Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 40

6D The CUrion-tedRefKkson Daily News Sunday, Ot tutor h. 1SBS MISSISSIPPI STATE i Cosby's last-play heroics so sweet to Bulldog hearts IV i. VJ Fir 7 Billy Watkins Sports Writer Jackson Daily News STARKVILLE They were down 14-0 before you could say "Boo, Emory." They were down 28-14 entering the final quarter. But thanks to some late-game heroics, not the least of which was Artie Cosby's 54-yard field goal as time ran out, the Mississippi State Bulldogs pulled out a big, big victory here Saturday night 31-28 over Memphis State. How big? Hey, folks.

State is 4-1. Just like in 1981 and 1965. Bowl years. "That's what you call getting it done," said a composed Bulldog coach Emory Bellard. "but very definitely the hard way." This is a man who must have died a thousand deaths in the first half as he watched his team play miserable, heads-down football.

Examples: The Tigers blocked a punt midway of the first quarter and turned it into a 14-point lead. Bulldog quarterback Don Smith was running, in Bel-lard's words, "clean as a whistle" down the sideline for a touchdown and simply dropped the football. Memphis State's Bill Moody and Terry Douglas, a pair of freshman running backs who had combined for a total of 120 yards on 25 carries, carried for a total 77 on 19 carries in the first two quarters and looked like clones of Walter Payton, thanks to a whole bunch of arm tackling. But the Bulldogs survived. After a disappointing loss to Florida a week ago, this game was most definitely a fork in the road for the Bulldogs.

Down the road or down the tubes, which would it be? "We knew it," said State senior safety R.J. McKenna. "In fact, we got together twice today before the game and talked about it." One of the meetings was extremely emotional. Aaron Pearson, the senior linebacker, did the talking. i "I told them that Coach Bellard looked down," said Pear-; son, one foot propped on a folding chair, his eyes glued to the I carpet of the locker room.

"And I told them about last year, when (Bellard) cried on the bus back when we lost to Memphis State last year. "Everybody committed right then to go out and play their hearts out." Later, the Bulldogs learned some bad news. The father of Melvin Robertson, the defensive coordinator, had passed away Friday night. "That really put the fire in us," he said. Pearson closed his eyes.

Words wouldn't come without tears. "A very emotional win," he said quietly. And now for the heroes. Tommy Armstrong is a 5-foot-ll, 195-pound sophomore defensive back from Gulfport who plays only on special teams. Last spring, he developed the uncanny ability to block punts.

"Some people can judge fly balls, some people can block punts," said Bellard. Armstrong may not be much on popups to centerfield, but he sure as heck can stick his nose on a punt. He was sneaky about it late in the fourth quarter. Armstrong hid behind one of his teammates until the Memphis State linemen had pointed out the men they would block. "Then I slipped through," he said.

Armstrong blocked the punt at the Memphis State 27 with 5:43 to play, setting up the Bulldogs' tying score. "I'll never forget Coach Bellard's words one day last spring," said Armstrong, with the spotlight shining on him for the first time. "He came up to me and said, 'One day, your ability to block a punt is gonna win a game for I'll never, ever forget that." But he biggest slap on the back goes to Cosby, who kept the Tie-gers from suffering their third tie in five games this season. Give Tiger coach Rey Dempsey credit. Facing fourth-and-24 at his 37 wth 12 seconds left, Dempsey went for the win.

But when the fourth-down pass bounced incomplete, Cosby had his chance. "I knew it was gonna be at least 53 yards," Cosby said, "I didn't look. I knew I had the leg for it. I just said I was gonna kick the crud out of the ball." Which he did. The kick sailed a little right, but it slid just inside the right upright.

Cosby, tossing the game ball in the air post-game, said to no one in particular, "Man, this one is sweet." And with Kentucky and Tulane up next, and a legitimate chance to be 6-1 when they travel to Auburn, you understand just how sweet this one was to the Bulldogs. News CHRIS TODD The Clarion-Ledger Jackson Daily State's Michael Simmons, 96, Bruce Plummer, 4, celebrate after a turnover. STATISTICS! Dogs MISS. STATE 3 1 MEMPHIS STATE 28 TheSUte Game Memp MSU First downs 14 16 Rushes-yards 45-89 44-209 Passing yards 135 172 Return yards 115 20 Passes 9-31-1 9-28-2 Punts Fumbles-lost 2-1 2-0 Penalties-yards 15-136 11-95 Time of possession 31:09 28:51 Memphis State 14 0 14 0 28 Miss. State 7 7 0 17 3 1 10585 1 2 3 4- Memphis 14 014 0-28 Miss.

State 7 7 017-31 First quarter appeared mentally in the game's first 10 minutes. Memphis State took the opening kickoff and drove 80 yards in 9 plays to score, with Sparkman hitting Harris from 12 yards out in the end zone's right corner. Following the kickoff State ran three plays and punted sort of, anyway. Linebacker Be-vin Carpenter blocked Robert Smith's punt and Nico Perkins recovered at the Bulldogs 2-yard line. A holding penalty, one of 13 penalties against the Tigers in the first half, moved the ball back to the 12.

No problem. Roll the instant replay. Harris ran the same pattern that worked so well minutes earlier, a corner route. Only difference was, this time he was more wide open than the first time. Sparkman lofted the ball into the corner and Harris ran under it for his third touchdown of the season.

With 8:29 left in the first quarter, Memphis State led 14-0. Mississippi State moved from its 20 to the Memphis 34 where Cosby missed a 51-yard field goal attempt. But on Mississippi State's next possession, McKelphin took a screen pass from Smith and went 60 yards for a touchdown. Two possessions later, McKelphin ran 18 yards for a touchdown. Cosby's PAT made it 14-14.

With 11:46 left in the half, the Bulldogs were back in the game. downs. Memphis State had one last shot. With 12 seconds remaining, on fourth-and-24 from his own 37, Danny' Sparkman threw incomplete. "I just decided we should try to win it," said Dempsey of why he didn't opt to punt the ball away.

"We tried to get the ball in field goal position." The plan backfired. Mississippi State got the position. With 5 seconds remaining, Cosby, the school's career kick-scoring leader, took the field. Kevin Walker snapped, Michael Harper held and Cosby boomed the longest field goal of his career. "That's what you dream of," said Cosby, who missed a 51-yarder earlier.

"I'm just glad Bellard gave me the shot. It's the best feeling in the world, to be honest with you." Cosby was shaking in the dressing room. "I'm more nervous now than I was out there," he said. "I was a lot calmer out there. I just relaxed.

I said, 'Artie, if you make it, it's great. If you miss it, it's a long field goal, don't worry about Afterwards, no one was worrying. But in the beginning, a lot of Bulldog fans had to be wondering. This one did not begin with a Mississippi State flavor. The pancakes Bellard had for his pre-game breakfast weren't as flat as his team Bulldogs, from ID The Bulldogs went for a two-point conversion, but Smith's pass was incomplete.

Still, they had climbed within eight points with 9 minutes, 12 seconds to play. "Their long TD (to Clark) was what did it," said Memphis State's Dempsey. Three minutes later, the Bulldogs blocked a punt of their own. Tommy Armstrong had the honors and Varner Rencher made the recovery. With 5:43 remaining, the Bulldogs had first-and-10 at the Memphis State 27.

A 16-yard swing pass to Calvin Robinson put the Bulldogs inside the 10. Two players later, Smith kept around left end for a 4-yard TD. He liked the play so well he tried it again on the conversion attempt. It worked again, forging a 28-28 tie. "We knew we had to stick the ball in the end zone," said Smith, who carried 26 times for 149 yards and completed 9 of 26 passes for 172 more.

"We knuckled down some that's what you call a gut check." More "gut checks" followed. Each team had two more possessions. On Memphis State's first, Don Closson's 54-yard field goal attempt came up short. Mississippi State then gave the ball back on Just 6 minutes, 31 seconds into the game, Memphis State emoyed a 14-0 lead. The Tigers took the opening kickoff and drove 80 yards in 10 plays a 14-yard pass from Danny Sparkman to Jerry Harris got the touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.

Moments later, after Bevin Carpenter blocked a Bulldog punt, Sparkman again passed to Harris for a 12-yard touchdown. Three plays later, Mississippi State had a chance to tie it when quarterback Don Smith broke free down the right sideline, but 46 yards into his run, he simply dropped the ball at the Memphis State 34 without anyone touching him. The Bulldogs did manage a touchdown on their next possession on a 60-yard screen pass to tailback Marvell McKelphin with 2:16 left. Memp J. Harris 14 pass from Sparkman "(Glosson kick).

Memp J. Harris 12 pass from Spark-- man (Glosson kick). Miss St. McKelphin 60 pass from D. I Smith (Cosby kick).

Miss St. McKelphin 18 run (Cosby I kick). Memp E. Jackson 6 pass from Spark-J man (Glosson kick). i Memp Fairs blocked punt recovery in end zone (Glosson kick).

Miss St. Clark 58 pass from D. Smith (pass failed). 5 Miss St. D.

Smith 3 run (Smith run). Miss St. Cosby 54 FG. A 26,012. INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS MEMPHIS STATE Second quarter The Bulldogs finally drew even, 14-14, with 1 1:46 left on an 18-yard TD run by Marvell McKelphin.

Neither team did much the rest of the quarter. Memphis State had one scoring threat that ended when R.J. McKenna blocked a 47-yard field goal attempt. Rushing No. Net TD Long Moody 14 52 0 12 i Douglas 12 34 0 13 Sparkman 10 -27 0 12 'Hayes 4 21 0 15 'Belongy 2 3 0 5 Holmes 2 5 0 6 Brown 110 1 Third quarter Passing Memphis State took advantage of two Bulldog errors to take a 28-14 lead.

Following Eric Fairs' interception of a Smith pass at the Bulldog 38, Memphis State scored in six plays. Sparkman passed 6 yards to Enis Jackson for the touchdown to make it 21-14 with 10:51 left. A little more than a minute later, reserve freshman linebcker Clarence Haver blocked another Bulldog punt and Fairs recovered for a touchdown. Mississippi State never threatened. Jill Fourth quarter Att.

Cp. Int. Yds. TD Long Sparkman 28 9 1 135 3 33 Belongy 3 0 0 0 0 0 Receiving No. Yds.

TD Long E.Jackson 4 49 1 21 Moody 2 44 0 33 J.Harris 2 26 2 14 Lovelady 1 16 0 16 Returns-yards Punts KOs Int. J.Harris 6-44 3-52 0-0 Carpenter 1-23 0-0 0-0 Hennelly 0-0 1-0 0-0 Brandon 0-0 0-0 1-15 Hunt 0-0 0-0 1-11 MISSISSIPPI STATE Rushing For the third time in four games, the final period belonged to the Bulldogs. They pulled within 28-20 with 9: 12 remaining when Smith passed 58 yards to tight end Louis Clark for a touchdown. Smith's pass intended for halfback Jeff Patton was no good on the try for two. After Tommy Armstrong blocked a punt at the Tiger 27 with 5:43 left, the Bulldogs tied the game when Smith scored on a 3-yard keeper left, then added the two-point conversion on another 3-yard keeper right.

The winning points came when a last-ditch pass by Memphis State on fourth-and-24 from its 37 fell incomplete with 5 seconds left, leaving Bulldog Artie Cosby a 54-yard field goal try. He made it with room to spare as time ran out. No. Net TD Long Quotes Memphis State coach Rey Dempsey (on Bulldog quarterback Don Smith): "He's just as good as i thought before the game, and to think we had two weeks to prepare for that guy. I give him all the credit." Mississippi State coach Emory Bellard: "I'm awfully proud of these guys.

I'm just trying to find a way to express it right now." Dempsey again: "We might not have a good record, but we're playing like a good football team." Notes Smith 26 149 1 46 McKelphin 12 45 1 18 Patton 3 9 0 5 Robinson 110 1 Lundie 11 0 1 Phillips 14 0 4 Passing Att. Cp. Int. Yds. TD Long Smith 26 9 1 172 2 60 Lundie 1 0 0 0 0 0 McKelphin 10 1 0 0 0 Receiving No.

Yds. TD Long McKelphin 3 56 1 60 Patton 2 17 0 10 Bloodworth 1 13 0 13 Rogers 1 12 0 12 Clark 1 58 1 58 Robinson 1 17 0 17 Punting No. Yds. Avg. Long R.Smith 7 238 34.0 43 Team 2 0 0 0 Returns-yards Punts KOs Int.

Lundie 22 0-0 0-0 Jackson 0-0 0-0 1-0 Moore 0-0 3-37 0-0 Myers 0-0 1-13 0-0 i State senior free safety R.J. McKenna was ejected from the game in the third quarter for bumping into a referee while picking up a teammate's helmet. Running back Rodney Peters and defensive back Wayne Banks, who left school without permission from State coach Emory Bellard early last week, have returned but their playing status is unknown. Memphis State tied a school record in the first half for number of penalties in a game 13 for 116 yards. Next game Jt JU Mm Mississippi State plays next Saturday night at Kentucky, which beat Clemson 26-7 Saturday.

Memphis State will be host to Tulane, which lost to Vanderbilt CHRIS TODDTheClarion-Ledger Jackson Daily News Mississippi State coach Emory Bellard and split end Eric Poore, left, talk strategy on sidelines..