Four takeaways from Mississippi State’s 17-16 win over Miami (Ohio) in Monday’s St. Petersburg Bowl.
Both teams finished 6-7.
Special teams were special
Mississippi State escaped with the victory in large part because of its special teams. The Bulldogs blocked an extra point after a Miami TD midway through the second quarter, and senior DT Nelson Adams blocked an attempted 37-yard field goal with five seconds left that sealed the win. Westin Graves hit a 36-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to give the Bulldogs 17-16 advantage, which was their first lead of the day.