when Bulldogs head coach Mike Leach gathered his team near the home sideline at Davis Wade Stadium. In the middle of a scrimmage session, Leach had an important message to deliver.
It was likely at some point in the year to come that MSU might run into an overtime situation. Leach emphatically expressed his expectations for his squad.
"Team after team after team, when it hits overtime, there is disarray on their sideline. There is not disarray on ours," Leach told his players at the time. "We already know what we're going to do…It doesn't matter what happened before overtime, good or bad. When you get to overtime, win the game. That's it. You're locked in. We don't have anybody moping about some last play or thinking they're some hot shot because of some big play. All you're thinking about is winning."
Ten weeks later, it happened. Lo and behold, the Dawgs remembered their lesson from late August.
On Saturday, in 60 wild minutes of football, State built a big lead over Auburn, saw it disappear, then rallied to give itself an overtime chance. And if it's a war of attrition these Dawgs have to fight, well you best not be against them. They'll out-tough you just about every single time.
"I think it speaks a lot about the players and the coaches that we have here that when it's time to make a play and it's the fourth quarter or overtime or something, when it's time to make a play, we're going to make the play," MSU quarterback Will Rogers said.
State indeed made the plays when they counted. The Bulldogs topped the Tigers 39-33 in overtime. Now ideally, the game wouldn't have taken extra time. MSU saw a 24-3 lead get away, then had to stage a couple of late comebacks of its own just to earn new life.
But despite a few self-inflicted wounds and despite an energized Auburn team motivated by a newly-named interim head coach whose group had all the late momentum, Mississippi State refused to give in. It's not in the Bulldogs' nature.
"Wins are hard, no matter who you are," Leach said. "Sometimes there's games like that. The toughest team sticks in there, battles through and wins. I did feel like that was the case. I do think we have some things to address…But we were tough enough to fight through some awfully tough situations."
Tough situations might well be an understatement. MSU found itself in several do or die instances.
The Bulldogs shined early as they took control of the game behind a couple of Rogers touchdown passes and an electric kickoff return for a score by Lideatrick Griffin, but 22 unanswered Tiger points changed things.
With 6:36 to go, an Auburn touchdown put State down 25-24. The Bulldogs had to respond or else. Respond, they did, with an eight-play, 65-yard drive to go back out in front 30-25.
Yet just as soon as MSU fought itself out of one bind, the Dawgs found themselves in another. The Tigers drove right back down the field and added a two-point conversion to go up 33-30. Only 1:05 remained in regulation.
In that moment, State didn't have a lot going for it. It appeared things were slipping away. Fortunately, MSU had an ace up their collective sleeve – that Bulldog toughness that simply refuses to cower.
"Mentally and physically, I feel like we're really tough and we can overcome anything that steps in our way," defensive lineman Jaden Crumedy said. "I feel like nobody put their head down. We all just really fought through everything."
Added fellow defensive lineman Cameron Young: "I think the Dawgs on the team are some of the leaders. That kind of trickles down to everybody. That's what makes the team so tough."
Down three with just seconds left, MSU's toughness won out.
Mississippi State drove to the Auburn 26-yard line. Kicker Massimo Biscardi trotted out onto the field to attempt a game-tying 44-yard field goal.
Toughness comes in many forms. The mental strength of Biscardi shined as brightly as any of the stadium lights at Davis Wade.
Snap. Kick. It's good! But wait, Auburn had called a time out.
So again – snap. Kick. It's good! But hold on. The Tigers had once again called time just before the play began.
One more time. Snap. Kick. It's good! And this time, it counted. Tie game.
"That was awesome," Williams said of Biscardi's clutch kick. "I was so happy for him. Especially to get iced a couple of times. It's a tough thing to do. He came out there cool, calm and collected and made it. It was one of the most important plays of the game obviously."
Biscardi's leg granted the Bulldogs new life. They weren't about to let it slip away.
MSU won the overtime coin toss and elected to play defense first. The defense was a strength for the Bulldogs for much of the night, limiting the Tigers to just six first-half points, then holding its own while State's offense hit a lull over the third quarter and part of the fourth.
In overtime, Rogers let the defense know the Dawgs needed them to step up one more time.
"I knew if we got a stop, we'd win the game just because of how this team fights," Rogers said. "I told some of the defensive guys, 'Just hold them to three [points] and we'll win the game.'"
Rogers' teammates overdelivered. The Tigers got just four yards on three plays, then lined up for a 38-yard field goal try. It was no good.
Rogers then held up his end of the bargain. He threw a five-yard pass to Rufus Harvey. He tossed one towards the end zone and Rara Thomas, but a pass interference penalty was called, putting State just five yards from the goal line.
On first and goal, Rogers handed the football to Jo'quavious Marks who found a hole and went untouched into the end zone, wrapping the evening in Maroon and White.
Truth be told, it was a victory that wasn't always pretty. State might've left a few style points on the table.
But in the end, the Dawgs Win Again. They were just too tough not to.
"We're tough and gritty," Leach said. "We'll stick to it. We are a team that never surrenders. We never surrendered and we'll never surrender."
