STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen said this week Jameon Lewis as more of a star and less of a situational weapon.
The junior wide receiver proved Thursday in a 28-22 victory against Kentucky he can be both.
For the second time this season, Lewis left a game at Davis Wade Stadium with a touchdown rushing, passing, and receiving. He is the only Division I player with four or more receiving touchdowns, three or more rushing touchdowns, and two or more passing touchdowns this season. It’s a statistic Mullen referred to as football’s version of “the triple-double,” as sophomore quarterback Dak Prescott was only a rushing touchdown away from joining Lewis in the category again.
“I think we’d be the first team ever in the country to have two guys do that in the same day twice right?” Mullen said. “How many guys have done those types of things twice in a season?”
MSU showed on the first play — a jet sweep — it wanted to feature the 5-foot-9 athlete from Tylertown. The play only went for 3 yards, but it forced the defense to look for No. 4 the rest of the night.
“Any time he touches the football it’s something the defense has to be aware of because he can make you miss a couple of times and suddenly he’s in the end zone,” Prescott said. “It’s become critical we just get him the ball. It doesn’t really matter how we do it.”
Prescott’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Lewis followed two-straight quarterback draws that opened the middle of the field. Prescott said Lewis’ maturity as a route runner allowed the play to develop.
“That was a play-action pass call and the defense bit really hard on the fake leaving Jameon one on one with his defensive back,” Prescott said. “It was the perfect call, and Jameon’s ability to run a crisp route led to a big score.”
Lewis scored his third rushing touchdown of the season in the opening quarter. He added his fourth receiving score of the campaign before halftime. This season, Lewis has nine touchdowns (three rush, four receiving, two pass). He had three (one kickoff return, one rush, one pass) in his first two years.
“He was a high school quarterback and led his team to a state championship, so he has that versatility,” Mullen said. “One thing we know we can do is put the football in Jameon’s hands and something is going to happen. Over the years, we now can count that more often than not that something that will happen is going to be positive.”
Lewis, Southern California’s Tre Madden, and Arizona State’s Marion Grice are the only Football Bowl Subdivision players to have four or more receiving touchdowns and three or more rushing scores this season.
Lewis has 23 catches for 391 yards (17 yards per reception) in the past five games. He also returned three kickoffs for 47 yards, lifting his season totals in SEC games to six returns for 137 yards (22.8).
Lewis completed the trifecta with a throwback pass to Prescott for a touchdown. The play went the opposite direction MSU ran it to perfection against Troy.
“It was a well-designed play,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “It’s one of those that from the sidelines you can see it coming almost in slow motion. It’s one of the plays that made a difference. Give them credit. You either execute it or you don’t.”
Whether it was in the run game, pass game, or on special teams, Lewis has become MSU’s weapon in critical situations.
“He’s not just a special circumstances guy for us anymore because he has become comfortable and has become a complete football player,” Mullen said. “Since he’s been here, he has been a guy who was a utility guy, but now he is a football player. He is an every-down player. Now that he is an every-down player, you get to use his versatility more.”
Follow Matt Stevens on Twitter @matthewcstevens.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.