2003 GAME RECAPS
October 4, 2003
Davis Wade Stadium · Starkville, MS
Vanderbilt
21
Mississippi State
30
On a gorgeous fall afternoon, Mississippi State took on the only team to have a
longer conference losing streak than itself, the Vanderbilt Commodores. While both
squads looked to snap the losing spell, the `Dogs broke through with a 30-21 win
over the visitors from Nashville.
MSU started off strong, forcing the `Dores to punt from their own 5. A short punt
gave State excellent field position that they turned into the first score of the game.
Jerious Norwood dominated the drive, rushing four times for 19 yards and capping
the march with a 5-yard TD run. Brent Smith put through the PAT to give the
Bulldogs a 7-0 advantage.
On State's second possession, Norwood did more good work, breaking free for
runs of 20 and 19 yards on consecutive plays. Justin Jenkins finished the drive with
a 15-yard reception from Kevin Fant for
MSU's second score. Smith split the
uprights again for a 14-0 MSU lead.
Early in the second quarter, Vandy
cut the lead in half when Jay Cutler hit
Chris Young for a 33-yard score. Tolga
Ertugrul hit the extra point.
Before the end of the first half, State
drove to the Vandy 5 before a penalty
pushed them back. Brent Smith took that
opportunity to hit a 34-yard field goal to
put MSU up 17-7 going into halftime.
On their first drive of the second half,
Vandy pulled to within three of State.
Norval McKenzie ran for two yards and
the score. The PAT kick was good, cut-
ting the Bulldogs advantage to 17-14.
State's next drive resulted in three
points when Smith hit a 45-yard field
goal, putting the Dogs up 20-14.
With things still tight, MSU's Odell
Bradley made a key play in the game
late in the third quarter, intercepting a
Cutler pass and taking it 42 yards to the
Vandy 5. Fant took it in from there on
the next play. Smith hit the PAT to give
the Dogs a 27-14 lead.
Vanderbilt put one more scare into
MSU fans, scoring with 9:07 left in the
game. Cutler threw his second TD pass,
this one to Erik Davis from 24 yards out.
Ertugrul's extra point brought the
Commodores within six points.
But State responded on the ensuing-
drive, getting in range for Smith to hit a
47-yard field goal, his third three-pointer
of the day. State led 30-21.
Vandy tried to answer, but Tommy
Kelly forced Cutler to fumble. Jason
Clark pounced on it to end the VU drive.
State ended its nine-game SEC losing
streak with a 30-21 victory.
Vanderbilt
0 7 7 7 = 21
Mississippi State
14 3 10 3 = 30
MSU - Norwood 5 run (Smith kick), 10:50, 1st
MSU - Jenkins 15 pass from Fant
(Smith kick), 1:40, 1st
VU - Young 33 pass from Cutler
(Ertugrul kick), 13:39, 2nd
MSU - Smith 34 FG, 3:10, 2nd
VU - McKinzie 2 run (Ertugrul kick), 8:02, 3rd
MSU - Smith 45 FG, 3:08, 3rd
MSU - Fant 5 run (Smith kick), 1:32, 3rd
VU - Davis 24 pass from Cutler
(Ertugrul kick), 9:07, 4th
MSU - Smith 47 FG, 5:43, 4th
VU
MSU
First Downs
26
22
Rushes-Yards
39-95 44-203
Passing Yards
295
215
Passes (C-A-I)
22-35-1 18-30-1
Total Offense
390
418
Fumbles-Lost
3-2
1-1
Penalties-Yards
3-9 11-112
Time of Possession
28:19
31:41
RUSHING: (VU) McKinzie 17-89 TD, Doster 9-
50, Tant 2-2, Cutler 11-(-46). (MSU) Norwood 22-
116 TD, Turner 12-90, Milons 1-23, Reid 2-3, Team
3-(-4), Fant 4-(-22) TD.
PASSING: (VU) Cutler 22-35-1-295 2TD. (MSU)
Fant 18-30-2-215 TD.
RECEIVING: (VU) Smith 9-124, Davis 3-44 TD,
Young 2-31 TD, McKenzie 2-12, Doster 2-12,
Getter 1-33, Tant 1-24, Lea 1-10, White 1-5. (MSU)
Jenkins 8-118 TD, Lumpkin 4-46, Milons 4-33,
Scott 1-18, Turner 1-0.
Attendance: 40,156.
GAME NOTES
· With the win, MSU broke a nine-game losing
streak overall as well as a nine-game skid in
SEC contests.
· State has now won 10 of the last 12 meetings
with the Commodores.
· With his touchdown catch in the game, Justin
Jenkins moved into sole possession of second
place on MSU's career TD reception list.
· In his first career start, Jerious Norwood posted
his second-best rushing output ever with 113
yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
On homecoming weekend in Starkville, Mississippi State looked to down a team
that always gives the `Dogs trouble, the Memphis Tigers. The home crowd went
home happy as MSU held off a late Tiger surge for a 35-27 win.
State scored on their second drive, covering 80 yards. Kevin Fant found Aaron
Lumpkin for a 1-yard TD pass, the first score of the tight end's career. Brent Smith
made the PAT, giving MSU a 7-0 lead.
Memphis answered quickly, scoring
1:29 later on Darron White's 40-yard
scamper. Stephen Gostkowski made
the PAT.
State answered as time expired in the
first quarter. Fant again found Lumpkin,
this time for a 17-yard score. Smith's kick
put MSU up 14-0.
But the Tigers scored just 38 sec-
onds into the second period on a White
13-yard run.
Fred Reid then put MSU up for good.
The Tampa junior took Gostkowski's
kick at the goal line and weaved his
way 100 yards for a score. Smith's PAT
gave MSU a 21-14 advantage just 1:15
into the second quarter.
UM scored again when Gostkowski
hit his first field goal of the game. The
32-yard shot cut the lead to 21-17.
MSU answered again before halftime,
covering 83 yards in eight plays, and
closing out the drive with a Nick Turner
19-yard run. State led 28-17 at the half.
MSU benefitted from a bad Tiger
snap towards the end of the third quar-
ter. Punter Brandon Roberson had the
ball bounce back to him. He scooped it
up but got nowhere, giving MSU a first-
and-goal chance on the UM 4. Turner
finally made it in from a yard out, putting
MSU up 35-17.
Memphis answered in short order
again, going 84 yards in six plays. Danny
Wimprine found Tavarious Davis for a 4-
yard TD pass, cutting the lead to 35-24.
Gostkowski put through his second
field goal of the game at 11:34 in the
fourth, to get UM within one possession
at 35-27. But when the Tigers threat-
ened to score late, State's Slovakia
Griffith sacked Wimprine on third-and-
goal to push Memphis back. Jeramie
Johnson then broke up the fourth down
pass try to end the drive. Kevin Dockery
ended the last UM threat with an inter-
ception to preserve the victory.
Memphis
7 10 7 3 = 27
Mississippi State
14 14 7 0 = 35
MSU - Lumpkin 1 pass from Fant
(Smith kick), 4:50, 1st
MEM - White 40 run
(Gostkowski kick), 3:21, 1st
MSU - Lumpkin 16 pass from Fant
(Smith kick), 0:00, 1st
MEM - White 13 run
(Gostkowski kick), 14:11, 2nd
MSU - Reid 100 kickoff return
(Smith kick), 13:45, 2nd
MEM - Gostkowski 32 FG, 2:58, 2nd
MSU - Turner 19 run (Smith kick), 0:07, 2nd
MSU - Turner 1 run (Smith kick), 2:40, 3rd
MEM - Davis 4 pass from Wimprine
(Gostkowski kick), 0:21, 3rd
MEM - Gostkowski 27 FG, 11:34, 4th
MEM
MSU
First Downs
29
18
Rushes-Yards
28-170 37-136
Passing Yards
398
245
Passes (C-A-I)
32-61-2 16-34-1
Total Offense
568
381
Fumbles-Lost
2-0
0-0
Penalties-Yards
5-21 13-132
Time of Possession
27:58
32:02
RUSHING: (MEM) Williams 15-119, White 3-
58 2TD, Parquet 4-16, Avery 1-0, Team 1-(-2),
Roberson 1-(-6), Wimprine 3-(-15). (MSU)
Norwood 22-86, Turner 6-26 2TD, Reid 1-25,
Davis 1-4, Jones 1-3, Team 1-(-2), Fant 5-(-5).
PASSING: (MEM) Wimprine 23-60-2-398 TD,
Roberson 0-1-0-0 (MSU) Fant 16-34-1-245 2TD.
RECEIVING: (MEM) White 10-102, Garcia 4-
104, Williams 4-40, Avery 3-54, Price 3-46, Davis
3-25 TD, Scott 3-24, Pratcher 1-7, Doucette 1-(-4).
(MSU) Bivines 4-60, Jones 3-55, Jenkins 3-42,
Conner 2-34, Lumpkin 2-17 2TD, Scott 1-37,
Turner 1-0.
Attendance: 45,329.
GAME NOTES
· State extended its current win streak over
Memphis to 10 games, the third-longest over a
single opponent in school history.
· With his two TD passes, Kevin Fant moved into
a tie for third all-time at MSU with 31.
· With his three receptions in the game, Justin
Jenkins moved into fifth place on MSU's career
reception list with 117 catches.
· Fred Reid's 100-yard kickoff return in the
second quarter tied for the longest in school
history, matching Glen Young's jaunt in 1980.
· Aaron Lumpkin's two TD catches were the first
scores of his career.
October 11, 2003
Davis Wade Stadium · Starkville, MS
Memphis
27
Mississippi State
35
