TaxSlayer Bowl 2017: Mississippi State makes Lamar Jackson look mortal: 3 takeaways
By John Buhler
The Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the Louisville Cardinals in the 2017 TaxSlayer Bowl, 31-27. Here are the three biggest takeaways from the bowl game.
We had another fantastic bowl game that set the Saturday slate off perfectly. The 2017 TaxSlayer Bowl went down to the wire, as two mobile quarterbacks duked it out on a chilly day in Jacksonville. It would be the Mississippi State Bulldogs who would knock off the Louisville Cardinals, 31-27.
This game had a ton of rushing touchdowns and so many interceptions. It hung in the balances late in the fourth quarter until Louisville star quarterback Lamar Jackson would be picked off for the fourth time on the day. Hopefully the rest of the Saturday bowl games on Dec. 30 are this good.
Here are the three biggest takeaways from the 2017 TaxSlayer Bowl.
We’re gonna miss Lamar Jackson doing his thing at Louisville
It’s starting to set in, but we as college football fans may have very well seen the last of 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Jackson in a Louisville uniform. The dual-threat signal caller could go pro after his junior season.
Jackson may garner some first-round hype, so it may be in his best interest to take his talents to the NFL. Though he wasn’t brilliant in possibly his final college game, Jackson gave us a little bit of everything we’ve loved watching him do the last three years.
He ran all over the Mississippi State defense. Jackson would escape some of the most certain snaps you’ll ever see. The way he puts that spin on the football, you have to believe somebody is going to take him in the first 32 picks of 2018. Though Jackson could use a bit more refinement, he’s ready for the NFL, even if he didn’t play great in the TaxSlayer Bowl.
Keytaon Thompson looked good in his first career start
This could have been a game where Mississippi State could have mailed it in. In the Egg Bowl vs. rival Ole Miss, the Bulldogs lost its star quarterback Nick Fitzgerald to a season-ending injury. That would be the last game that Dan Mullen would coach Mississippi State.
With freshman quarterback Keytaon Thompson thrust in there for his first career, start he looked great. Competing against a Heisman winner in Jackson might have intimidated many college players, but not Thompson. Though the passing touchdowns weren’t there, he kind of ran the Mississippi State offense like Fitzgerald presumably would have.
Fitzgerald could technically go pro this spring if he wants to. However, he’s probably coming back for his senior season in 2018. That being said, new Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead has to be thrilled with how Thompson played today in relief of Fitzgerald in a big bowl game like the TaxSlayer Bowl.
Mark McLaurin, have yourself a game
The star of the TaxSlayer Bowl was Mississippi State junior defensive back Mark McLaurin. Usually, if you end up with one interception in a game as a defensive back, you had yourself a great day. Well, McLaurin picked off Jackson three times in the biggest game of his life.
He also had 10 tackles, as McLaurin led the defensive charge necessary to beat the high-octane Louisville offense in the TaxSlayer Bowl. Picking Jackson off four times and sacking him on six occasions totally took the wind out of the sails of the Louisville passing game.
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Overall, it was a pleasant surprise to see Mississippi State play this hard for all four quarters in a football game given the transitions that are going on with the program. The Bulldogs ran the ball well, but it was McLaurin and the defense that proved to be the difference in this ball game. He certainly made a name for himself today down in Jacksonville.