South Alabama Jaguars vs Mississippi State Bulldogs Box Score on Sep 03, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Sep 3, 2016

Sophomore quarterback Dallas Davis threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Gerald Everett with 57 seconds remaining as South Alabama rallied for a 21-20 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday in nonconference play at Starkville, Miss.

The fourth-down pass completion culminated the Jaguars' comeback from a 17-0 halftime deficit. The win was secured when Mississippi State junior Westin Graves missed a 28-yard field-goal attempt by hitting the left upright with six seconds remaining.

Davis passed for 285 yards and two touchdowns as South Alabama (1-0) defeated an SEC team for the first time in school history. Josh Magee had seven receptions for 111 yards.

Junior quarterback Damian Williams passed for 143 yards and rushed for 93 yards as Mississippi State (0-1) attempts to replace departed standout Dak Prescott. The Bulldogs had possession of the ball for nearly 13 1/2 fewer minutes than South Alabama.

The Jaguars held possession for nearly two-thirds of the first half but that didn't prevent Mississippi State from holding the 17-point edge. South Alabama opened the second half with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that was culminated by Davis' 20-yard touchdown pass to Magee.

Graves kicked a career-long 48-yard field goal to increase the Mississippi State lead to 20-7 with 6:35 left in the third quarter. But the Jaguars maneuvered back within six points when senior running back Tyreis Thomas scored on a 4-yard run to cap a nine-play, 99-yard drive.

Mississippi State's strong start began when Williams connected with redshirt freshman Deddrick Thomas on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 3:19 remaining in the opening quarter. The Bulldogs drove 80 yards early in the second quarter with senior running back Brandon Holloway finishing the six-play drive with a 7-yard scoring jaunt with 11:20 remaining.

Graves booted a 37-yard field goal with 4:41 left to push the margin to 17.

South Alabama sophomore Gavin Patterson clanked a 25-yard field-goal attempt off the right upright with seven seconds left in the half. He also hit the left upright earlier in the half on a 37-yard miss.

Shortly before kickoff, Mississippi State announced that senior defensive tackle Nick James and sophomore receiver Malik Dear were suspended for violation of team rules.