STARKVILLE — As the sun beat down on a half-empty Davis Wade Stadium, Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen was faced with an improbable situation.
After watching MSU build a 17-0 halftime lead, Mullen was left to give his team’s fate to kicker Westin Graves with nine seconds remaining. A four-touchdown favorite entering Saturday’s season opener against South Alabama, Mullen had to hope Graves was going to revert to the form that saw him make two field goals earlier in the game, including a career-long 48-yarder.
Instead, Mullen looked on as Graves’ kick bounced off the left upright and South Alabama’s players rushed the field in celebration. Seconds later, South Alabama’s celebration was on in earnest following a 21-20 upset at Davis Wade Stadium.
“I give them a lot of credit,” Mullen said. “They did the things they needed to do to win. We had some opportunities to win the game and didn’t take advantage of them. They made plays when they needed to make plays to win the game.”
Trailing 21-20 with nine seconds remaining, Graves rushed onto the field to attempt a possible game-winning 28-yard field goal. South Alabama had one timeout left, but chose not to use it.
MSU drove the field after South Alabama quarterback Dallas Davis hit Gerald Everett for a touchdown. Gavin Patterson nailed the extra point to give the Jaguars the lead.
But the Bulldogs were unable to center the ball in the middle of the field to give Graves a better look. As a result, his angled kick missed and made him 2-for-4 on the day. He also missed a 46-yarder and made a 37-yarder.
Mullen said he didn’t say anything to Graves before the attempt, but he said there was confidence in the junior.
“You saw the kicks he was making. He made some great kicks,” Mullen said. “We had confidence in him to make the kick, and he just pushed it a little bit.”
Graves wasn’t made available after the game, but he tweeted, “Bulldog fans, I’m truly sorry for letting you down. I will do everything possible to come back stronger from this HailState and God bless.”
MSU senior wide receiver Fred Ross watched the miss on the Jumbotron and said he began to feel numb. He didn’t blame Graves for the loss, though.
The Bulldogs led 17-0 at halftime and looked to be in control, but the Jaguars limited the Bulldogs to 177 yards in the second half. MSU had 205 in the first half.
Ross, who had six catches for 34 yards and 46 yards rushing, said he was surprised the offense came out with no intensity.
“The way we came out and the way we were in the locker room, it just didn’t match,” Ross said. “We were in the locker room and everyone was focused. Then it’s like we came out and just seemed flat on the field.”
Mullen started sophomore Nick Fitzgerald at quarterback to begin the post-Dak Prescott era, but he played two series. Junior Damian Williams took over and hit Deddrick Thomas for a 4-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Brandon Holloway scored a 7-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Williams, who was 20 of 28 for 143 yards and had 93 yards rushing, played all of the second half, but he struggled.
Mullen said he didn’t see anything different from South Alabama’s offense in the second half and felt his team didn’t execute.
“We had some absolutely critical errors. You can’t make a critical error and expect to win a game,” Mullen said.
The Bulldogs led 20-14 with 6 minutes, 3 seconds remaining. The Jaguars took over at their 29-yard line and marched down the field. After a MSU offsides penalty gave South Alabama a third-and-goal from the 4, Davis hit Everett for a score that put the Jaguars in position to earn the biggest upset of the first week of the season.
“It was just coming out and playing better,” Davis said. “Ever since the beginning of camp, coach has preached playing fast and finishing strong. We didn’t start as fast as we wanted, but we dang sure finished strong.”
Like the offense, the Bulldog defense was dominant in the first half. The Bulldogs allowed 148 yards (5 yards rushing, 143 yards passing).
The Jaguars, who finished with 379 yards, scored on their first possession of the second half when Davis hit Josh Magee for a 20-yard touchdown. Magee was surrounded by defenders Brandon Bryant, J.T. Gray, and Lashard Durr, but Davis threw a pass only Magee could catch.
South Alabama pulled within six on a nine-play, 99-yard drive. Tyreis Thomas’ 4-yard touchdown cut MSU’s lead to 20-14.
MSU senior defensive lineman A.J. Jefferson, who had seven tackles (career-high four for loss) and two sacks, said South Alabama went to a lot of quick throws and the defense didn’t have an answer.
“I could tell they wanted to win the game,” Jefferson said. “They were out there communicating well. Their quarterback did a good job of managing and didn’t turn the ball over. They ran the ball good a couple of times.”
MSU will try to rebound at 6 p.m. Saturday when it plays host to South Carolina (ESPN or ESPN2).
“You’ve got to play great if you want to win a Division I football game,” Mullen said. “I don’t think it’s a wakeup call. I think it’s a learning experience for our guys and where they are and how they have to prepare to go get ready.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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