By By Josh Taylor/The Meridian Star
Sept. 4, 2001
STARKVILLE – What a difference three minutes can make!
Down 10-0 and apparently staggered after Memphis converted an early second half turnover into a touchdown, the Mississippi State Bulldogs rallied for 30 unanswered points to win their season opener 30-10 here Monday night.
Trailing 3-0 after the half, State's first possession looked promising as quarterback Wayne Madkin laced one down the line to Justin Jenkins for a 24-yard gain. However, Memphis's Glenn Sumter stripped him of the ball after the reception and returned it 73 yards. Two plays later, the Tigers scored on an18-yard pass from quarterback Travis Anglin to Bunkie Perkins.
With the Tigers up 10-0, something awoke inside the Dogs. Two possessions later, the Bulldogs got on the scoreboard when Madkin connected with Dicenzo Miller on a 51-yard TD pass. MSU's defense held and State's special teams came up with a huge play when Curtis Stowers blocked the punt and teammate Nathan Jackson ran it in for a touchdown.
From that point, the MSU defense dug in to keep the Tiger offense off the field while the offense seemingly scored at will.
A very balanced MSU offense ended up with 179 yards rushing and 174 yards passing. Ironically each team ran exactly 63 plays yet Memphis's total offense was about half of MSU's with 86 yards rushing and 76 yards passing.
Dicenzo Miller rushed for 108 yards, and Madkin completed 12-of-21 passing attempts for 174 yards.
Josh Taylor is a sports writer for The Meridian Star. You can call him at 693-1551, ext. 3234 or e-mail him at jtaylor@themeridianstar.com.