Mississippi State had Vanderbilt right where it wanted it late, and still walked off the field with a loss that will linger.
The Commodores escaped Starkville with a 25-23 win on Saturday night, surviving a final-minute two-point try that fell incomplete. It was Vanderbilt’s first football win in Starkville since Richard Nixon’s first term, back when Davis Wade Stadium was still known as Scott Field.
For Mississippi State, the defeat pushed the Bulldogs to 4-5 overall and 2-5 in SEC play. It also extended the skid to five straight losses, a sharp turn after a September that had the fan base buzzing.
Vanderbilt came in with its own baggage, too. The Commodores had not beaten Mississippi State anywhere since October 2004, had lost five in a row, and still hadn’t picked up an SEC win this season. But they hung around, and that was enough to flip the night.
“This team, to the last second, every blade of grass,” Clark Lea said. “We played the way that we want to play at Vanderbilt.”
The game turned into a showcase for Vanderbilt kicker Brock Taylor, who was nearly perfect. He hit all six of his field goals - from 38, 36, 22, 54, 34 and 55 yards - to set a Vanderbilt school record. The Commodores’ only touchdown came on Sedrick Alexander’s 2-yard run in the second quarter, and Taylor supplied every second-half point.
Mississippi State’s defense did enough to force several of those drives into field goal attempts, but Taylor kept cashing them in. His 55-yarder with less than two minutes left stretched the lead to eight, which meant the Bulldogs could only get back to a two-point conversion try after their late touchdown.
That final sequence came down to a decision Jeff Lebby felt good about. He nearly called timeout before the attempt, then let the play stand. AJ Swann’s pass went over Marquis Johnson in the back of the end zone.
“I was about to use the timeout, and then I saw the picture and I loved the picture for the play,” Lebby said. “I thought we had exactly what we wanted.
Obviously, I haven’t seen the replay of it yet, but it’s exactly what we wanted. Didn’t end up making the play.”
Now Mississippi State has to find two wins in its last three games to become bowl eligible. Auburn visits on Nov. 14 at 11 a.m., FCS opponent Tennessee Tech comes to town on Nov. 21, and Ole Miss is waiting on Black Friday.
The Vanderbilt loss stings even more because it came against what looked like the most manageable SEC game left on the schedule. For Lebby, who is 3-20 in conference play across three seasons, it was a missed chance the Bulldogs could not afford.
In Other News...
Chris Jones Is Closing In On Rare Chiefs History
Chris Jones keeps adding to a rsum that already places him among the most accomplished defenders in Chiefs history. In a recent game against the New York Jets, he turned in a two-sack effort that pushed him past Tamba Hali and into second place on Kansas Citys all-time sacks list, a climb that reflects both his longevity and his production over 11 seasons in the league.
Only Derrick Thomas stands ahead of him now, and the gap is still a meaningful one. Even so, Jones seven Pro Bowl selections and steady presence at the heart of the Chiefs defense have put him in rare company, with the kind of franchise milestone that only gets more notable as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]