STARKVILLE, Miss. — Dallas Davis threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Gerald Everett with 57 seconds left, and Mississippi State’s last-second field goal attempt hit the left upright as South Alabama rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to beat the Bulldogs 21-20 in Saturday’s season opener.
The Jaguars trailed 17-0 at the break and 20-7 late in the third quarter before scoring two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Gavin Patterson’s extra point after Everett’s catch provided the winning margin.
The game was South Alabama’s second trip to Starkville. The Jaguars lost 30-10 at Mississippi State in 2012.
New Coordinators Debut
The opener was the first game for South Alabama’s defense under new defensive coordinator Kane Wommack. Offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent had coached against Mississippi State before at UAB, where Everett and wide receiver Josh Magee also played for him.
South Alabama’s defense forced three-and-outs on Mississippi State’s first two possessions. The Bulldogs changed quarterbacks on their third series, and the new quarterback’s first pass went for 19 yards into South Alabama territory. Mississippi State scored a few plays later for a 7-0 lead.
Missed Chances in the First Half
Davis, a sophomore, moved the Jaguars with a 29-yard completion to Everett and throws of 25 yards to Magee and 12 yards to Tyrone Williams, but a 37-yard field goal attempt from the right hash bounced off the left upright.
Fred Ross took the first snap of Mississippi State’s next possession 46 yards to the South Alabama 34, and the Bulldogs scored a few plays later to make it 14-0.
After a South Alabama stop, a Corliss Waitman punt struck the helmet of a Mississippi State blocker at the 35 and bounced to the 16, but the same Bulldogs player recovered. Mississippi State drove to the Jaguars’ 20 and kicked a field goal for a 17-0 lead.
South Alabama answered with a drive from its own 25 that included completions of 23 and 24 yards from Davis to Everett and runs of 3 and 11 yards by Davis. The drive reached the Mississippi State 8, but a 25-yard field goal attempt bounced off the right upright, and the Jaguars went to halftime trailing 17-0.
Second-Half Comeback
Davis opened the third quarter with a 25-yard completion to Magee to reach midfield, and South Alabama mixed in a more effective running game. Davis finished the drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Magee, who caught the ball in triple coverage, to make it 17-7.
Mississippi State answered with a drive, but a holding penalty and two incompletions under pressure on quarterback Damian Williams forced Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen to settle for a 48-yard field goal and a 20-7 lead with 6:35 left in the third quarter.
With 2:30 left in the quarter, South Alabama was pinned at its own 1-yard line. Running back Thomas avoided a would-be tackler near the goal line to escape a safety and ran 37 yards to give the Jaguars room. The quarter ended with South Alabama facing fourth-and-2 at its own 47.
Between the third and fourth quarters, the stadium played Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” and much of the crowd sang along.
Thomas, Defense Pull Jaguars Within One Score
Davis converted the fourth down with a 6-yard completion to Everett. Two plays later, he hit Magee for 23 yards, and a 13-yard personal foul penalty moved the ball to the Mississippi State 12. Davis ran for 4 yards, a Bulldogs offside penalty moved the ball to the 4, and Thomas scored on the next play to make it 20-14 with 12:43 remaining.
South Alabama’s defense forced a punt, helped by a Mississippi State holding penalty. After a Jaguars three-and-out, the Bulldogs gained 13 and 23 yards to reach the South Alabama 21. On third-and-10, Randy Allen and Tyree Turner combined to sack Williams for an 8-yard loss, and Westin Graves missed a 46-yard field goal attempt wide left.
Davis Leads Go-Ahead Drive
Starting from the South Alabama 29, Davis threw two incompletions intended for Everett before hitting Kevin Kutchera for 37 yards on third-and-10 to the Mississippi State 34.
Facing third-and-3 at the 27, South Alabama head coach Joey Jones called timeout with 3:43 to play. Davis then ran up the middle, hurdled a defender and was brought down at the 8 for a first down.
On third-and-goal from the 4, Davis threw between two defenders to Everett for the tying touchdown, and Patterson’s extra point put South Alabama ahead 21-20 with 57 seconds left.
Final Kick Hits the Upright
Waitman’s kickoff went out of bounds, giving Mississippi State the ball at its 35. Williams completed a 14-yard pass to Donald Gray, Holloway ran 8 yards, and a pass to Ross lost a yard before the Bulldogs used a timeout with 40 seconds left.
Williams hit Gray for 8 yards and a first down at the South Alabama 36, then found Holloway for 4 more. Williams ran 13 yards before Nigel Lawrence stopped him at the 19, added 2 more yards, and Mississippi State called timeout with 12 seconds left. Williams ran 6 yards to the 11, and the Bulldogs used their final timeout with nine seconds remaining.
Graves’ game-winning attempt hooked into the left upright and was no good. After the field was cleared, Davis knelt to run out the clock.
Jones Credits Players
In postgame interviews with the SEC Network and Jaguar Radio, at a welcome-home gathering at the team’s fieldhouse and in a Sunday morning appearance on FOX10 in Mobile, Jones praised his players’ character and heart.
