2003 GAME RECAPS
September 20, 2003
Robertson Stadium · Houston, TX
Mississippi State
35
Houston
42
Mississippi State headed to the largest city in Texas looking to defeat Conference
USA opponent Houston in the renewing of a series over 30 years dormant. The
Bulldogs had their chances, but ended up being felled by the Cougars 42-35.
The Cougars struck on the first play
of the game when Kevin Kolb found
Brandon Middleton for a 74-yard touch-
down strike. Dustin Bell tacked on the
extra point, giving UH a quick 7-0 lead.
Houston put up two more touch-
downs before eight minutes came off
the game clock. Jackie Battle scored on
a seven-yard run at 9:06, and Kolb hit
Vincent Marshall at the 7:42 mark with a
shovel pass that he took in from 13
yards out. Bell put through both PATs,
giving the Cougars a 21-0 lead early.
Late in the second quarter, Houston
would strike again. Taking over at the
UH 49 after Ricky Wilson intercepted a
Kevin Fant pass, Kolb threw his third TD
pass on the second play of the series.
Leonard Gibson hauled in the catch for
a 50-yard reception and UH led 28-0.
State scored before the half expired
when Fant hit Justin Jenkins from 23
yards out. The Dogs' two-point try failed,
leaving the Cougars up 28-6 at halftime.
Both teams scored on their first pos-
session after the half. The Maroon and
White took just four plays to cover 80
yards. Nick Turner got the points with a
7-yard rush. The two-point conversion
pass from Fant to Jenkins was good,
trimming the lead to 28-14. Houston
answered, scoring in four plays as well,
capped by a 20-yard dash by Matt
Schirmer. Bell put through another extra
point, giving Houston a 35-14 lead.
State scored again in the third when
Jenkins caught a 29-yard pass from
Fant. Brent Smith's extra point was true.
On Houston's first drive of the final
period, they hit paydirt again. Kolb again
found Marshall for a 23-yard strike. The
PAT was good, putting Houston up 42-21.
State scored twice late to make
things very interesting, first on a 18-yard
pass from Fant to Antonio Hargro.Then
Turner, after returning a punt 56 yards
to the UH 2, finished off scoring with a
dive from there. But Houston earned
two first downs on the final drive to run
out the clock.
Mississippi State
0 6 15 14 = 35
Houston
21 7 7 7 = 42
UH - Middleton 74 pass from Kolb
(Bell kick), 14:44, 1st
UH - Battle 7 run (Bell kick), 9:06, 1st
UH - Marshall 13 pass from Kolb
(Bell kick), 7:42, 1st
UH - Gibson 50 pass from Kolb
(Bell kick), 3:18, 2nd
MSU - Jenkins 23 pass from Fant
(pass failed), 1:48, 2nd
MSU - Turner 7 run
(Jenkins from Fant good), 13:36, 3rd
UH - Schirmer 20 run (Bell kick), 12:21, 3rd
MSU - Jenkins 29 pass from Fant
(Smith kick), 6:35, 3rd
UH - Marshall 23 pass from Kolb
(Bell kick), 12:37, 4th
MSU - Hargro 18 pass from Fant
(Smith kick), 5:56, 4th
MSU - Turner 2 run (Smith kick), 4:29, 4th
MSU
UH
First Downs
19
24
Rushes-Yards
32-112 49-198
Passing Yards
360
321
Passes (C-A-I)
24-42-5 20-29-0
Total Offense
472
519
Fumbles-Lost
1-1
4-3
Penalties-Yards
8-80
13-94
Time of Possession
29:03
30:57
RUSHING: (MSU) Turner 17-73 2TD,
Norwood 8-37, Reid 3-11, Fant 4-(-9). (UH) Evans
18-89, Battle 13-66 TD, Schirmer 3-29 TD, Tilman
5-13, Kolb 7-7, Moore 1-(-2), Team 2-(-4).
PASSING: (MSU) Fant 24-42-5-360 3TD. (UH)
Kolb 20-29-0-321 4TD.
RECEIVING: (MSU) Jenkins 9-172 2TD, Scott
6-115, Lumpkin 4-41, Norwood 2-9, Turner 2-5,
Hargro 1-18 TD. (UH) Marshall 8-79 2TD,
Middleton 4-124 TD, Gibson 4-75 TD, McCullar 2-
33, Schirmer 1-5, Moore 1-5.
Attendance: 26,233.
GAME NOTES
· The game was the first meeting between the
teams since 1972.
· MSU started a season 0-3 for the first time
since 1968 (based on on-the-field results).
· For the second week in a row, Justin Jenkins
posted career numbers with nine catches for
172 yards and two touchdowns receiving...The
172 yards were the eighth-most in a single
game in MSU history...With his two TDs, he
moved into a tie for third all-time at MSU in
receiving touchdowns.
· Kevin Fant notched new career highs for
completions (24) and passing yardage (360)
while moving into fifth place on State's career
yardage chart and fourth on the TD pass list.
September 27, 2003
Scott Field · Starkville, MS
LSU
41
Mississippi State
6
Returning to Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field for the first time in a month,
Mississippi State faced the seventh-ranked LSU Tigers with hopes of turning around
from their 0-3 start. The Bayou Bengals shattered those thoughts in the second
quarter, scoring twice within a minute before running away with a 41-6 victory.
State started the game strong, forcing a punt on LSU's first possession and driving
the ball to the LSU 14. But the turnover bug bit the Dogs again, as Nick Turner mis-
handled a handoff. LSU's Melvin Oliver recovered to give LSU the ball.
The Tigers got two long plays in before having their first miscue of the game.
Odell Bradley made his first interception as a Bulldog, corralling a Matt Mauck pass
at the State 12 and returning it 14 yards to the MSU 26. The Maroon and White
would not earn a first down and punted to LSU.
LSU put in its first points of the game from there. Shyrone Carey finished an
eight-play, 65-yard drive with a one-yard run with 16 seconds left in the first quarter.
Ryan Gaudet tacked on the PAT, giving LSU the lead 7-0.
LSU scored on its second posses-
sion, taking advantage of a short field
after a partially blocked punt gave them
the ball at the Tiger 42. LSU got down
to the MSU 9 before stalling and calling
for Gaudet to hit a 32-yard field goal,
giving the Tigers a 10-0 lead.
The Bulldogs again would turn the
ball over, this time on an interception.
Jack Hunt returned the pickoff to the
State 1, where Carey rushed in his sec-
ond TD of the game. The PAT was
good, putting LSU up 17-0.
MSU tried to run the two-minute drill
to get some points before the half, but
Travis Daniels would have nothing of it.
He picked off a Kevin Fant pass and
took it back 48 yards for a TD, finishing
off the first half with LSU leading 24-0.
The Tigers' first offensive play of the
second half put six more points on the
board. Mauck found Devery Henderson
for a 36-yard catch. Gaudet hit the
extra point, then scored again with a
37-yard field goal on LSU's next pos-
session to put the Tigers up 34-0.
State put its only points on the board
in the fourth quarter, putting together a
10 play, 92-yard drive. Fant found
Justin Jenkins for a 15-yard score. A
two-point try failed.
LSU finished off the game on their
next drive. Justin Vincent ended the
scoring with a 3-yard run at 5:49 left in
the game. Gaudet put through his last
extra point to give the Tigers a 41-6 win
in Starkville.
LSU
7 17 10 7 = 41
Mississippi State
0 0 0 6 = 34
LSU - Carey 1 run (Gaudet kick), 0:16, 1st
LSU - Gaudet 32 FG, 10:40, 2nd
LSU - Carey 1 run (Gaudet kick), 9:48, 2nd
LSU - Daniels 48 INT return
(Gaudet kick), 0:54, 2nd
LSU - Henderson 36 pass from Mauck
(Gaudet kick), 13:48, 3rd
LSU - Gaudet 37 FG, 9:00, 3rd
MSU - Jenkins 15 pass from Fant
(pass failed), 10:12, 4th
LSU - Vincent 3 run (Gaudet kick), 5:49, 4th
LSU
MSU
First Downs
17
18
Rushes-Yards
35-163
30-31
Passing Yards
191
208
Passes (C-A-I)
14-25-1 21-39-2
Total Offense
354
239
Fumbles-Lost
1-1
3-2
Penalties-Yards
6-66
9-70
Time of Possession
27:06
32:54
RUSHING: (LSU) Vincent 6-58 TD, Carey 13-
50 2TD, Addai 10-25, Green 1-15, Edwards 2-13,
Mauck 1-5, Randall 2-(-3). (MSU) Reid 6-29,
Turner 10-23, Bivines 1-5, Team 1-(-1), Norwood
4-(-11), Fant 8-(-14).
PASSING: (LSU) Mauck 12-19-1-171 TD,
Randall 2-6-0-20. (MSU) Fant 19-30-2-191 TD,
York 2-9-0-17.
RECEIVING: (LSU) Henderson 7-114 TD,
Clayton 3-31, Green 2-28, Bowe 2-18. (MSU)
Bivines 6-53, Jenkins 5-61 TD, Scott 4-40, Davis 2-
16, Conner 1-19, Milons 1-15, Reid 1-2, Jones 1-2.
Attendance: 45,835.
GAME NOTES
· MSU started a season 0-4 for the first time
since 1968 (based on on-the-field results).
· LSU won for the 12th time in the last 13
meetings between the teams.
· Kevin Fant's 19 pass completions moved him
into third place at MSU all-time.
· Justin Jenkins' TD catch moved him into a tie
for second at State all-time in tha category.
