Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Alabama-Birmingham Blazers Match Player Stats On Oct 08, 2011

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 8, 2011

Tyler Russell came off the bench to shake Mississippi State from its offensive slumber, throwing three second-half touchdowns as the Bulldogs kept host UAB winless, 21-3, Saturday.

The Bulldogs (3-3) trailed 3-0 and totaled just 118 yards of total offense when Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen benched starter Chris Relf for Russell at halftime.

Russell, a sophomore who had thrown 17 passes in two games this season, completed 11-of-13 passes for 166 yards. His 18-yard touchdown to Marcus Green with 5:35 left in the third quarter completed a seven-play, 89-yard drive and gave the Bulldogs a 7-3 lead.

Russell opened the fourth quarter by finding Chad Bumphis on a 57-yard touchdown and hit Malcolm Johnson on a 20-yard touchdown with 5:03 left.

Vick Ballard rushed for 101 yards on 19 carries. Relf completed 6-of-10 passes for 46 yards before being benched. Jonathan Banks recorded his fourth interception of the season.

UAB (0-5) led at halftime for the first time this season. Ty Long’s 37-yard field goal with nine seconds left in the first half capped a 14-play, 73-yard drive, giving the Blazers a 3-0 advantage at intermission.

Mississippi State came in having lost three of its past four, the only win coming in overtime against Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs return to SEC action next Saturday against No. 14 South Carolina. The schedule turns even tougher in November, as Mississippi State plays No. 3 Alabama and No. 12 Arkansas in back-to-back weeks.

UAB plays two of its next three away from home, starting next Saturday at Tulsa.