Houston Pulls Away From Bulldogs Late For 31-24 Win
Turnovers and penalties plagued Mississippi State in close losses to nationally-ranked LSU and Georgia Tech in back-to-back weeks.
Saturday afternoon in a homecoming affair against Houston, unfortunately, the trend continued.
In front of a crowd of 48,019 at Scott Field under overcast skies, the Cougars scored twice in the fourth quarter to rally to a 31-24 victory.
Houston’s high-octane offense manufactured 553 yards, with quarterback Case Keenum accounting for 434 on 39-of-52 passing. He also tossed four touchdowns.
And it was his third scoring strike that gave the Conference USA foe the lead for good when he connected with James Cleveland from 3-yards out with 6:23 remaining for a 24-17 lead.
On their next possession, however, it appeared the Bulldogs had tied the game on a rushing touchdown by Anthony Dixon. But the score was negated due to a penalty, and the drive later stalled on a fumble, MSU’s fourth turnover on the day.
The Cougars (4-1) took advantage and extended their lead to 31-17 on a 18-yard touchdown pass from Keenum to Tyron Carrier
MSU, which dropped to 2-4 and travels to Middle Tennessee next Saturday, didn’t fold.
Instead, the Bulldogs put together another solid drive and closed the gap to 31-24 on a 1-yard scoring plunge by Dixon, who finished the day with 21 carries for 134 yards to pull him within 48 yards of Jerious Norwood’s school rushing record.
MSU’s final hopes of a comeback ended, though, when it failed to recover an onside kick.
The loss was the third straight for the Bulldogs, who totaled 490 yards of offense (they were also flagged eight times for 60 yards). Quarterback Tyson Lee threw for 160 yards on 15-of-23 passing. He was also picked off twice. His favorite targets were Marcus Green and Chad Bumphis, who grabbed four and three passes for 37 and 43 yards, respectively.
“When you turn the ball over four times, three in the red zone, you’re not going to win,” MSU coach Dan Mullen said.
Defense was the key to Mississippi State’s first quarter play. MSU stopped Houston’s opening drive, and on the Cougars’ next possession sophomore defensive back Charles Mitchell intercepted quarterback Keenum’s pass and returned it 71-yards for a Bulldog touchdown to put them on the scoreboard first. However, the Cougars answered quickly, scoring on a 7-play drive to end the first quarter tied 7-7.
In the second quarter, running back Anthony Dixon displayed the kind of effort Mullen has been talking about all season long. The senior from Jackson, Miss., carried the ball, along with three Houston defenders, 50 yards to the Bulldog end zone for a 14-7 lead.
However, Houston answered on its next drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Keenum to Carrier.
MSU continued to show first-class effort as it marched 44 yards down the field that resulted in a 34-yard field goal by junior kicker Derek DePasquale as State regained the lead at 17-14.
The third quarter was a battle of the defenses as only three points were scored. Houston tied the game at 17-all with its first offensive drive of the second half on a 23-yard field goal by Ben Bell.
The Bulldogs attempted to bounce back and get on the board after a key interception by senior linebacker Jamar Chaney with 2:27 left in the quarter, but that drive was thwarted by a Tyson Lee fumble.
Via Media Relations
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