Lideatrick Griffin’s big plays lead Mississippi State over Tulsa in Armed Forces Bowl
Mississippi State scored touchdowns to open both halves and held off a pesky Tulsa team to win the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl 28-26 Thursday.
A limited capacity of 9,000 braved a cold drizzle and 37-degree temperatures at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of TCU.
The weather didn’t seem to hamper the players.
Jo’quavious Marks scored on a 28-yard run on the Bulldogs’ first possession after Lideatrick Griffin’s 53-yard return on the opening kick set Mississippi State up at the Tulsa 39.
Tulsa closed to within 7-6 by halftime on Zack Long’s field goals of 27 and 33 yards.
The Bulldogs opened the second half just like the first, by driving for a quick touchdown. MSU drove 64 yards on nine plays, capped by Will Rogers’ 13-yard scoring run to give the Bulldogs a 14-6 lead.
Tulsa came right back with a drive of its own, however, and pulled to within 14-13 on Deneric Prince’s 14-yard scoring run.
The rain picked up after the half — along with some fog — which helped both teams on the ground. Defensive players struggled to make up for the advantage held by running backs, who could shed potential tacklers with cuts on the wet turf.
Griffin took advantage of the slick turf and a wall of blockers to return the ensuing kick 44 yards to again set up MSU in Tulsa territory. At first, it appeared Griffin returned the kick for a touchdown but officials determined he stepped out of bounds at the Tulsa 39.
“You want yards any way you can get them, MSU coach Mike Leach said. “Offensively, we didn’t get a lot of yards, but we had short fields and turnovers. We didn’t have as many tries, but it was for good reasons. I did think that we went three and out too much today. Tulu has done some good things that way for sure. I would have liked to see him get credit for the (one called back).”
But the drive fizzled as Tulsa’s defense stuffed Dillon Johnson for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-3. A few moments later, however, Emmanuel Forbes stepped in front of a long Zack Smith pass downfield and returned it 90 yards after cutting back toward the middle of the field for a touchdown and 21-13 lead. It’s the longest interception return in Armed Forces Bowl history.
Tulsa took advantage of a shanked MSU punt, which Sherman Tibbs caught at the Bulldogs’ 32. Cory Taylor II capped a nine-play drive with a 5-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Tulsa failed on a two-point conversion pass attempt and trailed 21-19.
Griffin’s 13-yard touchdown catch from Rogers with 8:01 remaining put MSU up 28-19 and cemented Griffin as the game’s MVP.
He finished with a game-high 155 all-purpose yards, including 138 on kick returns, and a touchdown. Taylor led Tulsa with 85 yards rushing on 20 carries. Smith threw for 347 yards on 26 of 46 passing with a touchdown and two interceptions.
“More than anything I just wanted to leave on a good note,” said Taylor, who is leaving for the NFL with one year of eligibility remaining. “I’m happy I got to help contribute to our team playing a physical game.”
Tulsa was threatening with the ball on the MSU 6 with just over three minutes remaining but Tyrus Wheat intercepted Smith at the 3-yard line to preserve the nine-point lead.
The Golden Hurricane kept coming, though. Smith hit Keylon Stokes in the back of the end zone for a score to pull Tulsa to within 28-26 with 1:23 remaining.
MSU recovered Tulsa’s onside kick attempt to ice the win.
This story was originally published December 31, 2020 at 3:10 PM.
