One of Nation’s Best Shows Strength in Lumberjacks’ Season Opener

Saturday, September 1

Starkville, Miss. / Davis Wade Stadium

6:30 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

0-1

No. 18 Mississippi State

1-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Stephen F. Austin

Mississippi State

Photo by: SFA Athletics

One of Nation’s Best Shows Strength in Lumberjacks’ Season Opener

9/1/2018 10:22:00 PM | Football

Box Score

SFA falls to one of Southeastern Conference’s elite Saturday night at 18th-ranked Mississippi State

By: Luke Bolanos | Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations

Photos | Postgame Press Conference

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The 92nd season of football at Stephen F. Austin got underway Saturday night inside Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville, Mississippi. The Lumberjacks showed composure and fought throughout the four quarters but came out on the losing end of a 63-6 affair against the Southeastern Conference's 18th-ranked Bulldogs of Mississippi State.

"I think we found some growth in our football team, running the ball and being able to make some plays," interim head coach Jeff Byrd said following the game. "I'm really excited about how our guys competed. That's what we talked about, we wanted to compete every play and not worry about what the score was. Just take it one play at a time and I thought we did a great job of that tonight."

Mississippi State Strikes Early
It took just 12 seconds for the host Bulldogs to put numbers on the scoreboard, doing so on a 53-yard catch and run from Keytaon Thompson to running back Kylin Hill. Mississippi State led 7-0 just 1:50 into the game. The Bulldogs threatened once again on their following possession but a pass breakup from junior Starkville, Mississippi, native Aretavious Hendrix nearly caused an interception and forced a Mississippi State field goal attempt and miss.

Three Touchdown First Quarter for Bulldogs
After a 22-yard Keith Mixon punt return on Mississippi State's third possession of the game, the Bulldogs set up shop at the SFA 19 and needed just five plays before punching it into the end zone on a nine-yard quarterback keep by Thompson. Leading 14-0 with 5:29 in the first, Mississippi State needed just 15 seconds to score its third touchdown of the game. On the Bulldogs' first play of their fourth drive, Thompson found an open Osirus Mitchell for an 84-yard touchdown strike that gave Mississippi State a commanding 21-0 advantage through the first 15 minutes of action.

'Jacks Claim First Points of Season Early in Second Quarter
SFA used a 15-play, 63-yard scoring drive that took 5:33 of game clock and stretched between the first and second quarters to get on the board for the first time of the night. A 24-yard pass from senior quarterback Foster Sawyer to junior preseason All-Southland Conference pick Tamrick Pace converted a fourth-and-12 at the Bulldogs' 30 to setup the 'Jacks with first down at the six-yard line. A two-yard loss on a rush, a sack and an incomplete pass prompted a 36-yard field goal from junior place-kicker Storm Ruiz with 13:01 remaining in the second quarter.

At the Half
Mississippi State held a 35-3 lead at the half after putting together a nine-play, 65-yard drive that took 3:17 and resulted in a 27-yard touchdown pass from Thompson to Aeris Williams. The Bulldogs also had a 91-yard drive late in the second quarter as Thompson took just over five minutes of clock before connecting with Dontea Jones from 17 yards out with 1:01 remaining in the half. Mississippi State racked up 400 yards of total offense in the first half, recording 13 first downs and scoring a touchdown on all but one of its drives. SFA had 124 offensive yards at the intermission, 112 of those coming through the air.

Strong Start to Second Half
The 'Jacks played inspired defense coming out of the break and forced the Bulldogs' offense to three consecutive three-and-outs. Through the first eight minutes of play in the third quarter, SFA had outgained Mississippi State 69-10 and outscored the hosts 3-0. Starting at their own 37, the 'Jacks marched the ball down the field 47 yards on eight plays and used just 2:12 of clock before Ruiz nailed his second field goal of the day from 33 yards out at the 6:55 mark of the third quarter. The drive was highlighted by a 16-yard rush by junior running back Jamall Shaw and a 13-yard pass from Sawyer to senior wide receiver Terian Goree.

Bulldogs Tack on Four More TD's
Despite SFA halting Mississippi State early in the second half, the Bulldogs scored a pair of touchdowns before the end of the third quarter. Taking less than a minute of game clock, Thompson completed a 30-yard touchdown throw to Mitchell to put the Bulldogs up 42-7. On its following drive, Mississippi State scored on a six-yard touchdown scamper by Hill to cap a five-play, 66-yard drive. Just 10 seconds into the final quarter, Thompson ran it in himself from 25 yards out to end a two-play, 48-yard drive that took only 32 seconds. The Bulldogs last score of the night came following an eight-play, 57-yard march that ended in a heavy dose of runs by Dontavian Lee, who cleared the goal line on a five-yard run with just 1:37 remaining.

The Bottom Line
The 'Jacks were outgained 618-254 in total yards, including 398-177 passing and 220-77 rushing. Sawyer finished 10-of-27 for 147 yards, while Pace made five catches for 73 yards. Sophomore tight end Allen Arclies III claimed a career-high 42 yards on a pair of catches as Shaw finished with 31 yards on six carries and junior Thomas Hutchings 27 yards on three rushes. The Bulldogs' Thompson went 13-of-31 for 364 yards and five touchdowns and led all rushers with 109 yards on 10 tucks. Mississippi State's Mitchell scored two touchdowns and led all receivers with 114 yards on two receptions. Sophomore linebacker Bert Morris posted a career-high seven total tackles, including making four solo stops, while senior safety Lawrence Ghansah and sophomore safety Trenton Gordon also made seven tackles to lead SFA. The Bulldog defense racked up an eye-popping 17 tackles for loss and tallied four sacks.

Of Note
Saturday's 63 points scored by Mississippi State were the most for a coaching debut - Joe Moorhead - in school history. It was also the most points scored in a season opener for the Bulldogs since 1950. Mississippi State's Thompson accounted for seven of the Bulldogs' nine touchdowns scored, tying an SEC record.

Up Next…
The 'Jacks will open up the home portion of their 2018 schedule next Saturday against Tarleton State. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. inside Homer Bryce Stadium with the game broadcast live on ESPN+, available everywhere via the ESPN app.

Stay tuned to SFAJacks.com, as well as SFA's social media platforms, for complete coverage of Lumberjack football throughout the 2018 season.

-SFA-