By Elijah Klepczyk
Emmerich Newspapers
Mississippi State football fell behind 16‑0 on the road at South Carolina as the offense sputtered through an opening‑drive interception and two punts, but the defense kept the game from unraveling. The Bulldogs defense forced the Gamecocks to settle for three early field goals, including two in the red zone. “They kept us in the game,” head coach Jeff Lebby said, adding that holding the Gamecocks to field goals “was huge.”
State was able to hold on early and take care of USC 41-34 in Columbia Saturday Night. The win marked Lebby’s second SEC victory and the first time Mississippi State has opened conference play 1‑0 in his tenure. “This is exactly what I expected,” he said after the game, noting he had confidence his team would respond to adversity. MSU hadn’t started 1‑0 in SEC play since a 28‑13 win over Kentucky in 2019, and hadn’t opened 1‑0 on the road in the league since a 27‑14 victory over South Carolina in 2016.
The Bulldogs now turn their attention to 19th ranked Missouri. After cracking the top 25 in this week’s AP Poll at No. 24, MSU will host its first ranked matchup in Davis Wade since 2017, when the 16th‑ranked Bulldogs welcomed No. 2 Alabama.
MSU added extra flair to this weekend’s matchup, announcing plans to attempt a Guinness World Record for cowbells ringing at the same time, all set against a “White Out” backdrop in Davis Wade.
“Saturday night is going to create a ton of life and a ton of energy for us to go play really, really well,” Lebby said of the environment ahead, as he looks for his first home SEC win at Mississippi State.
Kickoff is set for 6:45 p.m. and will be televised on SEC Network.
MSU's win over USC came on the back of a second-half resurgence, mainly carried by Taylor once again. The sophomore threw for 251 yards and four touchdowns, and the Bulldogs were able to outscore the Gamecocks 17-0 in the third quarter. “He made the plays to win the game for us,” Lebby said about his budding star.
Explosive plays once again defined Mississippi State’s offense, with two of Taylor’s four touchdown passes coming from 30 yards out or more. “The explosives got us out of a lot of really bad situations,” Lebby said, noting that the Bulldogs’ 14 penalties for 98 yards made those big plays essential.
State’s receivers had another field day, with five different Bulldogs — Sanfrisco Magee, Zion Ragins, Anthony Evans III, Marquis Johnson, and Sam West — all hauling in touchdown passes. “We were open, there is no question about it,” Lebby said of a receiving corps that finished with 258 yards through the air.
The hiring of Zach Arnett as the defensive coordinator is showing good early returns for the Bulldogs as well, as they held the Gamecocks scoreless in the third quarter and created two turnovers that led to State touchdowns.
The pressure ramps up now for Mississippi State, as starting defensive tackle Trevion Williams left the game with a leg injury and Lebby announced Monday that he will miss the rest of the season. Defensive players Issac Evans and Amaree Williams said they were disappointed to lose him but expressed confidence in the rotational pieces set to fill that void.
Next week the Bulldogs will stay home and look to beat the eighth ranked Alabama Crimson Tide for the first time in 19 years on Oct. 3.
