It's said that things are bigger in Texas. Mississippi State sure found a huge win down in the Lone Star State.
The Bulldogs took down the No. 15 Aggies 26-22 at Kyle Field on Saturday night as MSU knocked off a ranked Texas A&M team yet again. The Bulldogs (3-2, 1-1) have now played a ranked Aggie squad four times since Texas A&M entered the Southeastern Conference in 2012. State has now claimed victory in three of those meetings.
The latest triumph over the Aggies (3-2, 0-2) was paved by strong MSU showings on both sides of the ball.
Offensively, quarterback Will Rogers led the way. He completed 46 of his 59 passes for 408 yards and matched a career high with three touchdown tosses. It marked Rogers' sixth career game with more than 300 yards through the air, a total that stands second in MSU history behind only Dak Prescott.
Much of Rogers' success came on throws to receiver Makai Polk. Polk set a trio of new career highs as he hauled in 13 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
Overall, State racked up 438 yards of total offense. Meanwhile MSU's defense held Texas A&M to 297 total yards.
It was the State defense that got the Bulldogs going early. After Texas A&M received the opening kickoff, MSU safety Fred Peters intercepted an Aggie pass on the first drive of the game. The Bulldogs followed by cashing in with a Nolan McCord 24-yard field goal to go up 3-0.
From there, it became a back-and-forth affair. Texas A&M and MSU alternated touchdown passes later in the first quarter. After the Aggies took a 7-3 lead, Rogers hit Jaden Walley for a one-yard score late in the period and State surged back ahead 10-7.
Texas A&M was able to reclaim the lead at 13-10 in the second quarter, courtesy of a pair of field goals. However MSU put together a 12-play, 75-yard drive prior to halftime to shift momentum. State was able to go into the locker room with a 17-13 lead after Rogers hit Polk for a 15-yard score.
Rogers and Polk hooked up again in the third quarter. With 6:54 left in the frame, Polk gave MSU a 24-13 advantage when he brought down a 20-yard pass.
Texas A&M used a third-quarter touchdown and fourth-quarter field goal to pull back within two points at 24-22. However the Aggie comeback was thwarted when MSU cemented its win with a safety with only 2:02 remaining.
State followed by recovering an onside kick, then ran out the clock to wrap the game in MSU Maroon and White.
Next Up for MSU…
Mississippi State has an open week upcoming, then returns to action on Oct. 16 when MSU hosts Alabama at Davis Wade Stadium. Game time and television network for the State-Alabama game has not yet been determined.
