The Alcorn Braves fought valiantly but still fell short in their attempt to upset a confident MSU team in Starkville on Saturday.  The Bulldogs came out swinging and scored on their opening drive.  As many fans probably expected, once they took the lead the Bulldogs never lost it.  The biggest gripe I had about the game was the sixteen points that our defense allowed Alcorn to get in the second quarter.  Manny Diaz was as furious as I've ever seen him on the sidelines and it was apparent he got his point across at half-time because Alcorn never scored again in the game. 

Penalties were another issue that sort of bothered me.  I'd just recently bragged about how well the team has been doing with penalties this season and entering Saturday's game, MSU had the fewest penalties in the SEC.  One would think that trend would've continued in Saturday's game since it was at home and it was against...well, Alcorn.  By the end of the day, Mississippi State racked up nine penalties.  Hopefully they will get that back on track next week. 

Chad Bumphis had an awesome game.  He caught nine passes for 153 yards.  Bumphis is a very talented receiver, but up until this game the Bulldogs seemingly had not used him to his full potential.  It was nice to see him perform so well, it'll probably boost his confidence and make him shine more as the season progresses.  MSU needs a big time play-maker and Bumphis appears to be the best guy for the job. 

Chris Relf completed 11 of 15 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns.  Tyler Russell completed 8 of 14 for 127 yards and one pesky interception. 

Leon Berry looked great returning kicks and even ran one back 97 yards for a touchdown. 

Next up is the Houston Cougars.  Last year, the contest between Houston and Mississippi State ended up in a loss for the Bulldogs.  I was in attendance for that game last year and believe me when I tell you there is no way we should've lost that game.  This year the Bulldogs travel to Houston but things are a little different.  The Cougar's all star quarterback Casey Keenum received a nasty knee injury earlier in the season and the backup qb, Cotton Turner, broke his collar bone.  Both of them are out for the season.  Houston is forced to rely on Terrance Broadway to manage the offense and this will make two weeks in a row MSU has faced a freshman quarterback.  This is a great opportunity for the Bulldogs to get out of Houston with a 4-2 record.