Vanderbilt 25, Mississippi State 23: Brock Taylor's six field goals decide it
Brock Taylor kicked six field goals, including a 55-yarder with 1:46 left, as Vanderbilt held on 25-23 at Mississippi State and won as the underdog.
Vanderbilt won 25-23 at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday because Brock Taylor kept making kicks. He hit six field goals, the last from 55 yards with 1:46 left, and that cushion held when Mississippi State scored late and failed on the two-point try.
Taylor accounted for 19 of Vanderbilt's 25 points. The Commodores reached the end zone once.
How it was won
Vanderbilt controlled the first half. Taylor opened the scoring with a 38-yard field goal late in the first quarter. Sedrick Alexander ran in from 2 yards midway through the second, and Taylor added kicks from 36 and 22 yards, the last as time expired, for a 16-0 halftime lead.
Mississippi State answered fast after the break. AJ Swann found Sanfrisco Magee for a 65-yard touchdown at 11:20 of the third quarter. Fifty-two seconds later, Will Whitson returned a fumble 14 yards for a score, and a 16-point lead was down to 16-14.
Taylor steadied it. His 54-yarder late in the third made it 19-14, and a 34-yarder early in the fourth pushed it to 22-14. Kyle Ferrie's 26-yard field goal at 4:56 brought the Bulldogs within 22-17, before Taylor's 55-yarder restored an eight-point margin. Swann and Magee connected again from 30 yards with 32 seconds left, but the two-point pass failed.
The box score explains how Vanderbilt kept getting into range. The Commodores held the ball for 39:55 to Mississippi State's 20:05 and outgained the Bulldogs 328-297. They ran for 160 yards against 43, and had 20 first downs to 12. They converted only 4 of 17 third downs, which is why so many drives ended with Taylor.
Jared Curtis went 17 of 27 for 168 yards with no touchdowns. Makhilyn Young ran 15 times for 63 yards and Alexander 21 times for 59 and the score. Junior Sherrill caught 7 passes for 41 yards, and Tristen Brown had 2 for 52.
For Mississippi State, Swann completed 23 of 36 for 254 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Magee's two catches went for 95 yards and both scores. Marquis Johnson caught 6 for 56. Fluff Bothwell ran 14 times for 50 yards, and the Bulldogs as a whole could not sustain drives on the ground. Each side lost one turnover.
Against the number
Mississippi State closed as a 3-point favorite, so Vanderbilt covered and won outright. The Commodores closed at +124 on the moneyline, with Mississippi State at -148.
The total closed at 48.5 and the teams scored 48, so the under landed by half a point. A successful two-point conversion in the final minute would have pushed it to 50. Prices and closing lines are on the game page.
What's next
Vanderbilt moves to 4-5 and ends a four-game losing streak, its first win since beating NC State in September. The Commodores host No. 5 Alabama on Saturday, November 14, on SEC Network.
Mississippi State falls to 4-5 with a fifth straight loss, after starting the season 4-0. The Bulldogs stay home to face Auburn on Saturday, November 14.
