INDIVIDUAL GAME BY GAME STATISTICS 2009 POSTGAME NOTES GAME 8

Mississippi State vs. Florida Mississippi State University Saturday October 24, 2009 FOOTBALL Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, Miss.

ATTENDANCE : 57,178 (Largest Crowd in the history of Davis Wade Stadium)

TEAM • Mississippi State is now 18-33-2 all time against Florida • Mississippi State is 7-4 against Florida in Starkville • Mississippi State captains were Tyson Lee, Pernell McPhee, Jamar Chaney and Anthony Dixon • Mississippi State won the toss and elected to receive. • Tonight’s meeting with top-ranked Florida marked the fi rst time State has played a #1 team in Starkville. • With Johnthan Banks’ two returns for , it marked the third and fourth times this season Mississip- pi State has returned an interception for a . The fi rst was a 43-yard return by Corey Broomfi eld and the second was Charles Mitchell’s 71-yarder against Houston. • Mississippi State returned two for touchdowns in the same game for the fi rst time since doing so against Memphis in 2002. • Mississippi State’s 237 total yards was the lowest this season.

INDIVIDUAL • Derek DePasquale’s fi rst quarter 43-yard fi eld goal was a career long. • Johnthan Banks’ second quarter 100-yard interception return for a touchdown was his third career interception and his fi rst touchdown of his career. • With Banks’ fourth-quarter interception for a touchdown, he became the fi rst Bulldog ever to record two touchdowns off of interceptions in the same game. It marked his fourth career interception. • Chris Relf’s 38 yard run in the third quarter was the longest of his career. • With Banks’ four interceptions this season, it marks the most by a Bulldog since Derek Pegues’ fi ve in 2007. • Marcus Washington’s 15 tackles was the most by a Bulldog since Domonic Douglas’ 16 tackles last season against Ole Miss. • The 15 stops by Washington was his career high. • Jamar Chaney’s 12 stops was his second highest tackle game of his career. His career high was 14 against Arkansas in 2007.

CAREER UPDATES • With 53 rushing yards on the night, Anthony Dixon extends his school-best rushing yardage total to 3,352 during his career. • Dixon also extended his school-best career rushing attempts to 802. • With 3,352 career rushing yards, Dixon moves into 15th place all-time in SEC history in rushing yardage. • Dixon upped his career rushing attempts to 802 which keeps him in sixth place in SEC history. That moves him within 53 attempts of fi fth. 1 DAN MULLEN October 24, 2009 Florida Game Postgame Quotes

Opening Comments... “I am really, really proud of our guys tonight in the way they fought and battled tonight. I thought our defense gave a heck of an effort against, as everyone knows, a really talented team, the number one team in the nation. Our defense went and battled and did a really good job in the red zone. We turned the ball over. Florida’s defense did a really good job keeping us off balance and creating turnovers. I thought our kids battled to the end and I thought we had a chance all the way to the end. You have to give them (Florida) credit, they did a heck of a job. You can’t turn the ball over, we threw three interceptions, you can’t do that and win football games. We will get a lot better. I was really proud of our kids and what they did, how they fought, and how they battled. I would also like to thank our fans for setting the attendance record. Our student body and the atmosphere that they created for tonight is a solid foundation for the future of Mississippi State. I think our fans, our student body, and Bulldogs everywhere know this team is going to have a real bright future and they are going to be a major, major part of it if we can keep having support like we did today.”

On Mississippi State’s defense in the red-zone... “They just buckled down when they got down there. Obviously Johnthan Banks, with two interception returns for touchodwns, the one at the end of the half, that is just an amaz- ing play by him. We tried to mix up our pressure to keep them off balance and we gave up yards in between the 20’s. When we got down there our guys really buckled in and that is where they made the plays and that is what you have to do to win big-time ball games.”

On the fake punt in the 4th Quarter... “It wasn’t like we were churnning up and down the fi eld on offense. It was a key point in the game and i thought we needed a play. They had been coming after us on the punt team and I thought we would get it. I thought we had it and I looked at the replay and Robert (Elliot) just stumbled and David Nelson, a heck of a football player for them, was there to make the tackle.”

On Freshman Johnthan Banks... “He is a guy that came out of high school and did everything for his high school. He was a receiver, running back, , and the point guard on the basketball team. He is a football player and you have a guy with that type of ball skills and we think at the start of pre-season camp that he could be a heck of a receiver. We just loved him and thought that we needed that athleticism on the defensive side of the fi eld right now. Every week now he is really growing and developing. I know tomorrow when I watch the tape I will see him fl ying around the fi eld making a lot of tackles and that is where he is going to con- tinue developing for us.” MSTATE PLAYER QUOTES October 24, 2009 Florida Game Postgame Quotes

RB Anthony Dixon Team’s Emotions After Close Game... “It is real tough after a game like that but you just have to deal with it. You know, on the sideline you keep telling yourself ‘we got this, we got this,’ but then we let if fall right through our hands. I am just going to try to forget about it, move on, and get ready for practice tomorrow.”

Florida’s Defense and His Overall Game... “They had a real fast defense. Their defense is really good and deserve all the rankings they have so far this season. I felt like they were up for this game and were not taking us lightly. They brought their A game and stepped up to the challenge. I wish I could have done more and gotten more opportunities, but I felt like I gave 110 percent and so did my teammates. Their defense stacked the box and #8 had a real good game. He kept forcing me outside and we had to adjust to him to move the ball some.”

DE Pernell McPhee His Overall Play Tonight... “I just tried to do everything that I could to get the ball back to our offense. I was just try- ing to make some plays and help our team win however I could. We watched a lot of fi lm and knew their redzone tendencies. We knew they liked to get the ball to Tebow there. I felt like we frustrated them and made them do some new things they did not usually do tonight. They got in the I-formation tonight and that is the fi rst time I have ever seen them do that.”

On Emotions During Game and After... “It was a real emotional game. Everybody wanted to win and you could tell when every- body was fi ghting and pushing before the game. I just tried to tell our guys that we cannot be doing stuff like that. We all wanted to win for coach because he is from there. We are trying to rebuild a program here but we just have to keep playing hard. We are competing with the top teams, we just have to step it up.”

DB Jonathan Banks On Interception Returns... “We just played great defense. [On the fi rst one] We had a great pass rush and I just hap- pened to be at the right spot at the right time. I knew I could return it but I saw Tebow in front of me and McPhee was blocking for me. I was exhausted afterwards but you just have to suck it up.”

On Making an Impact as a Freshman... I did not think I was big enough to play as a D1 ball as a freshman. You know they say size does not matter though.” OPPONENT HEAD COACH October 24, 2009 Florida Game Postgame Quotes

Opening comments... “This is my fi rst trip to Starkville, and this is a tough place to play. That’s SEC football. Dan (Mullen) is doing a heck of a job with his team. He did a lot of stuff to try and win that game, and I admire that out of him. There are some guys that would never do that, but Dan obviously is one of the best coaches in . As far as our team, I did not coach very well. I put Tim (Tebow) in some tough situations in the red zone. Our red zone offense is really an issue, and that is something we will start working on on the plane ride home. We have to get a lot better. The great news is we are 7-0. We have a bunch of good guys who are extremely passionate about playing the game and winning. I had a good talk with our team about sticking together right now. We cannot lose the fact that we are 7-0.”

On the play of his team’s defense... “Defense played well. We held one of the best backs in the country to 53 total yards. Our defense played well enough that the score should have been a lot different at halftime.”

On how Florida performed in the red zone... “We have to take that ball down there and score. I think the head coach wants to score so bad that I just keep pressing. I am pressing to score, and we are doing things we might not should be doing.”

On coaching against Dan Mullen... “He has a lot of knowledge about the game. Obviously, I was with him for 10 years and his team played hard tonight.”

On the next step for his football team... “We are undefeated. We are 7-0 and playing good defense right now. I love this team. These guys love football and play so hard. We have a big ballgame next weekend that will be pivotal for us.” FLORIDA PLAYER QUOTES October 24, 2009 Florida Game Postgame Quotes

WR David Nelson On overall thoughts of the game... “It was a total team effort. Our defense played really well. The offense made plays when they needed to.”

On offense in the red zone... “We will have to go back and look at fi lm. We just could not fi gure it out. I give Coach (Dan) Mullen credit, he knew some of the stuff we would be doing and put together a way to stop it.”

RB Jeffrey Demps On the mood in the locker room... “We are happy to be 7-0. We know it was not pretty but a win is a win.”

On offense.... “I thought our offense played well. We controlled the ball the entire game. We need to start punching it in when we are in the red zone.”

LB Ryan Stamper On frustration with the offense... “I am not frustrated with our offense because we are winning. It has been ugly. It is not like last year because we are 7-0. We will continue to work hard on all parts of our game.”