By his standards, Dak Prescott didn’t play exceptionally well in a 45-31 win over Kentucky last weekend. Luckily for Mississippi State, Prescott’s standards are much higher than everyone else’s.

Prescott completed 54 percent of his passes for 216 yards, ran 18 times for 88 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ victory. For most quarterbacks across the nation those numbers would represent a career day, but not for Prescott.

Mississippi State’s Heisman contender threw for more yards in four of his first six games this season, ran for more yards in four of six games and accounted for more total touchdowns in three of those six contests. As far as Prescott’s 2014 performances go, his showing against Kentucky actually ranks near the bottom of the list.

No one is criticizing Prescott for his play against the Wildcats, nor should they. The redshirt junior did nothing to harm his ongoing Heisman campaign, maintaining his team’s unbeaten record while posting 300 total yards and three touchdowns for the sixth time in seven games this season.

However, Prescott didn’t do anything to help his Heisman campaign either, even though his numbers appear impressive upon first glance.

For an average starter in the FBS those numbers may be amazing, but Prescott belongs in the class of Heisman contenders where everyone’s expectations are far higher than the rest of the mortals across college football. By Heisman standards those numbers are nothing special; they’re nothing Oregon’s Marcus Mariota or Notre Dame’s Everett Golson couldn’t have done against the same Kentucky defense.

Prescott’s average numbers helped beat an average Kentucky team, and the game will soon be forgotten as both teams and fans across the nation turn the page to upcoming Week 10 action.

And without stupendous numbers, Prescott needed some sort of Heisman moment to make the game memorable. He did not have one.

He had one impressive run in which he broke a handful of tackles on his way to a 38-yard gain, but that can be credited to Kentucky’s poor tackling as much as it can to Prescott’s dynamic, Heisman-worthy athleticism. The Wildcats tackled worse than most high school teams on Saturday, and both Prescott and tailback Josh Robinson took advantage.

One 38-yard run against a defense unable to tackle ball-carriers does not a Heisman moment make. The play didn’t result in a touchdown, nor did it stop Kentucky from staying within one score of MSU for most of the fourth quarter. It was just a good play made by a great player that we’d already forgotten about until this refresher.

It’s okay that Prescott didn’t have a Heisman-worthy performance against Kentucky. After all, it’s asking a lot for a player to put forth 12 earth-shattering, Heisman-worthy games in a span of 14 weeks, especially in the grueling SEC.

Ultimately, the game against Kentucky was not a high-profile game in 2014, even though it was the CBS Game of the Week. Kentucky is not a sexy opponent in the national spotlight, and Mississippi State had much more to lose in the showdown in Lexington than it had to gain from beating a team it was expected to beat. So if there was ever a week to have an average showing, better it be against a team like Kentucky than in games against LSU, Texas A&M, Auburn, etc.

Prescott did his job, as did the rest of his Mississippi State teammates, and the Bulldogs won and moved on. There was nothing wrong with any of it. Prescott remains the Heisman favorite, and he should.

It’s simply worth noting he didn’t do anything to advance his Heisman campaign against Kentucky, meaning sometime in the next two weeks Prescott will need to have another Heisman moment to remind us of his greatness.

College football is a what have you done for me lately game in 2014, so while Prescott’s outing against UK didn’t hurt his Heisman stock today, it could in two weeks if he doesn’t put up more video game-like numbers against Arkansas and UT Martin this next two outings. Only one man can win the Heisman, and while every contender will have an average game like Prescott did Saturday, the winner will be the man who limits those showings throughout the season.

Prescott got his average SEC showing out of the way, but he now has less margin for error going forward as a result. If the Dakman can post huge numbers against a Razorbacks team still winless in the conference, it’ll be like the Kentucky game never happened. However, if his Bulldogs are tested against Arkansas the way they were against Kentucky, names like Mariota and Golson will begin to creep up the Heisman list and encroach on his territory as the favorite to win the prestigious award.

At a perfect 7-0, Prescott has all the Heisman advantages that come with quarterbacking the nation’s No. 1 team. His Heisman campaign should be fine going forward.

But tip your cap to Kentucky for limiting the nation’s most dynamic player in a near-upset in the Bluegrass. The Cats made the current Heisman favorite look beatable, if only for an afternoon, and they might end up being the only team to do so all year.