Remember when UMass gave Tennessee a handful in Knoxville just a few weeks ago? At halftime in Starkville, No. 16 Mississippi State trailed the Minutemen, 20-13. UMass hung around until a punt return touchdown with five minutes to go gave MSU the final 34-23 lead.
Mississippi State is now the second SEC team this year to struggle with 2-6 UMass
The Bulldogs entered at No. 16 in the College Football Playoff rankings, got in a tussle, and pulled out the W.
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That’s actually close to the halftime score from the year prior in this game. The difference: MSU’s believed to be a really good team this time around.
MSU took a long time to establish its beloved run, picking up only 4.2 per carry in the first half before turning it on in the second, and MSU threw three interceptions. UMass had the more explosive passing game, with Andy Isabella including a 69-yard touchdown in his 158-yard day.
The most nationally consequential result of a 60-minute MSU struggle with lowly UMass is what it means for the current resume of Playoff No. 1 Georgia, which beat MSU soundly in Athens, and future resume of current No. 2 Alabama, which might end up needing some nice wins eventually.
Oh, and MSU head coach Dan Mullen is considered a Florida head coaching candidate. This one is not going on his highlights reel, at the moment.
Tennessee eventually took down the big, bad Minutemen (who, jokes aside, are at least a good bit better than their record, as two SEC teams would attest), but it went on the list of Butch Jones’ most embarrassing results anyway.
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