COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri got the victory it wanted, but the Tigers still have a lot of work to do.
"I thought we did pretty well," quarterback Maty Mauk said after the 24th-ranked Tigers defeated South Dakota State 38-18 on Saturday. "We came out fast, and that showed. We scored in a minute and came down and scored after that.
"We just had a lot of inconsistency we have to clean up, and that is stuff we can fix."
Mauk finished with 178 yards and three touchdowns and seemed at ease early, finding receiver Darius White crossing behind the Jackrabbits' defense for a 44-yard touchdown pass just 50 seconds into the game. The Tigers extended their lead to 21-10 by halftime and never trailed against South Dakota State, which fell to 0-7 against FBS teams since moving to Division I in 2004.
The Tigers' 7-0 lead lasted one play thanks to a 75-yard touchdown run by South Dakota State's Zach Zenner, who finished with 103 yards and 2 touchdowns on 17 carries. But Mauk found White again on the third drive, this time for a 39-yard pass in the corner of the end zone behind safety Anthony Sherrils. White finished with 2 receptions for 83 yards and 2 touchdowns.
"Last go-around," said White, a senior who transferred from Texas in 2012. "I feel like I have a lot to prove to people, and I feel like I did a little bit of that today."
Missouri added another score in the first quarter on Russell Hansbrough's 10-yard run that featured a missed tackle and a bit of misdirection. Hansbrough started after backing up Henry Josey last year, finishing with 20 carries for a career-high 126 yards.
"He's got great quickness and explosiveness," Missouri Coach Gary Pinkel said. "Sometimes great athletes make great plays just because they're great athletes, and that's what he did. He made a great play."
Safety Duron Singleton set up the touchdown with his first career interception for Missouri, pulling in Austin Sumner's pass at South Dakota State's 29 and returning it 19 yards. The play marked the 45th consecutive game in which the Tigers forced a turnover, the longest such streak in the country.
Sumner left the game in the first quarter and did not return, giving way to Zach Lujan, who completed 21 of 28 passes for 239 yards with 1 interception.
Coach John Stiegelmeier said Sumner, who holds school records for completions (633), attempts (1,089) and passing yards (7,831), caught his spikes in the turf during a scramble. He walked to the sideline gingerly before being helped to the locker room while placing no pressure on his right foot.
Stiegelmeier said Sumner is expected to miss six to eight weeks.
"He's been a four-year starter, and any time you lose a guy like that -- your team captain and a four-year starter -- it's a huge loss," Lujan said. "At the same time, at any position a guy can go down and the next guy has to step in."
After Justin Syrovatka converted a 39-yard field goal with 3:58 remaining in the first half, the Jackrabbits pulled to within 21-18 on their first drive in the third quarter thanks to a 3-yard touchdown run by Zenner and a subsequent two-point conversion. A 6-0, 220-pound senior, Zenner needs 114 yards to tie Western Illinois' Herb Donaldson for the Missouri Valley Football Conference's career rushing mark at 4,746.
Marcus Murphy extended Missouri's lead to 10 again on the ensuing kickoff, returning it 102 yards for a touchdown and starting a 17-0 run for the Tigers to end the game. Missouri moved to 14-0 all-time against Football Championship Subdivision teams and has won 13 consecutive season openers.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 49,
SOUTHERN MISS 0
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Dak Prescott threw for a career-high 284 yards and four touchdowns, including two to De’Runnya Wilson, and Mississippi State cruised to a victory over Southern Mississippi.
The Bulldogs dominated from the outset, needing nine plays on the opening drive to cruise 87 yards downfield. Prescott ended the drive by finding Wilson for a wide open 25-yard touchdown pass — the first of many offensive highlights.
A few Mississippi State hiccups kept the game close early, but the Bulldogs scored three touchdowns in the second quarter and gained 387 yards in the first half for a 28-0 lead.
Southern Miss struggled in every facet, gaining just 283 total yards and giving up 550. The Golden Eagles’ best chance to score was a 30-yard field goal attempt that was blocked and then returned by MSU’s Jay Hughes for a touchdown.
Mississippi State and Southern Miss played for the first time since 1990. The return of the in-state rivalry was announced five years ago with much fanfare — and the Golden Eagles still lead the all-time series 14-13-1 — but that was when the two programs were much more evenly matched. The Golden Eagles were overmatched for the vast majority of the evening against a Southeastern Conference opponent, especially along the line of scrimmage where Mississippi State’s strength advantage was obvious. Southern Mississippi quarterback Nick Mullens had a rough night, completing just 20 of 42 passes for 212 yards and two interceptions. He rarely had a chance to get comfortable in the pocket, with Mississippi State defensive linemen like Preston Smith and Nelson Adams in his face the entire game.
Mississippi State was able to use its backups by midway through the third quarter after building a 42-0 lead.
Prescott recovered from a sluggish start to complete 18 of 26 passes. Josh Robinson rushed for 87 yards and also caught three passes for 49 yards.
Sports on 08/31/2014