Spring Break
Dixon plows Wildcats, keeps bowl hopes alive for Bulldogs
Bob Carskadon
|
With a school record 252 yards on the ground, Mississippi State senior running back Anthony Dixon had yet another career day while leading his team to victory, this time a 31-24 win over the Kentucky Wildcats. Dixon, who earned SEC Player of the Week, said setting the single-game rushing record is yet another dream come true, but his primary goal was to get his team a win in Lexington.
"I was just out there trying to grind for my team tonight," he said. "I was telling the team, I want to get as many [yards] as it takes to get a W, and I did that tonight."
Dixon scored the first and last Bulldog touchdowns of the game, though MSU opened up scoring with a 33-yard Derek DePasquale field goal in the first quarter. Senior running back Christian Ducre, who rushed for nine of MSU's 348 rushing yards, scored on a 2-yard touchdown run early the third quarter. With 6:56 left in the third quarter, the Bulldogs scored on a 67-yard bomb from senior quarterback Tyson Lee to freshman receiver O'Neal Wilder.
The long reception was Wilder's first touchdown as a Bulldog and was a redeeming play for Lee, who was 9-of-16 for 78 yards and two interceptions. MSU coach Dan Mullen said he was proud of Lee for not allowing himself to become frustrated after early mistakes, and said the touchdown play was a game-changer for both Lee and the team.
"We were able to run the ball a lot, and we did a great job with the play-action pass," Mullen said. "O'Neal got behind him and Tyson didn't lose his confidence, delivered the ball, and I think it was such a huge play in the game. The score was going back and forth, and that gave us some momentum."
As Dixon set personal single- game highs in both carries (33) and yards (252), the offense garnered the majority of the attention in the Bluegrass state. However, senior linebacker Jamar Chaney had one of the best games of his career at MSU. Chaney racked up a career-high 15 tackles, recorded an interception to end what looked to be a Wildcat scoring drive, recovered a fumble and was credited with half a sack.
Chaney said the turnover battle, something the Bulldogs are all too familiar with, was the key to winning a game in which he said the defense did not play perfectly.
"At the end of the game, if you look at who forced the most turnovers, that's usually who won the game," Chaney said. "We try not to have turnovers on offense and we create them on defense. That's the name of the game."
Kentucky was looking to tie the game and send it to overtime on their final possession of the game, but the Bulldog defense came up with a game-saving fourth down stop deep in their own territory to seal the victory for MSU. On fourth and five with just over a minute remaining, Kentucky freshman quarterback Morgan Newton was sacked by Jamar Chaney and Devin Jones.
Mullen said he gives credit to the entire defensive unit, and said the seniors's experience proved to be incredibly valuable.
"Our guys, and Jamar [Chaney] and the seniors in that group, they've seen a lot of football; they never flinched," Mullen said. "At some point, they knew we would make our play, and on that fourth down, they did and it couldn't have been a bigger one for us, these seniors or our football program."
With a 3-5 overall record (4-5 now), MSU players knew coming into Kentucky it was a virtual must-win if the team wanted to play in a bowl game this year. With home games against Alabama and Ole Miss sandwiching a road contest against Arkansas left on the schedule, the Bulldogs remain very much in contention for a postseason outing.
Dixon said he is happy to have set another rushing record, but working his way to a bowl game is much more important to him.
"I am really trying to get to that bowl game," Dixon said. "That is the thing that is on the top of the list of goals this year. With this win, we are inching closer to that, and for that reason I am happy."
Be the first to comment on this story