Zach Arnett would probably be the first to tell you that his Mississippi State team did not get off to a fast start, but by the time the whistle blew to wrap things up, his Bulldogs were in complete control, racking up over 500 yards of offense in a 48-7 win over Southeastern Louisiana.
𝑫𝑨𝑾𝑮𝑺 𝑾𝑰𝑵‼️#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/M4JswVr5mV
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) September 2, 2023
State got off of the starting gate very slowly, only leading 3-0 at the end of the first quarter. SLU would get their only points of the day on a 16-play, 79-yard drive that culminated in a two-yard touchdown pass from Zachary Clement to Jacob Logan. The Bulldogs would extend the lead to 20-7 going into the locker room with a 33-yard touchdown pass from Will Rogers to true freshman Creed Whittemore, and a 48-yard field goal by true freshman Kyle Ferrie to end the first half.
State on top at the half 😤#HailState pic.twitter.com/f2j7kqbTXg
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) September 2, 2023
Mississippi State assumed complete control of the game in the second half, as senior running back Woody Marks went over 100 yards for the first time in his career, scoring his second touchdown of the game to put the game out of reach at 41-7. Whittemore would get another score, this one on the ground, a 53-yard rumble to close out the scoring for the day. Rogers finished 20-29 for 227 yards and 2 scores, passing former Heisman trophy winner Danny Wuerffel for 7th place all-time in SEC history for passing yards. Marks ended the day with 127 yards on 19 carries, quarterback Mike Wright had 95 yards on 5 carries.
With that last completion, Rogers has moved into 7th place all time in SEC passing yards, passing the former Heisman winner Danny Wuerffel. https://t.co/zO0lMJ3rXq
— Brian Hadad (@brianhadad) September 2, 2023
Mississippi State wins its 7th straight season opener, the Bulldogs will take on Arizona at Davis Wade Stadium next Saturday, with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 PM.
