Four true freshmen make debut for Bulldogs

Every story has a beginning.

For former Starkville High linebacker Willie Gay, Jr., his Mississippi State tale officially began in the first quarter of the 49-0 season opening win against Charleston Southern on Saturday. The true freshman stepped onto the field for the first time in his collegiate career as part of the Bulldogs kickoff coverage team.

“It was my first play of SEC ball,” Gay said. “It was such a blessing. It felt really good.”

Gay’s MSU debut was only one of many on Saturday. In all, 23 Bulldogs stepped onto the gridiron for the first time in maroon and white.

Four of those were true freshmen who were playing high school football this time last year

Gay shared the memorable afternoon with his other firstyear teammates. One of those individuals was a fellow Golden Triangle athlete who some thought might redshirt due to depth at his position group. That idea went out the window in a big way.

Former Columbus running back Kylin Hill debuted with a little over 3 minutes left in the first quarter. MSU immediately gave the powerful Hill a carry and he toted the rock for 19 yards. Before the day was through, Hill ran for for 62 yards on nine carries and averaged a whopping 6.9 yards per rush.

Mississippi State starting running back Aeris Williams couldn’t help but be impressed with the guy who might be his primary backup sooner rather than later.

“He did great,” Williams said of Hill. “I know what he can do.“When he plays his game, the sky is the limit for him.”

One thing Hill didn’t do on Saturday was get in the end zone. He is still waiting to score his first points on the college level. That’s not the case for new kicker Tucker Day.

Day got his first crack at things just 58 seconds into the contest after the Bulldogs stormed down the field and went up with a touchdown on the first drive of the game. Day entered and drilled the extra point. He’d go on to hit four more PATs.

Field goals were more of a challenge for Day. He attempted three, but made only one. He hit a 40-yarder, but missed kicks from 32 and 47 yards.

“I’m sure he was a little disappointed,” MSU head coach Dan Mullen said of Day’s performance. “I’ve seen him kick much better. I want to see that challenge him because I know he’s a competitor. One of the things that allowed him to win the starting job was his competitive edge and his competitive attitude.

“I’ve seen him kick much, much better than he did (Saturday), so I want to see how he responds to this. Knowing him and his personality, he’s going to respond from this challenge and not shy away from anything.”

Perhaps the most highly-anticipated true freshman debut was the final one on Saturday. Midway through the third quarter, quarterback Keytaon Thompson trotted onto the field for MSU and replaced starter Nick Fitzgerald after the Bulldogs had the game well in hand.

Mullen had said leading up to the game that MSU was deciding whether or not to redshirt Thompson this season to maintain a year of eligibility since Fitzgerald will no doubt run State’s offense all year, barring injury. However, this is football and injuries do happen, so the Bulldogs ultimately made the decision to get Thompson on the field and let him garner experience.

“He’s a snap away from being the guy and being the start-

er,” Mullen said of Thompson. “For him to get those reps, to get that experience and to get on the field, I want to see him continue to grow

and develop in play.”

Thompson had a pretty good first day on the job. He ran for 36 yards. He passed for 35 and threw for his first career touchdown.

“I thought I did well,” Thompson said. “I just tried

to run the offense and get a feel for the game. I was out there live again for the first time in a real game for the first time in months. It had been since my last high school game. It felt good being live again.”

One of the most memorable moments for Thompson and all the MSU freshmen might turn out to be one that likely few observers paid much attention to. Late in the third quarter, Thompson turned and handed the football

off to Hill. The play resulted in a loss of a yard.

It wasn’t anything that stood out in the box score. What it was, however, was a glance into Mississippi State’s future.

With promising talents

like Gay, Hill, Day and Thompson, that future seems to be shining bright for the Bulldogs.

If Saturday’s action was any indication, in some ways, the future might actually already be here right now.