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Mississippi State

Inside the numbers: Mississippi State-Tennessee halftime stats

Paul Jones Mississippi State Bulldogsby: Paul Jones09/27/25PaulJonesOn3
Xavier Gayten5
Mississippi State running back Xavier Gayten (22) recovers a muffed punt during a college football game between Tennessee and Mississippi State at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss., on Sept. 27, 2025.

Mississippi State and No. 15 Tennessee have reached halftime at Davis Wade Stadium and the Bulldogs and Vols are tied at 17-17.

Mississippi State took advantage of the game’s first turnover after Tennessee muffed a punt, which was recovered by State’s Xavier Gayten at the Tennessee 20. Fluff Bothwell cashed in on the miscue with a five-yard touchdown run and the Bulldogs led 7-0 with 11:49 remaining in the opening period.

Tennessee started fast on its first possession and needed only four plays to reach the red zone. But State’s defense stiffened and the Vols had to settle for a 38-yard field goal from Max Gilbert, cutting the State lead to 7-3 with 9:19 left in the first.

State’s turnover would also lead to Tennessee’s first touchdown of the day later in the quarter. Colton Hood returned a Blake Shapen pass for a 24-yard pick six and the Volunteers took a 10-7 lead with 4:19 left in the opening quarter.

The Bulldogs quickly responded to open the second quarter and reeled off a 75-yard drive, mostly on the ground. Davon Booth capped off the 15-play drive with a five-yard scoring run as State regained the lead at 14-10 with 13:53 left in the half.

Mississippi State increased its lead to 17-10 when Kyle Ferrie drilled a 51-yard field goal with 8:41 remaining in the first half.

The Volunteers didn’t take long to find an answer thanks to a couple of big catches by Chris Brazzell. Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar found Brazzell for a 15-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 17-17 with 7:25 remaining in the opening half.

Tennessee had the chance to take a lead late in the first half but Gilbert misfired on a 47-yard field goal attempt and the game remained tied at halftime.

In the first half, State had 193 yards of offense with 122 yards on the ground. The Bulldogs had four penalties for 51 yards and were 5 of 11 on third down. State also held the ball for 18:10 of the opening half.

Tennessee had 219 yards of offense in the first half with 181 coming through the air. The Vols had two penalties for 10 yards and were just 1 of 6 on third down. The Vols held the ball for 11:50 of the first half.

Individually, Shapen was 9 of 16 passing for 71 yards with one interception and Brenen Thompson had three catches for 33 yards. Bothwell led the ground game for State with 11 carries for 91 yards and one touchdown.

For Tennessee, Aguilar was 11 of 18 passing for 181 yards with one touchdown. DeSean Bishop led the Vols on the ground with three rushes for 18 yards while Brazzell led all receivers with four catches for 83 yards and a touchdown.

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