Post Game Review: Mississippi State 26, No. 15 Texas A&M 22

No. 15 Texas A&M was upset by the Mississippi State Bulldogs, 26-22, on Saturday night at Kyle Field. While the Aggies have leaned on their defense through four weeks, they had no answer for Mike Leach’s air raid offense as the Bulldogs passed for 408 yards on the night.

The shootout began early as Mississippi State turned an early interception that bounced off Demond Demas’ shoulder into a 24-yard field goal.

A&M responded on their next series as Isaiah Spiller notched a 44-yard run on third-and-two to the State 12-yard line. Two plays later, Calzada floated a beautiful pass towards the back pylon where Jalen Wydermyer reeled in his first touchdown of the season to give the Aggies a 7-3 lead. The score made Wydermyer the program's all-time leader in touchdowns among tight ends.

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Wydermyer’s first-quarter touchdown was his first score of the season.

After DeMarvin Leal dropped Will Rogers for a sack to open Mississippi State’s second possession, the Bulldog passing game found its rhythm as Rogers completed his next five passes before handing the ball to Jo’quavious Marks for 11 yards to the A&M 30. A 22-yard pass to Malik Heath set the Bulldogs up with first-and-goal at the 8. On third down at the 2, Jaylon Jones committed a costly facemask penalty, giving State a fresh set of downs at the 1. Rogers capped a perfect 7-for-7 drive by connecting with Jaden Walley to put the Bulldogs back on top. 

The back-and-forth affair continued early in the second as Seth Small tied the contest with a 40-yard field goal.

Rogers stayed hot, quickly moving the Bulldogs inside the A&M 30 before Dillon Johnson dropped a pass on second down. Leal got his paws on Rogers’ third-down pass, and Nolan McCord pushed a 46-yard attempt wide left.

Both defenses finally showed up, trading stops.

It was the Aggies who broke the deadlock with under three minutes remaining in the second quarter. After Spiller picked up a first down on two carries, Calzada looked deep and found Jalen Preston for 38 yards to the MSU 27. However, the offense ultimately stalled and kicked a 37-yard field goal to regain the lead, 13-10.

The air raid struck back quickly as Rogers completed five passes on a five-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, culminating with a 15-yard touchdown strike to Makai Polk to give State a 17-13 advantage. Rogers finished the first half 23-of-27 for 233 yards and two touchdown passes.

To open the second half, A&M's secondary came up with back-to-back pass breakups from Tyreek Chappel and Leon O'Neal to force a punt. However, A&M's offense failed to respond, going three-and-out. Constantinou flipped the field with a 58-yard punt, aided by a facemask penalty against the Bulldogs, resulting in a 78-yard boot as MSU began at their 23.

Rogers regained his poise, picking up 17 yards on a pass to Lideatrick Griffin to jumpstart the MSU offense. “The Cowboy” was 7-of-9 on the 10-play, 77-yard drive as the Bulldogs extended their lead to 11 on a 20-yard touchdown pass to Polk.

The physical and skillful running of Spiller combined with solid pickups in the passing game delivered a much-needed response as the Aggies marched into State territory before Calzada scrambled for a 25-yard touchdown to pull within one possession. A&M failed on the two-point try as the Bulldogs held a five-point edge with 1:18 to play in the third.

On the ensuing drive, Missississippi State drove deep into Aggie territory before penalties backed the Bulldogs up, turning a chip-shot field goal into a 49-yard attempt, which McCord pushed right with 8:07 to play.

Achane began the next series with a 41-yard run to the Bulldog 28. However, the Aggies settled for a 44-yard field goal to cut the deficit to two.

Facing third-and-7, Rogers hit Austin Williams for 14 yards and a first down. On yet another third-down situation, Chappell lowered his shoulder on Walley to break up a pass that would’ve moved the sticks.

Beginning at the 12 with just 2:36 to play, Calzada was sacked for a safety by Nathan Pickering, pushing the State lead to four with 2:02 left. A&M attempted an onside kick on the ensuing free-kick, but State recovered at the A&M 33. With the Aggies spending their remaining two timeouts, the Bulldogs picked up the yardage necessary to ice the ballgame

Top-ranked Alabama comes to Aggieland next week for what was supposed to be a highly-anticipated clash for SEC West supremacy. That ship has officially sailed away with "The Pirate.”

RUMBLED: Despite the Aggie pass defense being ranked in the top ten nationally, the cowboy Will Rogers had a field day. The Mississippi State quarterback put the ball in the air a ridiculous 59 times, completing 46 attempts for 408 yards and three scores.

STUMBLED: Going hand-in-hand with the "RUMBLED” section, Mike Elko's pass defense was abysmal, allowing Mike Leach’s air raid offense to rack up 408 yards through the air. The Bulldogs passed for 233 yards in the first half alone.

TURNING POINT: Will Rogers led a five-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to take the lead with 1:16 to play in the first half. It was as impressive a drive as any and highlighted the Aggies’ deficiencies defending the pass.

UNSUNG HERO: At least the Kyle Field bird provided the 12th Man with a few smiles.

KEY STAT: Beating a dead horse here, but the disparity in passing yards was ridiculous. Rogers and State aired it out for 408 yards, while Calzada and the Aggies managed just 135 yards. If Leach's air raid is a 737, A&M's is a zeppelin.

Scoring Summary

First-quarter

MSU: 11:48 - Nolan McCord 24-yard field goal. Drive: 6 plays, 19 yards. TOP: 2:28. Mississippi State 3, Texas A&M 0

A&M: 9:26 - Zach Calzada 11-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Wydermyer. Drive: 5 plays, 65 yards. TOP: 2:23. Texas A&M 7, Mississippi State 3

MSU: 2:58 - Will Rogers 1-yard touchdown pass to Jaden Walley. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards. TOP: 6:28. Mississippi State 10, Texas A&M 7

Second-quarter

A&M: 14:16 - Seth Small 40-yard field goal. Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards. TOP: 3:12. Texas A&M 10, Mississippi State 10

A&M: 2:47 - Seth Small 37-yard field goal. Drive: 10 plays, 56 yards. TOP: 5:38. Texas A&M 13, Mississippi State 10

MSU: 1:16 - Will Rogers 15-yard touchdown pass to Makai Polk. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards. TOP: 1:31. Mississippi State 17, Texas A&M 13

Third-quarter

MSU: 6:54 - Will Rogers 20-yard touchdown pass to Makai Polk. Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards. TOP: 4:18. Mississippi State 24, Texas A&M 13

A&M: 1:18 - Zach Calzada 25-yard touchdown run. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards. TOP: 5:36. Mississippi State 24, Texas A&M 19

Fourth-quarter

A&M: 5:39 - Seth Small 44-yard field goal. Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards. TOP: 2:28. Mississippi State 24, Texas A&M 22

MSU: 2:02 - Zach Calzada sacked for a loss of 10 yards and a safety. Mississippi State 26, Texas A&M 22