STARKVILLE, Miss. — As difficult as it still remains to grasp how Tennessee wound up letting a potential season-defining win over Georgia slip away in overtime two weeks ago in Neyland Stadium, it’s far tougher to explain how the Volunteers escaped the cacophony of clanging cowbells inside Davis Wade Stadium with an overtime win Saturday evening.
The only consistent aspect for the Vols against underdog Mississippi State was their inability, time and again, to avoid the self-inflicted mistakes that typically result in a loss against Southeastern Conference competition. Particularly on the road.
Tennessee certainly put the adage about there being no such thing as an ugly win to the test before finally regrouping on offense to produce its longest rush of the game — the only one that covered more than 11 yards — when DeSean Bishop got sprung for a 25-yard touchdown on the first snap of the extra period.
And when the defense followed by stopping Mississippi State on four plays from inside the 5-yard line — the Bulldogs’ fourth-down pass into the end zone fell incomplete — somehow the 15th-ranked Vols had won 41-34 and salvaged their season outlook.
At least for now.