Nickoe Whitley figures to the the third defensive back from Mississippi State drafted in the last two years, joining 2012 second-round picks Johnthan Banks and Darius Slay, and the Bulldogs senior showed why on Saturday.
In a 24-17 overtime road win at Arkansas, Whitley made a team-high 10 tackles and came up with one of the game's biggest plays by forcing and recovering a fumble at the Mississippi State 12. Arkansas standout freshman Alex Collins was stripped by Whitley on a gain of 3 yards that helped the Bulldogs hold Arkansas scoreless in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
Whitley made five solo tackles and five assists for the day.
The 6-1, 205-pound senior safety has 50 tackles on the year, including a team-high four interceptions. Whitley is one of a half dozen MSU players on the Senior Bowl watch list. Senior Bowl rosters will be filled out in the coming weeks as players continue to accept dozens of initial invitations.
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