Jo'Quavious Marks, Mississippi State Hold off Tulsa in 2020 Armed Forces Bowl

The Mississippi State Bulldogs ended a disappointing season on a positive note Thursday, as they defeated the No. 24 Tulsa Golden Hurricane 28-26 in the Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. 

In a game that was primarily about defense and the running game, Mississippi State rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns, while averaging 4.6 yards per carry. That marked one of the best rushing performances of the season for head coach Mike Leach's team.

The Bulldogs also scored a 90-yard defensive touchdown on freshman cornerback Emmanuel Forbes' fifth interception and third pick-six of the season, which shifted the momentum in Mississippi State's favor in the third quarter.

With the win, Mississippi State will finish with a record of just 4-7 on the season, while Tulsa fell to 6-3. 

Notable Stats

Will Rogers, QB, MSU: 19/30 for 148 YDS, 1 TD, 0 INT; 5 CAR for -9 YDS, 1 TD

Jo'Quavious Marks, RB, MSU: 11 CAR for 72 YDS, 1 TD; 4 REC for 30 YDS

Dillon Johnson, RB, MSU: 10 CAR for 57 YDS; 2 REC for 13 YDS

Zach Smith, QB, TUL: 26/46 for 347 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT

Corey Taylor II, RB, TUL: 20 CAR for 85 YDS, 1 TD; 1 REC for 5 YDS

Deneric Prince, RB, TUL: 8 CAR for 41 YDS, 1 TD

Keylon Stokes, WR, TUL: 9 REC for 117 YDS, 1 TD

JuanCarlos Santana, WR, TUL: 4 REC for 112 YDS

Running Game, Defense Spur Bulldogs to Victory

After struggling to find its identity for much of the season, Mississippi State discovered a winning formula in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Leach's Air Raid offense is famous for often requiring quarterbacks to throw in excess of 50 times per game, but the Bulldogs had a much different gameplan Thursday.

The weather may have forced Leach's hand in that regard, as it was cold, windy and rainy throughout, as seen in this photo courtesy of the Armed Forces Bowl:

In fact, the weather was so bad that Trey Mongrue of WLBT wondered how much the players and coaches even wanted to be there:

Mississippi State used the weather to its advantage, though, by deploying a rushing attack that was unheralded going into the game.

True freshman Jo'Quavious Marks led the way by averaging 6.5 yards per carry and rushing for the game's first touchdown just 1:19 into the contest.

Ben Portnoy of The Dispatch marveled at what Marks was able to do to the Tulsa defenders throughout Thursday's bowl game:

The Armed Forces Bowl pointed out how often the Mississippi State running game was able to pick up sizable gains on the ground compared to the lack of success it had in terms of big running plays in its first 10 games of the season:

Running back Dillon Johnson was an effective complement to Marks as well, and quarterback Will Rogers even got in the act with a rushing touchdown in the third quarter that gave the Bulldogs a 14-6 lead.

Aside from the running game, Mississippi State benefited from some big plays by its improving defense.

The defense took a bend-but-don't-break approach in the Armed Forces Bowl, as the Golden Hurricane outgained the Bulldogs 484-277, but Mississippi State forced two key turnovers.

The first was a 90-yard pick-six by Forbes, which extended the Mississippi State lead to 21-13 and swung the momentum of the game.

Mississippi State secured a second interception at the goal line with 3:19 remaining when Tulsa was going in to try and cut the Bulldogs' lead to two.

It was far from an ideal season for Leach's squad, but things are looking up, as freshmen played a big role in the win, per Tyler Horka of the Clarion-Ledger:

The Bulldogs also became the first team with a losing record to win a bowl game since they accomplished the same feat in 2016, according to Yahoo Sports:

Mississippi State took its lumps in Leach's first season at the helm, but the team clearly never quit on him, as it won a bowl game despite many suggesting the team didn't deserve to be there.

With so many freshmen contributing to the win, it could be a sign of bigger and better things to come for the Bulldogs in 2021 and beyond.