September 20, 2001
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) – Andrew Pinnock ran for 97 yards and a touchdown as No. 18 South Carolina beat No. 17 Mississippi State 16-14 on Thursday night in the first Division I-A game football since last week’s terrorist attacks.
Backup quarterback Corey Jenkins ran for 75 yards as the Gamecocks (3-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) played simple smash-mouth football, running for 238 yards on 46 attempts to win their second straight SEC road game. They had just 60 yards passing on 16 attempts.
South Carolina’s defense allowed a touchdown on the opening drive of the game then kept Mississippi State (1-1, 0-1) out of the end zone until the waning seconds of the game.
The Bulldogs dynamic tailback duo of Dontae Walker and Dicenzo Miller was held to a 81 yards rushing on 21 carries.
Before resuming the major-college football season, the teams held an American flag that nearly covered a 20-yard stretch of field as the national anthem was sung and “God Bless America” was played. Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove addressed the crowd before the seven-minute ceremony that included both schools’ bands playing patriotic songs.
“Enjoy the game tonight. Let the world see our resolve,” Musgrove told the near-capacity crowd at 45,672-seat Scott Field.
Bulldogs coach Jackie Sherrill’s daughter, Bonnie, sang “The Star Spangled Banner,” the bands played “God Bless America” and about 30,000 mini flags were handed out to fans. Stadium security was increased by about 60 percent, school officials said. Fans had their bags searched as they entered the stadium, but it only caused slight delays for those filing in.
Jenkins, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound junior college transfer, played just one series, but it turned out to be the decisive one. He entered the game with 7:54 left in the third quarter and the Gamecocks at their own 15.
Darting through the defense on a variety of option keepers and quarterback draws, Jenkins carried 11 times, including a 27-yarder that got South Carolina out of a penalty-induced first-and-30 hole.
The drive stalled at the 11 and Daniel Weaver kicked his third field goal of the night to give South Carolina a 16-7 with 22 seconds left in the third quarter.
Jenkins had carried four times for minus-2 yards and thrown one incomplete pass in South Carolina’s first two games.
Wayne Madkin hit Harold Lindsey with a 7-yard touchdown pass with 37 seconds left to cut the lead to 16-14, but South Carolina recovered the ensuing onside kick.
Mississippi State’s offense showed no rust from a 17-day layoff when it opened the game with a well-balanced 67-yard touchdown drive capped by Walker’s 2-yard dive into the end zone that put the Bulldogs up 7-0.
But South Carolina led 10-7 at half on a 35-yard touchdown run by Pinnock and Weaver’s 35-yard field goal.
