Starkville- Mississippi State started off its 2022 campaign on the right foot with a 49-23 over Memphis.

It was a much better start than last year's season opener where the Bulldogs had to mount an 18-point comeback to top Louisiana Tech, and they got their revenge on Memphis after last season's controversial loss.

Sophomore wide receiver Rara Thomas got things started for State offensively accounting for 42 yards on the opening drive. He capped it off with a 23-yard touchdown as Will Rogers hit him on a slant route leading to some broken tackles and impressive footwork.

Mississippi State only found the endzone on its opening drive twice last season and opened its matchup with Memphis with a fumble, so scoring on the opening drive was huge, according to Will Rogers.

"Obviously, every time you have the ball to score, especially first drive, you want to start the season and the game right. I thought it was huge. I think we did some really good things on the first drive. We got the ball flowing a little bit, so it's huge anytime you do that," said Rogers.

Lightning struck with just under ten minutes into the action after Tulu Griffin had gotten the Bulldogs across midfield, but a two-hour and 15-minute rain delay gave Bulldog fans a long wait to see Jaden Walley finish the drive with a nine-yard score.

Despite the delay, Mississippi State kept their momentum going as they went into halftime with a 28-3 lead. Will Rogers threw an interception to Memphis defensive back Quindell Johnson, but the defense picked him up. Jalen Green's pass break up in the endzone on third down forced the Tigers to settle for a field goal, and Jo'quavious Marks would score twice on State's next two possessions.

"(The delays were) quite a bit less difficult than I thought. We had a few false alarms. That was kind of distracting. I thought we handled it pretty good," said Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach.

While the offense put up some big numbers in the first half, the defense was the star of the show as they held Memphis to 29 yards of offense in the first half. A large part of that was weakside linebacker Jett Johnson, who was all over the field for the Bulldog defense as he set a career-high with 13 tackles.

"Like I always say, I am living the dream," said Johnson. "The motivation and fire are always there. I am blessed to be able to play this game at the level we are playing. I just try to do my job as a part of the defense, and sometimes I would look up and get some tackles."

State continued its successful offensive day in the 3rd quarter as Rogers hit redshirt senior Caleb Ducking down the sideline for a 35-yard touchdown. Ducking served as Makai Polk's backup last season and hasn't seen much go in his State career, but the former Holmes C.C. standout proved his value in week one as he was the Bulldogs' second-leading receiver with 73 yards.

"You saw it. I think he did really well," said Will Rogers. You know, I think there's a lot of things he can work on as well as other guys. But as a first-time starting for Duck, I think he did a really good job."

The defense began to let their guard down with the big lead. Tigers running back Jeyvon Ducker busted a 50-yard touchdown, and a nine-yard score from Memphis QB Seth Henigan to Eddie Lewis on a corner route cut the lead to 35-16 with just over ten minutes to play.

State's offense didn't slow down as Will Rogers led a 75-yard drive finished off with a 33-yard touchdown by Starkville's own Rufus Harvey. The redshirt junior has been a standout in training camp and proved what all the hype was all about with a 5-catch 61-yard performance.

Seth Henigan found the endzone on a quarterback keeper, but State responded right back after Austin Williams recovered Memphis' onside kick attempt as Georgia transfer Justin Robinson beat his man downfield for a 23-yard touchdown and his first catch in an MSU uniform.

Robinson's touchdown was the 5th thrown by Will Rogers on the day, which was one short of his career high of six he posted at Auburn last season. The junior signal caller had command of the offense all game long and put the Bulldogs right where they want to be headed into week two where they'll travel out west to Tuscon to take on Arizona.