Mississippi State suffered a massive 41-17 loss and had to hand over a massive check to Toledo on Saturday night in Starkville.
The Bulldogs, who agreed to pay the Rockets $1.2 million to come to Starkville, were no match for the MAC team. A miserable start on both sides of the ball for Mississippi State resulted in a 7-0 deficit after the first quarter.
The Rockets then took off, outscoring the Bulldogs 21-3 in the second quarter to take a 28-3 lead into halftime. The first four drives for Mississippi State either ended in penalties or sacks, while Toledo capitalized by scoring on four of five first-half possessions.
The second half saw Mississippi State with a slight 14-13 scoring advantage, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a poor start. The win for Toledo was its second-ever over an SEC opponent and first since beating Arkansas in 2015.
The problems for the Bulldogs
As was predicted going into the year, Mississippi State has a lot to overcome defensively with major losses in now-graduated linebackers Jett Johnson and Bookie Watson. While safety Isaac Smith had 15 tackles against Toledo, most were down-field as quarterback pressure and defensive pursuit were absent for most of the night. Not only did the Bulldogs fail to record a sack, but only four tackles were made behind the line of scrimmage.
Offensively, the running game was once again nowhere to be found. After just 24 rushing yards against Arizona State a week ago, Mississippi State followed with a lackluster 66 yards on the ground against Toledo. While quarterback Blake Shapen did throw for 319 yards and two touchdowns, Toledo was able to take advantage of a one-dimensional attack.
Penalties were also a major problem. By committing 10 penalties for 104 yards, Mississippi State helped Toledo’s defense on multiple drives.
Scoring summary
Shapen’s two touchdowns went to Mario Craver on a nine-yard pass in the third quarter and to Kevin Coleman, Jr. on a one-yard pass in the fourth. Kyle Ferrie knocked in the second-quarter field goal from 23 yards out.
For Toledo (3-0), Tucker Gleason tossed for three touchdowns – one to Junior Vandeross III and two to Jerjuan Newton. Running backs Connor Walendzak and Willie Shaw III found the end zone on the ground while Dylan Cunanan made two fourth-quarter field goals.
Next up
The road for Mississippi State (1-2) doesn’t get any easier. SEC play will begin with Florida on Saturday, Sept. 21, in Starkville. Kickoff is currently scheduled for 11 a.m. CT. After that, the Bulldogs will have to travel to No. 2 Texas.
