FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – In its first contest in the Northeast in 30 years, Mississippi State (2-2) beat UMass (1-3) 47-35 at Gillette Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Minutemen led 14-13 at halftime, but a 21-0 run by the Bulldogs in the third quarter was good for a lead that MSU never lost.
Sophomore quarterback Nick Fitzgerald had a career game for MSU, completing 25 of 38 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns, while he also ran for 110 yards on 14 carries. The benefactor of Fitzgerald’s big day, senior Fred Ross caught eight passes for 126 yards and a pair of touchdowns. At a rate of eight yards per carry, senior Brandon Holloway was tops among MSU running backs with 80 yards on 10 carries.
Defensively, senior end A.J. Jefferson added to his growing season total with two more tackles for loss, while junior cornerback Jamoral Graham had the highlight play of the game with an interception returned for a touchdown during State’s third quarter run.
Sophomore safety Brandon Bryant and senior end Jonathan Calvin tied with a team-high nine tackles each, including one tackle for loss for Calvin who also had a game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter.
Mississippi State is off next week before hosting SEC Western Division foe Auburn in Starkville on October 8. Kickoff time for that game is expected to be announced Monday.
