By By Danny P. Smith / special to The Star
Nov. 17, 2002
STARKVILLE Mississippi State quarterback Kevin Fant went over the 3,000-yard mark in career passing Saturday, but he was not in the game at the end.
Backup Kyle York entered in the third quarter against the Tennessee Volunteers and rallied the Bulldogs to within 21-17 before the Vols extended the lead again and won 35-17 at Davis Wade Stadium.
After Fant's fumble was returned by Tennessee's Rashad Moore for a touchdown at the 10:09 mark of the third quarter, Mississippi State football coach Jackie Sherrill decided to bring York in on the next series.
York completed one more pass (8-of-18 for 63 yards) than Fant (7-of-17 for 97 yards) did for the Bulldogs, but York says there is no reason for people to believe there is a quarterback controversy developing.
With his 97 yards passing, Fant became the seventh player in MSU history with at least 3,000 or more career passing yards with 3,025 yards. He is ninth on the all-time total offense list with exactly 3,000 yards.
Fant, who also threw his 18th career touchdown pass to move him into a seventh-place tie on the school's all-time list, was banged up in the game and seemed to re-aggravate his ankle injury, but Sherrill expects him to be back.
As far as other health concerns, defensive lineman Tommy Kelly and linebacker Mario Haggan both injured their ankles against Tennessee, while fullback Darnell Jones was hit in the side and sustained an injury to the rib area.