POSTGAME NOTES
Game FIVE • No. 6 Texas A&M (5-1, 2-1 SEC) at No. 12 Mississippi State (5-0, 2-0 SEC) • Oct. 4, 2014 • Davis Wade Stadium
TEAM NOTABLES • For the first time in school history, Mississippi State has defeated two Top 10 teams in the same season. • Dan Mullen’s ballclub has won eight-straight games, the longest such streak since winning nine in a row from Nov. 26, 2011 to Oct. 20, 2012. • The winning streak is the longest in the SEC and as of 3 p.m. Saturday the third-longest active streak in the country. • The Bulldogs have scored a school-record 213 points through the first five games of the season. • Without its starting center and one of its starting wide receivers, State recorded 500-plus yards of total offense (559) for a school-record sixth- consecutive game. • The 48 points scored were the most by MSU against a Top 10 team in school history. • Geoff Collins’ defense has forced 26 turnovers in its last 10 games dating back to last season. • MSU has tallied an SEC-leading 41 tackles for loss this season, ranking Top 5 nationally. • Without its starting center going up against a team ranked second in the SEC in sacks, Mississippi State allowed just three sacks and one quarter- back hurry. • State’s defense tallied 10 quarterback hurries after tallying 17 total through its first four games. • The Bulldogs’ offense has scored a touchdown on four of its first five opening drives this season. • Mississippi State’s defense picked Texas A&M quarterback Kenny Hill off three times after Hill entered the game with just two interceptions in 202 career attempts. • After averaging 11.5 yards per play on its first drive, Texas A&M was limited to 5.3 yards per play the rest of the game. • Saturday’s attendance of 61,133 marked the second-largest crowd in the history of Davis Wade Stadium (61,889 vs. Southern Miss, Aug. 30, 2014). • MSU evened the all-time series to 4-4, picking up its first win against Texas A&M since a 43-41 overtime victory in the 2000 Independence Bowl. It was the first victory for State against the Aggies in Starkville. • The Maroon and White defense became the first SEC West defense to hold Texas A&M under 35 points since Alabama on Nov. 10, 2012. • Dan Mullen improved to 35-1 when leading at halftime and 14-4 when totaling 500-plus yards of total offense.
PLAYER NOTABLES • Heisman Trophy candidate Dak Prescott accounted for 347 yards of total offense (259 passing, 77 rushing, 11 receiving) and zero turnovers, totaling five touchdowns in a single game for the second-straight home game (Sept. 6 vs. UAB). • With three rushing touchdowns, the Maxwell Award candidate moved from a tie for ninth to seventh all-time in MSU history with his 21st, 22nd and 23rd career rushing touchdown. • With five total touchdowns, the Davey O’Brien Award candidate passed Anthony Dixon for second all-time at MSU in touchdowns responsible for. Prescott’s 50 total touchdowns accounted for are two shy of tying Don Smith’s school record of 52 set from 1983-86. • Prescott’s 259 passing yards gave him 3,357 career passing yards, passing Chris Relf (3,297, 2008-11) for ninth all-time at State. • Prescott nabbed his 10th-career 200-yard passing game, tying Tyler Russell (2010-13) for fourth-most in school history. • Sophomore linebacker Richie Brown tied the school record with a career-high three interceptions, becoming the first Bulldog since Jeramie Johnson in 2005 to tally three picks. • Brown hauled in three after entering the game with just one in his previous 17 career games. • Sophomore wide receiver De’Runnya Wilson is averaging one touchdown reception per game through five games this season, finishing Saturday with 72 yards and one touchdown on four catches. • Doak Walker Award candidate Josh Robinson rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, becoming the first MSU tailback since LaDarius Perkins in 2012 to rush for 100-plus yards in back-to-back games. • Sophomore Devon Desper earned his first-career start at left guard. • Junior defensive back Will Redmond tallied a career-high 10 tackles, including 1.0 tackles for loss. • Senior defensive back Jamerson Love collected a career-best eight tackles, including 0.5 tackles for loss. • Sophomore defensive end A.J. Jefferson recorded a career-high 1.5 sacks and four quarterback hurries. • Sophomore running back Brandon Holloway ran for a career-best 76 yards, including a career-long 51-yard rush that set up a touchdown. • Sophomore wide receiver Fred Brown hauled in his first-career touchdown, finishing with a career-high 69 receiving yards. • Redshirt freshman wide receiver Gabe Myles earned his first career start, finishing with three receptions for 15 yards and two rushes for 29 yards. • True freshman Jamoral Graham hauled in a career-long 20-yard reception in the first half, finishing with two receptions for 26 yards. • True freshman punter Logan Cooke made his collegiate debut, finishing with four punts for 181 yards, including one punt inside the 20-yard line.
HEAD COACH DAN MULLEN QUOTES October 4, 2014 Mississippi State vs. Texas A&M
Opening Statement: “It was a great effort today by our guys out there on the field. Our players did a lot of the things that we needed to do to win. We made a couple of errors, but we did a lot of the things that are really important and that you need to do to win. We played one of the best teams in the country in Texas A&M, and we knew it was going to be a tough, four-quarter battle. We told our guys that we have to continue to play for four quarters, and our guys showed up and played for four quarters. We asked our fans to show up, and I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a louder Dawg Walk than what we had at 9 a.m. today. Late in the fourth quarter, even when we were up, our fans showed up for all four quarters today. They were on their feet, cheering and making noise for the entire four quarters and that’s what we need. That’s what big time football is all about. I’m proud of everyone in the locker room, in the stands and in the state of Mississippi. We’re going to enjoy this win tonight and start focusing on Auburn first thing tomorrow morning.”
On Prescott handling pressure: “I thought that he did pretty well. He’s going to get more attention now with his performance, but that’s what we expect from him. In order to keep winning, he’s going to have to keep playing at a very, very high level. I think he handles it well, and fortunately, we have some people, like Brian Johnson, who have been on the biggest stages. He’s helping to coach him as a younger guy too, and was doing the same thing just a short while ago. Their relationship works really well together, so he’ll handle it very well and he knows that all we are is 2-0 in the SEC. Getting two SEC wins is not our goal, and we want to get more. We get the opportunity with the defending conference champions here next week. Dak and everybody have to be completely locked in and we have to play our best game to get a win.”
MISSISSIPPI STATE PLAYER QUOTES Oct. 4, 2014 Mississippi State vs. Texas A&M
15 – Dak Prescott – Jr. – QB
On comparisons with Tim Tebow: “I actually asked to wear number 15 when I first came here because of Tim Tebow, and it was an honor to get to meet him yesterday. Our games our kind of similar, but I’m a different player and I have my own type of game, but I still want to mimic him in some ways.”
On playing without Dillon Day: “We have guys that are ready to step up when their number is called, and they showed it today.”
On Texas A&M scoring on their first possession: “It wasn’t a surprise to us. They have an explosive offense and we knew that they were going to score. We just knew that we had to come out with our own response on offense.”
39 – Richie Brown – So. – LB
On pressuring Kenny Hill: “When you have great coverage, you have great pressure, and when you have great pressure, you have great coverage. It went hand in hand. The secondary did well, so the defensive line could do great as well. It was a whole team effort.”
On defensive mentality: “It’s frustrating to give up big plays. Our mentality is that as soon as we give up a big play, we have to live for the next down. We’re not going to look at the scoreboard. We’re just going to go out and play for each other, no matter what the score is.”
On stepping up on defense: “That’s just what our defense does. We’re deep and we have a lot of faith in everybody. All of us are going to roll in and out, and we have confidence in all of our guys.”
66 – Ben Beckwith – Sr. – OL
On the game atmosphere: “It was a fun game and an awesome win. Our fans were awesome. Everything was awesome all day.”
On moving to center: “It was a little different but not that much different. After the first snap, all the pressure kind of eased off after I knew the quarterback got the ball. I was just out there making calls and doing my thing like I would at guard.”
On Texas A&M’s defensive line: “They gave us some weird looks here and there, but what we saw on film was what we got. We studied them hard and everything they threw at us we were ready for. We gave up a few pressures and a sack here and there, but as a group we bounced back and never really let them get in our head.”
KEVIN SUMLIN QUOTES Oct. 4, 2014 Mississippi State vs. Texas A&M
Opening Statement: “Dak Prescott was extremely efficiently in his handling and how he played running the ball. They (Mississippi State) made some plays on the perimeter in tight coverage, and some of the back shoulder throws were perfect.”
On Dak Prescott: “He (Dak) played like he’s played all year – like one of the best players in the country. We weren’t able to match that as a team.”
On the loss of Malcome Kennedy: “It doesn’t take a coach to see that Malcome Kennedy is a pretty important player for us, and not just from a playing standpoint, but in a leadership role too. We certainly missed him today. We didn’t play very well, but Mississippi State had a lot to do with that.”
TEXAS A&M PLAYER QUOTES Oct. 4, 2014 Mississippi State vs. Texas A&M
7 – Kenny Hill – So. – QB On bouncing back: “We watch the film, and when the clock hits zero on the film, we start to prepare for the next week. We have to keep fighting. We have a long season ahead of us and we are only on game six.”
On Mississippi State: “Mississippi State came out and beat us. They had a great game plan. Congrats to them.”
29 – Deshazor Everett – Sr. – DB On Dak Prescott: “We knew he was good going into the game. We knew we had to come in and defend the pass and stop him from running the ball. Those are two things we did not do.”