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STARKVILLE, Mississippi (Ticker) -- After a slow start, Mississippi State made sure it opened the Sylvester Croom era with a win.
Locked in a scoreless tie at halftime, Mississippi State scored two touchdowns in both the third and fourth quarters to post a 28-7 victory over Tulane and make history in the process.
Jerious Norwood rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown and Omarr Conner threw for 102 yards and a TD to help make Croom, the first black coach in Southeastern Conference history, a winner in his debut.
"I told the players we are going to enjoy this and not even think about next week," Croom said. "I want them to enjoy tonight and tomorrow and we'll talk about next weekend on Monday."
Conner hooked up with Eric Butler on an 11-yard TD pass to give the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead before Tulane got on the board. Lester Ricard, who completed 16-of-31 passes for 135 yards, connected with Chris Bush on a 59-yard TD with just over a minute gone in the fourth quarter.
Fred Reid and Darnell Jones each capped long scoring drives with TD runs to put away the game.
"This victory is not just for us in the football program, it's for the Bulldog fans and the entire university," Croom said. "I hope this is the start of many in the future. We are extremely proud to have a start like this."
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