Mississippi State football turns in bleak performance in Liberty Bowl loss to Texas Tech

MEMPHIS — Late in the third quarter, Mississippi State football had an opportunity to make the AutoZone Liberty Bowl more intriguing — if only by tightening the scoreboard. At that point, the game was already well out of the Bulldogs’ reach.

But on two straight plays, Texas Tech defensive lineman Tyree Wilson burst through the line and wrapped up quarterback Will Rogers. And with both sacks — resulting in a turnover on downs — the last bit of light dropped out of Mississippi State, too.

The Bulldogs (7-6) were without several key players for Tuesday’s 34-7 loss to Texas Tech (7-6) at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, but even those absences couldn’t cover for an otherwise bleak performance.

More:Report card: Mississippi State football earns lots of F's in blowout Liberty Bowl loss

HIGHLIGHTS:Mississippi State football vs. Texas Tech video highlights, game score in Liberty Bowl

MISSING PIECES:Mississippi State football without several key players for Liberty Bowl vs Texas Tech

As Mississippi State’s defense tried to grapple with the rash of absences on its unit, Texas Tech ran again and again. Over the first two drives of the game, the Red Raiders picked up more rushing yards than the Bulldogs had allowed on average across four quarters.

The issues stemmed from several key players missing the game. On top of linebacker Aaron Brule (transferred) and cornerback Martin Emerson (opted out), four starters were unavailable. Three of them were on defense: linemen Jaden Crumedy and Randy Charlton and safety Jalen Green.

The defensive depth was slimmed, too, with several others missing: safety Shawn Preston, defensive lineman Jack Harris, safety Dylan Lawrence, safety Kyle Cass and defensive lineman Aaron Odom.

The offense also had absences. Wide receivers Christian Ford and Malik Heath weren’t available, although their absences weren’t illness-related. Right tackle Scott Lashley, however, wasn’t at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, leaving Mississippi State without both starting tackles (left tackle Charles Cross had opted out earlier).

Despite that thinned-out — and early on, rather porous — defense, that unit solidified itself. After giving up 8.5 yards per play in the first quarter, the Red Raiders managed just 3.3 yards per play in the second quarter.

But even with two consecutive stops from the defense, including a fourth-down stop in Mississippi State territory, the Bulldogs’ offense wound up going three-and-out both times. Those shortcomings were part of an overall poor performance in which Rogers finished with a season-low 290 yards and one interception to go with his lone touchdown.

The seven points were also the fewest Mississippi State has managed this season.

Report card:Mississippi State football earns lots of F's in blowout Liberty Bowl loss

Texas Tech knew to keep running the ball. Against a slimmed defensive front, the Red Raiders picked up 260 rushing yards — about 160 more than the Bulldogs allowed on average this season.

Texas Tech averaged 5.9 yards per carry, and Tahj Brooks led the way with 107 yards and a touchdown. The Red Raiders punched in three touchdowns on the ground overall.