STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI – Kylin Hill ran for 153 yards and Tommy Stevens threw for two scores and ran for another to lead Mississippi State University to a 45-7 win over FCS-member Abilene Christian University in a non-conference game Saturday night at Davis Wade Stadium.
In the two teams' first-ever meeting, SEC rushing leader Hill led a MSU (5-6, 2-5) ground game that rolled up 372 yards and 577 overall on their Southland Conference opponent. ACU proved a game opponent into the third quarter, trailing just 21-7 and threatening to score and make the crowd uncomfortable at Scott Field on Homecoming night.
Early on, MSU was forced to turn ACU away twice in the red zone, the first time when the FCS Wildcats were threatening to turn the Bulldog lead into a one-score game.
But the Bulldogs, leading the SEC in rushing with 214 yards per game and needing a win to be bowl-eligible, stepped on the accelerator and outscored ACU 24-0 the rest of the way. Hill had 237 all-purpose yards to power the MSU offense.
ACU finished the season 5-7 overall and 4-5 in the Southland, while Mississippi State moved to 5-6 and 2-5 in the SEC. The Bulldogs had lost five of their last six games and were sandwiching this matchup between last week's 38-7 loss to Alabama and a Thanksgiving Day matchup next week against in-state rival Ole Miss.
Stevens completed 13 of 27 passes for 165 yards and two TDs, and ran 88 yards on seven carries for another score. For ACU,
Luke Anthony was 25 of 38 for 255 yards and one TD through the air, and tight end
Branden Hohenstein caught four for 115 yards.
Kobe Clark had 11 catches to become the Wildcats' all-time single-season reception leader.
"I think for a kid who started last year as a freshman walk-on and his progression in a short amount of time, I'm just very proud of him," said head coach
Adam Dorrel. "He's a very diligent in what he does. He's very tough. I mean, he took some hits tonight. What a great honor. There's a big difference between him and Ronnie Vinson from a height standpoint, but both are great players. There's going to be big things from him to come in the future."
The game started with a bang for the visiting Wildcats.
ACU's defense forced the Bulldogs to punt on their first two possessions, and
Sema'J Davis ran 10 yards on a jet sweep for a first down on ACU's first play from scrimmage. But Abilene Christian surrendered scores on three straight MSU drives, including TDs on consecutive plays in the second quarter.
Nick Gibson ran 4 yards for a touchdown with 5:13 left in the opening quarter to put MSU on top, 7-0. Deddrick Thomas caught an 11-yard scoring pass from Stevens with 12 minutes left in the second quarter.
Hill, the SEC's leading rusher, starred in a one-play drive with 10:13 left before halftime, catching a throw from Stevens on a perfectly executed run-pass option and running free for an 88-yard TD to grow the MSU lead to 21-0.
ACU punted on its first four possessions, then crossed mid-field for the first time on its fifth drive, advancing to the Bulldog 27-yard line before a Jaquirious Landrews interception of
Sema'J Davis stopped the scoring chance cold. However, ACU's defense stood tall, with
Jeremiah Chambers and
Temisan Kuyatsemi sacking Stevens on the Bulldog 2-yard line on second down, then forcing an MSU punt from its end zone.
With 5:31 left in the half, ACU took over at at the MSU 47, its best field position to start a drive.
Eight plays later and with 2:07 on the clock,
Tracy James caught a swing pass from Anthony and ran 4 yards into the end zone for his 20
th TD of the season, pulling ACU closer, 21-7.
On MSU's next drive,
Brandon Richmond broke up a Stevens pass on 4
th-and-6 at the Wildcat 39-yard line, and ACU ran out the clock.
The 21-7 halftime deficit felt like a huge win for the Wildcats, who held the Bulldogs to just 29 yards rushing in the second quarter and matched them in first downs with six apiece.
"Our guys did a pretty good job of leveraging the football tonight," said Dorrel. "We didn't give up a lot of big plays down the field. Our big thing tonight was that we wanted to make them earn everything. For the most part, we did a pretty good job of that."
ACU took the second-half kickoff and stunned the crowd on its first play from scrimmage when Hohenstein caught a pass from Anthony, broke a gang-tackle attempt from four Bulldogs and ran 52 yards to the MSU 23-yard line. The Wildcats gambled on 4
th-and-goal from the Bulldog 10, but Anthony's pass to Hohenstein fell incomplete.
With ACU threatening to spoil the Homecoming festivities – or at least dampen alumni spirits significantly – the Bulldogs and Stevens engineered a six-play, 90-yard drive, that was punctuated by a 30-yard TD run with 8:39 left in the third quarter that pushed their lead to 28-7.
But the Wildcats threatened once again on the ensuing drive, moving to the Bulldog 20 before a sack pushed them back to the 36 and forced a punt.
MSU moved to a 31-7 lead with Christmann's 40-yard field goal with 13-11 left in the game.
The Bulldogs picked up their second turnover of the game with 10:42 remaining when an Anthony pass ended up in the hands of Fred Peters, who returned it 6 yards to the MSU 35-yard line.
MSU cashed in the turnover with an 11-play, 80-yard drive, capped when Garrett Shrader threw a 6-yard TD pass to Austin Williams with 5:16 left, building the Bulldog lead to 38-7, the final margin. The Bulldogs closed out the scoring with a three-play, 62-yard drive, and a 10-yard TD run by Shrader to make the final score 45-7 with 2:48 left.
Mississippi had a 577-282 advantage in total yards and 26-18 lead in first downs. The Bulldogs held ACU to 27 yards on the ground. The Wildcats prevailed in time of possession, 33:06 to 26:54. Both teams ran 70 plays from scrimmage.
Jack Gibbens led ACU in tackles with 12 and Richmond added 11. Davis was the Wildcats' leading rusher with 31 yards on nine carries.
"This is a lifetime of memories for our players," said Dorrel, who was very impressed with Mississippi State's first-class approach to everything. "I was very proud of the way we played today. I thought we played extremely hard. I thought we played with a lot of passion and energy. We were outgunned in some spots and that's difficult. That can be very challenging mentally for players. Our kids didn't back down tonight, and I thought they played really hard."
ACU will open its 2020 season with another SEC opponent when the Wildcats play Texas A&M in College Station on Sept. 5.
PLAYS THAT MATTERED
- 1Q – Nick Gibson ran 4 yards for a TD to put Mississippi State on top with 5:13 left in the quarter. Jace Christmann's successful PAT kick made the score 7-0.
- 2Q – Deddrick Thomas caught an 11-yard TD pass from Tommy Stevens to put the Bulldogs up 14-0 with 12 minutes left in the half.
- 2Q – Kylin Hill caught an 88-yard TD pass from Stevens with 10:13 left to make the new score 21-0.
- 2Q – Tracy James put ACU on the scoreboard with a 4-yard TD pass from Luke Anthony.
- 3Q – MSU's lead grew to 28-7 when Stevens ran 30 yards for a TD with 8:39 left.
- 4Q – Christmann kicked a 40-yard field goal to up the MSU advantage to 31-7 with 13:11 left.
- 4Q – Austin Williams caught a 6-yard TD pass from Garrett Shrader, and Christmann's fifth successful PAT kick of the game made the score 38-7.
- 4Q – With 2:48 left, Shrader ran 10 yards for a TD to push the score to 45-7, the final margin.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- ACU turned in one of the best performances of five FCS teams playing on the road against SEC teams today. Others: Alabama 66, Western Carolina 3; Auburn 52, Samford 0; Kentucky 50, Tennessee-Martin 7; and Vanderbilt 38, East Tennessee State 0.
- After giving up 10 sacks last week in a loss to Southeastern Louisiana, the Wildcats allowed just four against Mississippi State.
- 2019 was the first season the Wildcats opened and closed a schedule playing a pair of FBS teams. ACU fell 51-31 to North Texas on Aug. 31.
STAT CORNER
- Senior running back Tracy James' 20 TDs were the fourth best in a single season for ACU, trailing Bernard Scott (39 in 2007 and 34 in 2008) and Wilbert Montgomery (31 in 1973). His 37 career TDs also are fourth all-time, behind Montgomery (76), Scott (73) and Daryl Richardson (38).
- ACU trailed 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, 21-7 at the half and 28-7 after three quarters.
- In the third quarter, MSU had a 123-1 advantage in rushing yards but ACU prevailed in passing yards, 101-25.
- With 11 catches in the game, sophomore wide receiver Kobe Clark passed Ronnie Vinson (82 in 1969) for the most receptions in a season with 87. Current Chicago Bears' wide receiver Taylor Gabriel owns third place with 73.
- At the half, Mississippi State led in first downs (12-9), rushing yards (138-16), passing yards (134-118) total offense (272-134) and third-down conversions (7 of 11 vs. 1 of 5). ACU led in time of possession (15:59 – 14:01). Each team scored in all its red-zone opportunities (MSU 2-2 and ACU 1-1). MSU's Kylin Hill led all rushers with 78 yards on 10 carries.
- MSU beat ACU's Southland Conference rival Stephen F. Austin last season, 63-6.
NOTABLE
- ACU's most famous football player is a Mississippi native: former All-America running back Wilbert Montgomery. Born 143 miles away in Greenville, he was recently inducted to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame after induction to the College Football Hall of Fame and a standout NFL career as a player and Super Bowl-winning coach. His brother, Cle, was a fine wide receiver and kick returner for the Wildcats who had a six-year playing career in the NFL, and helped the Oakland Raiders to a win in Super Bowl XVIII.
- This was ACU's first appearance in a game telecast on the SEC Network.
- Entering the game, Kylin Hill was the SEC's rushing leader with 1,062 yards and the Bulldogs averaged 214.10 yards per game, third-best in the league.
- The Bulldogs began playing football in 1895 and have made 16 postseason bowl appearances. Thirty-eight Bulldogs have been named All-America, 171 have been All-SEC selections and 124 players were drafted by the NFL, 11 in the first round. Their stadium is the second oldest among FBS programs.
