Bookie And Jett Both At Their Best
November 18, 2023 | Football
STARKVILLE – In 2022, Jett Johnson and Nathaniel Watson led the Southeastern Conference in tackles with 116 and 114 respectively.
Mississippi State's dynamic duo is back at it this year, topping the league in tackles yet again with each posting their best career performances, combing for 39 stops in the Bulldogs' 41-20 win over Southern Miss on Saturday.
"It doesn't surprise me because all week, those two have been up front leading this team," said interim head coach Greg Knox. "They came to work every day and they brought others with them, so it doesn't surprise me when they play like that. When you work like that, good things happen."
Watson set the tone with 21 tackles on the day, including 1 ½ for loss, one sack and a forced fumble. It is highest single-game tackle total in the SEC this season and the most by an MSU player since Mario Haggan recorded 19 stops against Arkansas on Nov. 18, 2000.
"Coach Knox talked about us going heavy all this week and that just carried over into the game," Watson said. "Having teammates that'll go heavy along with you means a lot. When you're motivated by your teammates, that'll carry onto you."
It was the fifth time in the last six games that Watson led or tied for the team lead in tackles and surpassed his previous career-high of 17 set against Kentucky last season. He even provided a strip sack on Southern Miss' first offensive play of the second quarter, unloading a bone-jarring blow to Southern Miss quarterback Ethan Crawford that dislodged the ball so that Nathan Pickering could alertly recover at the Golden Eagles' 14-yard line.
It was the 10th sack of the season for Watson, who entered the week leading the SEC in that category and now has 21 for his career.
"I worked a lot in the summer to get better at my pass rush," Watson said. "But I've got to give credit to my teammates. The DB's are on their man long enough for me to get to the quarterback and the rest of the guys up front are blitzing and helping me get to the quarterback as well."
But Watson wasn't the only Bulldog backer to have a big day. Johnson established a new personal-best by making 18 tackles – four more than his previous high against Alabama earlier this season. He also notched two tackles for loss, one sack and snagged his third interception which ties him for the team lead with Shawn Preston Jr.
"It felt great to have a game like this, especially when you're controlling the run and making a team one dimensional," Johnson said.
Johnson's interception wasn't any ordinary turnover either. In the midst of being tackled, the Tupelo native had the wherewithal to pitch the ball back to safety Marcus Banks who raced 60 yards for a touchdown to cap the scoring in the fourth quarter.
"We had good pressure by the defensive front and (USM quarterback Billy Wiles) kind of threw it right to me," Johnson said. "They made him get it out and thankfully I caught it. Now that I think about it, it probably wasn't the smartest of plays, but it worked so it was a great play."
Johnson pushed his streak of having five or more tackles in a game to 24 straight and has averaged an astounding 9.7 stops during that span. He continues to lead the conference with 117 tackles with Watson nipping at his heels with 116, both of which are career-highs. The Bulldogs' tackling twosome have each also had at least a half-tackle for loss in every game this fall.
"We pride ourselves on the competition between us," Watson said. "We just go out there and make plays along with our teammates and that gets us energized. When we can both make plays, that means a lot to both of us."
Johnson and Watson have a legitimate shot to be the only players – much less teammates – in conference history to finish No. 1 and No. 2 in the SEC in tackles for back-to-back seasons. They would also be just the second Power 5 teammates to accomplish that feat joining Virginia's Micah Kiser and Quin Blanding, who did so in the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
