BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Mississippi State’s proud defensive unit played about as well as Bulldog coach Emory Bellard expected during Thursday’s low-scoring Hall of Fame Bowl.
The bulldogs allowed just 206 total yards in their 10-0 blanking of Kansas here at Legion Field.
“The whole defensive unit played extremely well,” said Bellard after his team held Kansas to 35 yards rushing and turned in seven quarterback sack for 56 yards, including three straight by Ernie Barnes for 24 yards.
KU linebacker Kyle McNorton led all defenders with 16 tackles and two State defenders, Glen Collins and Johnie Cooks, had 11 each.
Quarterback John Bond, voted the game’s most valuable player, said the Bulldogs had “our best execution in several weeks and moved the ball, but we just didn’t get it into the end zone as much as we would have like.” Kansas has a very physical team and played a fine game.”
We didn’t ring the bell quite enough,” Bellard said of the offense. But, I though we pretty well dominated the game.”
Cooks received the most valuable defensive player award, but he attributed it to “great team pursuit and breaking down on the football both on rushing and passing plays.”
Other than Bond’s touchdown, the game’s highlight was a punting duel between Kansas’ Bucky Scribner and State’s Dana Moore.
Scribner averaged just over 45 yards a kick, which would have been a Hall of Fame record, except that Moore was better at little over 49 yards a boot.
“I was just hitting the ball well and I guess I kick my best under pressure,” Moore said. “It was a thrill to get off the kicks that I did.”
Two of his punts went for 74 and 62 yards and two others pinned Kansas on its seven-yard line.
