Rogers throws 5 TDs as Mississippi St. routs Tennessee St.

Updated Nov. 20, 2021 3:40 p.m. ET

Associated Press

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Will Rogers threw for 391 yards and tossed five touchdown passes as Mississippi State routed Tennessee State 55-10 in a non-conference game on Saturday.

The sophomore quarterback came off a six-touchdown, no-interception performance last week against Auburn to break Dak Prescott’s single-season school records for passing touchdowns and passing yards in the first quarter.

Rogers completed three touchdown passes of 30 yards or more and threw for 300 yards or more for an FBS-best ninth straight game.

Austin Williams caught three scoring passes for Mississippi State (7-4, 4-3 SEC), while Makai Polk and Malik Heath had a touchdown grab apiece. Jo’quavious Marks and Dillon Johnson each rushed for a touchdown for the Bulldogs.

Mississippi State has won four of its past five games since a 49-9 loss to Alabama on Oct. 16. The Bulldogs picked up ranked wins over Kentucky and Auburn during that stretch.

Mississippi State’s defense held Tennessee State (5-6, 3-3 Ohio Valley) to just 205 total yards in its first game against an FCS opponent this season. The Tigers did not score until the fourth quarter.

THE TAKEAWAY

Tennessee State: The Tigers couldn’t get anything going on offense for much of their season finale. They got on the scoreboard with a 43-yard field goal by James Lowery in the fourth quarter after being shut out for more than 48 minutes. Micheal Mitchell added a 5-yard touchdown run with 3:03 left

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs await a Thanksgiving Day matchup with No. 10 Ole Miss to wrap up the regular season. They proved to be in good shape Saturday, not missing a beat against the Tigers. Mississippi State averaged 9.8 yards per play to Tennessee State’s 3.4.

UP NEXT

Tennessee State’s season is over.

Mississippi State will host Ole Miss on Thursday for the Golden Egg Trophy.

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