Mississippi State dropped a controversial 31-29 decision to Memphis over the weekend. A few brutal calls late and missed opportunities by the Bulldogs cost them a very winnable game.
The SEC released this official statement admitting to the officiating mistakes on the game-changing 94-yard punt return touchdown by Calvin Austin III to put the Tigers up two scores:
— SEC Officiating (@SECOfficiating) September 19, 2021
Nonetheless, the Bulldogs fell to 2-1 heading into SEC play. Mississippi State now turns its attention to LSU, who comes to town Saturday for an 11 AM kickoff.
Here are a few things I took away from the loss.
1. Penalties continue to be a big problem.
Mississippi State continued its trend of shooting itself in the foot on Saturday by committing some costly penalties. A crucial two-point conversion that would’ve cut the Tiger lead to 28-25 with 3 minutes left was wiped off the board due to a holding call.
Altogether, State committed nine penalties for a total of 64 yards. The Bulldogs have to clean that up as the competition gets tougher going forward.
2. State can have success taking more shots down the field.
Short passes and check-downs to the running back have been a staple for the Bulldog offense since Mike Leach has gotten here, but Will Rogers and his receivers could connect on the deep ball several times against Memphis.
Makai Polk showed his ability to be a legit deep threat with two long catches over 30 yards. When Rogers threw the ball deep, the Bulldogs found success.
However, he has only attempted nine passes of over 30 yards on the season. Mississippi State needs to be more aggressive and use the talent of its receivers down the field.
3. Capitalizing in the red zone has to be an emphasis going forward.
One of the biggest turning points of the game happened early in the second half, with State up 17-7. An Emmanuel Forbes interception set Mississippi State up at the Memphis’ 15-yard line with a chance to bury the Tigers.
Instead, the Bulldogs’ failed fourth-down attempt gave Memphis some momentum, and the Tigers capitalized with a 98-yard touchdown drive to get back into the game. Mississippi State needs to finish drives with touchdowns instead of leaving valuable points on the field.