Mississippi State picks off Lamar Jackson 4 times in TaxSlayer Bowl win

Mississippi State 31, Louisville 27.

Lamar Jackson may have just played his final game for Louisville, and the four interceptions aren’t exactly a positive not to end his career on. But when you look at it in the broader context of his career, you see how impressive Jackson’s career has been.

Jackson will go home to South Florida to think his future over, and it remains to be seen what he’ll do. Mississippi State’s Mark McLaurin was the beneficiary of three of Jackson’s interceptions and played a phenomenal defensive game for the Bulldogs.

Mississippi State may have its own QB of the future solidified in freshman Keytaon Thompson. After stepping in for Nick Fitzgerald in the Egg Bowl, Thompson started this game and rushed for 147 yards and three TDs. New coach Joe Moorhead can certainly work with that type of athleticism.

2:31, Mississippi State 31, Louisville 27.

It’s not the death knell yet, but this Lamar Jackson interception certainly isn’t good. Louisville’s got three timeouts, but needs a stop to keep this game alive.

3:39, Mississippi State 31, Louisville 27.

And the Bulldogs are back in front thanks to QB Keytaon Thompson. His 13-yard rush was just short, but on the next play he punched it in from 1-yard out. The freshman has serious potential.

7:38, Louisville 27, Mississippi State 24.

Jackson and the Cardinals are back in the lead after a 31-yard field goal by Blanton Creque. Jackson again exhibits how staggering his production has been throughout his relatively short college career.

13:22, Louisville 24, Mississippi State 24.

This interception wasn’t on Lamar Jackson. The throw was a touch high and hot, but a college receiver could be expected to come down with it.

The pick did lead to the Bulldogs tying the score after starting their drive inside the red zone.

3:14, Louisville 24, Mississippi State 17.

On a drive where one of his receivers dropped a would-be TD, Jackson still grabbed a big milestone.

A reminder that Jackson did this in only three seasons.

12:14, Louisville 21, Mississippi State 17.

You won’t see many sacks featuring a QB making a play that’s this impressive.

Lamar Jackson still lost two yards, but it was quite the journey to get there. Louisville would punt on the next play, but the punt was muffed by Mississippi State. The Cardinals took over again with great field position but we unable to convert on a field goal.

Louisville 21, Mississippi State 17.

The first half, as could be expected, was about Lamar Jackson. Whether he was throwing a bad interception or running circles around Mississippi State’s defenders, Jackson did it all for Louisville. He’ll have to keep the turnovers under wraps in the second half because right now he’s close to getting outplayed by freshman Keytaon Thompson.

:19, Louisville 21, Mississippi State 17.

This Lamar Jackson throw certainly wasn’t an interception. After his defense got him the ball back, Jackson nearly ran it in himself on a 75-yard scamper.

Instead, he improvised this shovel pass and put the cardinals on top heading into the break.

1:04, Mississippi State 17, Louisville 14.

And Lamar giveth again. Throw behind the receiver, and another interception has Mississippi State set up in Louisville territory.

2:59, Mississippi State 17, Louisville 14.

Lamar giveth, and that’s the problem.

That throw sailed on Jackson and went right into the hands of a waiting Mississippi State defender. A mechanics issue with Jackson appeared to be to blame, per ESPN’s Jordan Rodgers.

That was the cherry on top of a drive that seemed doomed from the start. It featured a reverse a couple plays earlier that put the Cardinals into the third down situation.

4:21, Mississippi State 17, Louisville 14.

10:29, Mississippi State 14, Louisville 14.

Lamar. Jackson.

A 13-yard touchdown in which the electric QB took two defenders’ souls in the process. This might very well be his last college game, and he’s certainly leaving in style.

3:11, Mississippi State 14, Louisville 7.

The bowl bump is a very real mental phenomenon but it’s hard to see what Keytaon Thompson’s done early on in this game and not get excited about his prospects in Joe Moorhead’s offense next season. He’s an athletic player, and he’s now responsible for two touchdowns. We didn’t think this was going to be a QB duel, but that might be exactly what we have on our hands.

6:35, Mississippi State 7, Louisville 7.

As was stated on the ESPN telecast, Bobby Petrino is the master of the in-game adjustment. He got the ship righted after the first drive, and Lamar Jackson marched the team down the field for the equalizing score.

10:47, Mississippi State 7, Louisville 0.

In what’s sure to be a slightly simpler offense for Mississippi State QB Keytaon Thompson, the Bulldogs marched down the field on six plays to take the early lead. Thompson takes the reins from Nick Fitzgerald, who was hurt in the Egg Bowl, and the QB of the future became the QB of the present in short order. It’ll be fun to see what new coach Joe Moorhead can do with his talent, but for now sit back and see what he can do in the confines of this familiar offense.

12:54, Louisville 0, Mississippi State 0.

Not exactly the way the Cards want to start things out. Five plays and they’re off the field. We’ll have to wait a bit to watch him dazzle.

Lamar Jackson couldn’t find a way to repeat as Heisman Trophy winner, but he can cap off a great 2017 season on a high note by beating the Mississippi State Bulldogs in what could be his college football finale.

Jackson was actually better in 2017 than in 2016. His completion percentage, touchdown rate, and yards per rush all improved this fall, but Louisville’s letdown 8-4 season and Baker Mayfield’s dominant season kept him from lifting the Heisman Trophy this December. While the Cardinals’ season was a bit of a letdown, the dual-threat quarterback doesn’t have much left to prove at the NCAA level. As such, Saturday’s game could be his last at Louisville should he declare for the 2018 NFL draft.

He’ll be tested by a Mississippi State team preparing for life without head coach Dan Mullen. Mullen was hired away by Florida after turning the Bulldogs into a consistent postseason presence in nine years with the program. New head coach Joe Moorhead won’t coach in the bowl — instead, that honor will go to Greg Knox, the team’s running backs coach.

The first time Moorhead was officially in charge of an offense, he raised Georgetown’s scoring average from 17.4 points per game to 22.6 in 2003. He ended up on Rob Brookhart’s staff at Akron, and in three years, the Zips’ Off. S&P+ ranking rose from 100th to 55th. His first year as Randy Edsall’s coordinator at UConn (2009) produced a six-point improvement and No. 31 ranking in Off. S&P+.

Fitzgerald was an inconsistent presence for Mississippi State, but he was paramount to the team’s wins over LSU and Texas A&M due to his mobility. He’ll miss the TaxSlayer Bowl thanks to an ankle injury, which will push Keytaon Thompson into action. Thompson was ineffective in the Egg Bowl, where a favored MSU team lost to bitter rival Ole Miss thanks in part to a lackluster passing offense.

The Cardinals have the best player and the least coaching drama. Louisville takes it.

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