Starkville, Miss. • This time, BYU’s defense had as much to do with the Cougars’ blowout loss as the offense did. Maybe more so.
Mississippi State moved the football almost at will Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium, and took an easy 35-10 win over BYU, handing the Cougars their sixth straight loss.
It is BYU’s first six-game losing streak since 1968, when it eventually lost seven before getting its second victory that year.
The Bulldogs (4-2) had racked up 521 yards of offense through three and a half quarters, and 34 first downs. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 103 yards and two scores before giving way to a backup with 5:47 remaining in the game.
The Cougars (1-6) had just 174 yards and eight first downs heading into the final five minutes of the game.
After giving up a 10-play, 89-yard touchdown drive on MSU’s first possession, the BYU defense came up with a big play to keep the Bulldogs from scoring on their third possession, but wasted Dayan Ghanwoloku’s 67-yard interception return from his own end zone.
Set up at the MSU 33, BYU’s Ula Toluta’u fumbled. The Bulldogs marched 74 yards in eight plays and took a 14-0 lead on Donald Gray’s 9-yard touchdown catch.
The Cougars answered with Rhett Almond’s 38-yard field goal, which came after a 43-yard pass to Aleva Hifo.
The Bulldogs’ third double-digit play scoring drive of the first half made it 21-3 as Fitzgerald romped in from the 14 with 22 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
MSU racked up 302 yards and 20 first downs in the first half on 45 plays, to just 121 yards and four first downs for BYU, on 24 plays.
Fitzgerald’s 14-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter put the Bulldogs ahead 28-3, and the rout was on.
Ghanwoloku had another interception in the second half that set up a 27-yard touchdown pass from Tanner Mangum to Hifo and cut the deficit to 28-10, but the Cougars couldn’t stop MSU from marching down the field again to seal the win.
This story will be updated.