Mississippi State University’s 42-24 tromping of then-ranked No.17 Texas A&M let the Bulldogs crack the AP Top 25 polls for the first time since the beginning of the 2020 season. The last time MSU and Ole Miss were ranked nationally at the same time was on Nov. 11, 2015.
No. 23 Mississippi State
It was a dominant performance on Saturday by the Bulldogs, and quarterback Will Rogers was the offensive catalyst. The junior threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns while completing 31 of his 45 pass attempts. During Saturday’s game, Rogers moved to second all-time in the SEC history books for pass completions with 915, which is just six shy of Aaron Murry’s (Georgia) record of 921.
Rara Thomas was the leading receiver for MSU. He posted 134 yards on five catches with one touchdown. Fellow receivers Caleb Ducking and Rufus Harvey also scored receiving touchdowns.
Dillon Johnson was the leading rusher, he posted 68 yards on 14 carries for one touchdown.
Emmanuel Forbes’ two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, and a blocked field goal attempt that resulted in a scoop-and-score earned him SEC Defensive Player of the Week.
This Saturday, No.23 MSU hosts No.25 Arkansas at Davis Wade Stadium where SEC Nation will broadcasting live from the Junction.
Kickoff is at 11 a.m.
No.9 Ole Miss
Ole Miss continued its perfect start on the year, improving to 5-0 with a 22-19 win over then-ranked No.7 Kentucky at home.
Rebel quarterback Jaxson Dart threw for 213 yards and one interception while going 15-of-29 through the air.
Ole Miss’ dominant rushing attack was once again led by Quinshon Judkins. The freshman running back picked up 106 yards on 15 carries for one touchdown, earning him SEC Co-Freshman of the week for a second week in a row. Zach Evans was the other Rebel that scored on the ground, he finished with 24 yards on nine attempts.
The Rebels’ offense gave them the lead late into the game, but it was the defense that sealed the win over Kentucky.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats were in red zone territory looking to take the lead from Ole Miss, but a sack by Jared Ivey forced the ball out of Kentucky quarterback Will Levis’ hands and was recovered by Tavius Robinson.
This was the second forced fumble of the game for the Rebels, and effectively put the dagger in the Wildcats.
Ole Miss travels to Vanderbilt Saturday. Kickoff is at 3 p.m.
- Contact Jared Conerly at 662-581-7237 or jconerly@gwcommonwealth.com.
