No. 25 Mississippi State cruises past Tennessee State 55-10

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State sophomore quarterback Will Rogers threw 391 yards and tossed five touchdowns as No. 25 Mississippi State cruised past Tennessee State 55-10 Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 7-4 (4-3 SEC), while the Tigers close out their 2021 season at 5-6 (3-3 OVC).

Rogers threw three TD passes of at least 30 yards and extended his nation-leading streak of 300-plus-yard games to nine. He also set new MSU single-season records for passing yardage and TD passes. Rogers has passed for 4,113 yards and 34 TDs this season, which surpasses Dak Prescott’s previous single-season highs of 3,793 yards passing and 29 TDs.

Three of Rogers’ five TD passes went to redshirt senior receiver Austin Williams, who finished with 75 yards receiving and three TDs on four catches.

Redshirt sophomore Makai Polk had a big day as well, making nine catches for 110 yards receiving and a score. His nine catches match Fred Ross’ 2015 school record of 88 receptions. Senior receiver Malik Heath added 87 yards receiving and a TD on two catches.

On the ground, sophomore running backs Dillon Johnson and Jo’quavious Marks each rushed for scores. Johnson finished with five carries for 56 yards rushing, including a 32-yard TD. Marks finished with five carries for 43 yards, including a 7-yard TD.

Defensively, MSU held the Tigers to just 205 total yards, including 170 through the air and 35 on the ground.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Chayil Garnett completed 10 of his 16 passes for 42 yards, while redshirt sophomore quarterback Deveon Bryant completed nine of his 11 passes for 128 yards.

The Bulldogs took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to two TD receptions by Williams, one from 21 yards out and one from five yards out, and a 7-yard TD run from Marks.

A 56-yard TD catch by Heath and a 30-yard TD catch by Williams gave MSU a 35-0 lead at the halftime break.

In the third quarter, a 50-yard TD catch by Polk and a 32-yard TD run by Johnson put the Bulldogs ahead 49-0.

The Tigers got on the board with 11:19 left in the game when redshirt freshman kicker James Lowery made a 43-yard field goal to make it a 49-3 ballgame.

MSU redshirt freshman kicker Nolan McCord’s 33-yard field goal gave the Bulldogs a 52-3 lead with 7:09 to play before the Tigers scored their first TD on a 5-yard run by redshirt junior running back Micheal Mitchell to make it 52-10 with 3:03 left.

McCord’s 43-yard field goal with 27 seconds remaining ended the game’s scoring at 55-10.

The Bulldogs will be back in action on Thanksgiving Day when they welcome rival Ole Miss for the annual Egg Bowl. Kickoff between the Bulldogs and Rebels is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday and will air on ESPN.