STARKVILLE — There was a familiar buzz as the second quarter clock ticked toward zero at Yellow Jacket Stadium on Friday night.
After Starkville leapt out to 14-0 lead courtesy of a 10-yard Rufus Harvey touchdown reception and an 8-yard Luke Altmyer scamper, the eerie sentiments of last week’s debilitating 41-35 loss at West Point crept in.
Slicing through the Yellow Jacket defense, Louisville running back Michael Foster ran for a 31-yard touchdown to cut the Starkville lead in half with 4:15 remaining in the half.
But unlike the 41 straight points surrendered in last week’s contest, it was coach Chris Jones’ defense that clamped down — guiding Starkville (2-2) to a 35-7 victory.
“I hate losing, but sometimes losing brings teams together, and I kind of thought that’s what happened this week,” Jones said. “I thought we gelled and got a little bit closer, because at the end of the day these kids are used to winning, and they don’t want to lose.”
Despite entering this week allowing 26.3 points per game, the Yellow Jacket defense remained stout — limiting dynamic Louisville quarterback Bryandrea Shumaker to 106 yards on 11 of 24 passing and a meager -8 yards on 10 carries rushing.
In all, the Wildcats (2-2) mustered just 248 yards of offense and nine first downs as 14 different Yellow Jackets notched two or more tackles.
“We’ve got a lot of kids who are learning to play football, and it’s different from practice,” Jones said. “When the lights are on, the band is playing, the noise is out, you make mistakes because it’s a different atmosphere. The more they play in this atmosphere the better they’ll get.”
Offensively, the two-quarterback system Jones broached earlier in the week lasted all of four series.
After Altmyer guided the first two scoring drives of 73 and 78 yards, respectively, junior backup NyJal Johnson went 3 for 4 for 22 yards before exiting after Starkville’s fourth offensive series.
Johnson would finish the night 6 of 7 for 54 yards and added a 3-yard touchdown plunge after re-entering the game with 9:13 remaining.
Altmyer, the Mississippi State and LSU target, enjoyed a rather refreshing return to form. With MSU coach Joe Moorhead in the stands, he completed 11 of 16 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns. He also added another 38 yards and a score on 10 rushes.
As potential quarterback controversy swirled throughout the halls at school this week, Altmyer remained cool in the pocket Friday night and notched his second-highest completion percentage — 68.75 percent — of the season.
“I haven’t experienced much adversity in my lifetime, honestly,” he conceded postgame. “Just coming out here after a long week of mental stress and mental toughness, I feel like I got over the hump, and I prevailed. I’m proud of myself — I’ve got to say it.”
Beyond the signal callers, it was a prolific night for junior running back Amariyon Howard and the Starkville receivers.
Howard finished the night with 106 yards on 15 carries — his highest output of the year.
On the receiving front, six different Yellow Jackets recorded a catch, as Jatavious Lucious led the way with four catches for 78 yards.
“As a unit, I think we have one of the best in the state of Mississippi,” Jones proclaimed. “I think we’ve got six or seven guys that can go play college football somewhere and can be the No. 1 guys on other teams.”
Starkville next heads to Meridian before opening district play against South Panola in Week 6.
Louisville will take on Shannon at home next week.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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