FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen walked through the locker room after the Bulldogs beat Massachusetts and noticed that his players didn’t know whether to celebrate.
“Guys aren’t sure,” he said after the Bulldogs rebounded from a mediocre first half – again – to win 47-35 on Saturday.
“That’s how young a team we are: ‘Are we supposed to smile? We won a game but I made a mistake,'” Mullen said, imitating his players’ confusion. “Yeah, we won a game. Enjoy it.”
The Bulldogs (2-2) have struggled all season with inconsistency, and it was never more frustrating than when they spotted then-No. 20 LSU a 20-point lead last week, rallying to lose 23-20. Against UMass, Mississippi State trailed 14-6 with less than two minutes remaining in the first half before finding a rhythm.
Nick Fitzgerald led the Bulldogs 65 yards in 80 seconds, hitting Fred Ross for a 9-yard touchdown to make it a one-point game at the half. In the third quarter, the two connected for a 46-yard touchdown before UMass scored to retake the lead.