Miss. State Slips Past UCF 10-3

Knights fall just short in defense-dominated Liberty Bowl
By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 29, 2007 10:39 PM CST
Miss. State Slips Past UCF 10-3
Mississippi State wide receiver Tony Burks (4) dives for the goal line as Central Florida defensive back Joe Burnett, left, chases him down in the fourth quarter of the Liberty Bowl football game in Memphis, Tenn., Saturday, Dec. 29, 2007. Burks was ruled out of bounds at the 3-yard line, setting up...   (Associated Press)

The UCF and Mississippi State punters got a lot of work today in what started out as the lowest-scoring Liberty Bowl in a half century, and ended up as a 10-3 victory for the Bulldogs. The defenses put in a solid day's work as well, with MSU holding Central Florida to 88 yards passing, and UCF doing even better, restricting MSU to 39 yards in the air, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Kevin Smith, NCAA's Division I rushing leader, was held to 119 yards for Florida. The Knights went out in front with a second-quarter field goal, and the Bulldogs tied it up before the half. UCF quarterback Kyle Israel threw three interceptions, including one that gave Mississippi the momentum that led to the game's only touchdown with 1:54 to play. (More Mississippi State Bulldogs stories.)

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