No. 15 Tennessee rallies to force OT and beat Mississippi State 41-34

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Joey Aguilar forced overtime with a 6-yard touchdown run with 1:55 left and DeSean Bishop scored on a 25-yard run on the first play of the extra session in No. 15 Tennessee’s 41-34 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday.

The Volunteers (4-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) trailed 34-27 after Zakari Tillman’s interception and Seydou Traore’s 2-yard scoring run with 7:59 remaining.

Tennessee tied it n a 13-play, 75-yard drive. After Bishop scored in OT, the Vols stopped the Bulldogs (4-1, 0-1) on downs inside the 5.

“At the end of the day, it was a win for the good guys,” Vols coach Josh Heupel said. “A lot to clean up, but a good road win against a good football team.

Held down for the better part of three quarters, the Vols finished with 466 yards of total offense. Aguilar was 24 of 40 for 335 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

“(Aguilar’s poise) showed up at the end of the game,” Heupel said. “There are some things that he’d love to have back in the third quarter, but the fact that he just kept competing is a positive sign and one of the things that we love about him.”

Mike Matthews had six catches for 118 yards for Tennessee, and Chris Brazzell II added six receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. Bishop carried 11 times for 72 yards.

Tennessee sacked Blake Shapen five times and had 11 tackles for loss while turning in two defensive touchdowns on an interception and fumble return.

“They had sacks and there were other times where it was just pressure, and it affected Blake. They did a good job,” Bulldogs coach Jeff Lebby said. “We’ve got to play better and smarter. We’ve got guys that are good enough to do it and we’ve got to go do it.”

For the Bulldogs , it was a solid offensive output as Shapen was 18 of 29 for 180 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Fluff Bothwell’s ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.

Tennessee was held to around 3 yards per carry until Bishop’s run and the Bulldogs outgained the Vols on the ground, 198-131.

Mississippi State lost starting right tackle Albert Reese and All-SEC safety Isaac Smith and Brylan Lanier with injuries during the game and neither of the three returned to action.

Tennessee: Facing what felt like a must-win situation after losing two weeks ago against Georgia, the Vols stayed alive for playoff consideration.

Mississippi State: Missed a chance to get to 5-0 with two wins over top 15 teams.

Tennessee: Hosts Arkansas on Oct. 11.

Mississippi State: At Texas A&M on Oct. 4.

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