Mississippi State Football: 3 takeaways from win over NC State in Week 2

Sep 11, 2021; Starkville, Mississippi, USA;Mississippi State Bulldogs running back Dillon Johnson (23) runs the ball while defended by North Carolina State Wolfpack defensive tackle C.J. Clark (5) and linebacker Isaiah Moore (1) during the fourth quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

2 of 3

(Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images) /

2. Bulldog defense was impressive

The Mississippi State defense played effective tonight against NC State. They only allowed 32 rushing yards and forced three turnovers — two interceptions and a fumble.

They also limited the Wolfpack to just six third-down conversions out of 20 attempts on the day while sacking NC State quarterback Devin Leary three times.

Before the season started, Brian Stultz of Saturday Down South wrote that the Mississippi State defense would be improved this season:

"“When Mike Leach is the coach, the defense can get overlooked. That wasn’t the case last season as the Bulldogs’ defense stayed solid as long as it could in almost every game. Arnett’s unit is full of veterans who have been in the middle of an SEC schedule before so there are no excuses for them.”"

Last week in their win against Louisiana Tech football, the Bulldogs allowed only three points in the fourth quarter, which allowed their offense to score 21 unanswered points to take the lead and win the game. When it matters, Mississippi State’s defense comes up big when needed most, and we saw that tonight against NC State.

Home/Mississippi State Bulldogs