Michael Van Buren ran for two touchdowns and passed for another as Mississippi State ended a seven-game losing streak by beating visiting UMass 45-20 Saturday in Starkville, Miss.
Van Buren completed 14 of 25 passes for 222 yards in the win.
Mississippi State (2-7) trailed 10-0 after one quarter, but led 21-10 at halftime and 35-10 entering the fourth. The Bulldogs won for the first time since they opened the season by beating Eastern Kentucky 56-7.
UMass (2-7) used three quarterbacks in the loss. Starter Taisun Phommachanh appeared to get shaken up after taking a hit late in the first half and did not play in the final two quarters. Ahmad Haston and AJ Hairston each took snaps in the second half.
UMass led 10-0 thanks to Brandon Campbell’s 3-yard touchdown run with 7:23 remaining in the first quarter and Jacob Lurie’s 24-yard field goal with 1:13 left in the quarter.
Mississippi State erased its 10-point deficit by scoring 21 points in the second quarter. After Van Buren’s 4-yard TD run 33 seconds into the second got Mississippi State on the scoreboard, the Bulldogs took a 14-10 lead on tight end Seydou Traore’s 19-yard TD catch with 9:05 left in the quarter, and led 21-10 after Van Buren’s 2-yard scoring run with 1:56 to play in the first half.
Mississippi State stretched its lead to 25 points by scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter. Johnnie Daniels (six carries, 92 yards) scored on a 36-yard run with 11:11 left in the third, and Davon Booth added a 30-yard run with 3:25 remaining in the quarter.
Lurie kicked a 35-yard field goal to trim Mississippi State’s lead to 35-13 with 12:05 to play, but Kyle Ferrie’s 24-yard field goal made it 38-13 with 10:17 remaining in the game.
Mississippi State’s Xavier Gayten scored on a 72-yard TD run with 6:51 left in the fourth before UMass wrapped up the scoring on a 4-yard TD pass from Hairston to Jakobie Keeney-James with 17 seconds to play.
UMass was penalized nine times for 99 yards.
–Field Level Media
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