Caleb Ducking vs. Jaylen Waddle: Mississippi State football receiver claims TD celebration

STARKVILLE — If there is an odd overlap of a Mississippi State football fan rooting for the Miami Dolphins, they might be seeing double.

On Saturdays, receiver Caleb Ducking is hauling in touchdowns for the Bulldogs (3-1, 0-1 SEC). He’s tied for seventh in the nation with five reception touchdowns, including two in Saturday’s 45-14 win against Bowling Green. And after each one, he waddles around with teammates.

Dolphins wideout Jaylen Waddle, formerly of Alabama, does the same.

So who gets to claim it?

“I did it first,” Ducking said. “One of my friends back home, he gave me the idea because of my name, so I started doing it. I’d never seen Jaylen Waddle do it until after.”

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Mississippi State fans haven’t seen the celebration before this season. Ducking joined MSU out of Holmes Community College in 2020 and redshirted. Last season, he only made nine catches in seven games.

But now he’s becoming one of MSU’s biggest threats on the outside.

Prior to the season opener against Memphis, Waddle told his teammates about the idea. It has caught on as fellow receivers join him in waddling. He says inside receiver Jaden Walley does it best.

Quarterback Will Rogers usually celebrates with his offensive line before joining Ducking’s party. Ducking says Rogers has some work to do.

What’s with the concrete around the field?

Sometimes you see something so often you don’t think anything of it. Then suddenly Ducking and receiver Lideatrick Griffin almost slip and everyone begins to notice.

Davis Wade Stadium has had a concrete walkway around its field for years. It’s about 10 yards away from play behind the end zones. But along the corner of the end zone, it’s much closer.

Griffin and Ducking both scored while momentum carried them to the side, not the back, of the end zone. As they tried to slow down from a full sprint, one step on the grass quickly turned into a step on the concrete.

And their cleats on concrete nearly caused an accident. Neither was injured, but it’s a chance for MSU to do something about it without someone needing to get hurt.

Is there an effort to get the ball to Lideatrick Griffin?

Yes.

MSU outside receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. said leading up to Saturday's game they needed to make an effort to get the ball into Griffin’s hands.

The Bulldogs did so immediately. Griffin caught a pass up the middle for 21 yards on the first play from scrimmage.

His explosiveness in the return game is too obvious to not ensure he’s getting opportunities on offense. Griffin’s six receptions were a career best.

Will MSU’s defense generate more pressure?

Throughout Zach Arnett’s tenure as MSU’s defensive coordinator, the sack numbers haven’t been eye-catching.

But the Bulldogs have generated decent pressure. Bowling Green was throwing screens and finding ways to get the ball out quickly as a result, which provides some explanation as to why MSU only had two sacks.

“We probably don’t get home, but I know the quarterback is feeling us when we’re there,” linebacker Nathaniel Watson said.

However, there have been times where MSU is to blame. Against Arizona, the Bulldogs should have had at least two sacks where poor tackling proved costly.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3