2011 Music City Bowl, Mississippi State Vs. Wake Forest: Bulldogs Win Amidst Cowbell Serenade

18.5: Wake Forest’s turnover points margin (as defined here). Congratulations, then, to Mississippi State for proving you can still win while ceding almost three touchdowns’ worth of turnovers. They nearly doubled up the Demon Deacons in terms of per-play average (6.5 to 3.3), but their miscues not only kept Wake in the game, but gave the Deacs a chance to win at the end. Two early fumbles handed the ball to Wake inside the MSU 40, and two later interceptions ended scoring opportunities.

17: Mississippi State’s success rate when rushing on first down. Some measures I look at are more descriptive than evaluative. In this case, success rate gives us a perfect glimpse into just how reliant Mississippi State was on big plays. The Bulldogs rushed 18 times on first downs and only gained more than five yards three times. Those three rushes, however, went for 18, 27 and 72 yards. The running game both landed MSU in consistent passing downs and bailed them out. Wake Forest, meanwhile, was much more efficient running on first downs (33 percent) but never actually got anywhere (2.5 yards per carry overall).

Vick Ballard’s touchdown runs of 60 and 72 yards were enough for a Mississippi State offense that committed four turnovers and managed little in the way of passing to compliment a stifling defense in a 23-17 win over Wake Forest in the 2011 American Mortgage Music City Bowl at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn.

“Anytime you have adversity, the blocked field goal was really rough because as the game wound down towards the end of the game, that field goal became huge. We make that one, we are in much better shape,” Wake Forest head coach Jim Grobe said.

After a host of penalties against and interceptions thrown, Mississippi State countered Wake Forest’s small momentum with their offense’s saving grace - a big run from Vick Ballard. Ballard rumbled 72 yards for a touchdown, bookending his 60 yard score in the first quarter, and the Bulldogs have regained a comfortable 23-14 lead. Counting his breakaway rush, Ballard has 179 yards on 11 carries, just shy of a State bowl record for rushing (Walter Packer, 183 yards in the 1974 Sun Bowl).

The Bulldogs have out rushed Wake Forest 252-45, and the Demon Deacons gained their first third down conversion of the night with 10:32 remaining in the fourth quarter. Still, Wake has dominated the time of possession in spite of trailing total yardage by almost half (380 to 218), holding a ten minute advantage.

For more on Mississippi State, check out For Whom The Cowbell Tolls. Get your Wake Forest news at Blogger So Dear.

Mississippi State has 243 total yards, 147 rushing, and leads Wake Forest 16-7 despite losing the turnover battle (0-3) and time of possession (12:28 / 17:32) after a sputtering half of football at the 2011 Music City Bowl. The game has seen a stilted first quarter of offense and a second quarter punctuated by explosive plays - namely Fletcher Cox’s blocked field goal that would set up a Bulldog touchdown drive.

Photo courtesy of @KegsnEggs

Wake would stall on its next possession, punting after a 15-yard drive and setting up State’s longest drive of the night, a 12-play, 55-yard effort taking 4:48 and ending with a 33-yard field goal from DePasquale. The Bulldogs have abandoned balance to run, and primarily straight ahead with Relf. State has rolled up 143 yards on the ground and only 47 passing, most of which came on the touchdown to Clark.

For more on Mississippi State, check out For Whom The Cowbell Tolls. Get your Wake Forest news at Blogger So Dear.

After both teams combined for -10 yards total through most of the first quarter, Wake Forest and Mississippi State are tied at seven after both teams traded rushing touchdowns.

State would respond on the ensuing drive when Ballard atoned, breaking a 60-yard run on a failed Wake blitz, tying the game and giving Mississippi State their first positive play from scrimmage of the evening.

The Music City Bowl has benefited in recent years by courting nearby SEC and ACC programs to fill its frigid, steep seats at LP Field - Kentucky’s been twice and Tennessee last year - but Mississippi State was no slouch in picking up tickets for this year’s game against Wake Forest.

The stadium is almost solid maroon at kickoff, and after athletic director Scott Stricklin’s confirmation that bowl officials were officially permitting cowbells, it’s been loud - RESPONSIBLY loud, but loud nonetheless. We’ll let the anti-noisemaker contingency use that to explain both teams’ combined -12 yards off offense and zero first downs through the game’s first six minutes.

NOTE: Confused? See the quick glossary at the bottom.

They say styles make fights. Good luck figuring out how these two teams’ styles will convert on the field. Wake Forest has a crafty offense based around occasional big plays, and Mississippi State’s athletic defense eats big-play offenses alive. The teams are at the opposite ends of the MACtion scale. Both teams play better against worse opponents, which typically doesn’t mean much in bowls (though if it does mean something, it is probably good for Mississippi State, who has played quite a few opponents better than Wake and basically beaten none of them). The contrast is considerable, but that doesn’t necessarily make for a good game, now, does it?

Game date, time: 6:40 p.m. ET, Friday, December 30

Location: LP Field, Nashville, TN

Wake Forest started the season at 5-2 before a three-game losing streak put their bowl eligibility chances in jeopardy. A convincing 31-10 win at home over Maryland got them to six on the season, but the Demon Deacons are coming off a 41-7 loss at home to Vanderbilt.

Banks is considering foregoing his final year of eligibility and entering the 2012 NFL Draft, Brandon Marcello of the Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports.

The 6-foot, 195-pound Givens caught 80 passes for 1,143 yards and 12 touchdowns in 23 games over his first two seasons with the Demon Deacons before breaking out for 74 receptions, 1,276 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games in 2011. Givens’ yardage total this season were a school record and helped earn him first-team All-ACC honors.

Givens is not expected to announce a decision about the 2012 NFL Draft until after the bowl game on Friday.

Here’s Mullen to Brad Locke:

For more Missy State, visit Mississippi State blog For Whom the Cowbell Tolls.