Mississippi State stumbled out of the gate Saturday against Louisiana Tech, falling behind early by two touchdowns. But there was little reason for concern going forward, as the Bulldogs outscored Tech 38-6 in the final three quarters.

Here is an analysis of Mississippi State’s 45-20 win:

5 TAKEAWAYS

  • Dak Prescott is a record breaker: Prescott’s return to college football generated a lot of preseason discussion, but the buzz around him quieted down after Mississippi State lost a few games. Prescott reminded us Saturday that he is still very capable of making some history.

    Additionally, after his third touchdown pass of the game, Prescott moved to seventh on the SEC’s all-time list for touchdowns responsible.

  • Injured offensive players present no problem for Prescott: Prescott worked well with De’Runnya Wilson and Mailk Dear to create big passing plays. Both receivers did a great job using their speed and elusiveness to extend plays after the reception. Prescott and Aeris Williams also helped keep the running game going.
  • Dropped balls are a concern: While Wilson and Dear played well, one too many balls were dropped. This was not limited to just one or two receivers. Quite a few had passes thrown right into their hands, but were just unable to hang on.
  • Defense still needs to tighten up against the pass: The Bulldogs defense spent plenty of time in the Tech backfield. Despite all the tackles for loss, however, the defense still quarterback Jeff Driskel – the transfer from Florida – to throw for 303 yards and two touchdowns. Driskel actually looked better against Mississippi State on Saturday than he did for a long time while playing with Florida.
  • Slow starts should make Mississippi State nervous: The Bulldogs had slow starts against Texas A&M and LSU and lost both games. At least they snapped out of it Saturday.  Mississippi State has not proven it can always recover from slow starts, so something needs to be done to avoid them in the future.

REPORT CARD

Offense: A – Prescott played a solid, smart game and worked well with his receivers.

Defense: B+ – The Bulldogs defense struggled to contain Louisiana Tech’s passing game, especially early. However, the defense stepped up in the second half, especially when Brandon Bryant made a huge interception in the fourth quarter that he returned for 73 yards and a touchdown.

Special teams: A- – Mississippi State’s special teams accounted for some important momentum shifts. First, Dear nearly had a kickoff return touchdown during the first quarter, but it was called back because of a penalty. Then Mississippi State blocked a Louisiana Tech punt with less than two minutes to go in the first half, setting up a short Prescott touchdown that gave them plenty of momentum heading into halftime.

Coaching: A – Dan Mullen and his staff utilized Prescott runs at the right time and made sure not to overuse him. He got plenty of good blocking all day as well. Mullen also did not hesitate to go for it on fourth down when Mississippi State needed a sustained drive.

Overall: A- – The Bulldogs looked like a well-rounded team that did good things on both sides of the ball. Mississippi State just has to find a way to start strong.

GAME PLAN

As expected, Prescott led the offense to a plenty of points, leading both the passing game and the running game. But because of State’s slow start, it seemed like Louisiana Tech actually controlled the tempo of the game in the first half.

GAME BALLS

  • QB Dak Prescott: The Mississippi State quarterback went without an interception yet again this Saturday. He finished 30 of 43 for 347 yards and three touchdowns.
  • WR Malik Dear: Dear had an explosive performance, particularly during the first half when he almost had a kickoff return touchdown to his name. Even without that, he had six receptions for 70 yards, averaging 11.7 yards a reception. His longest catch went for 27 yards.
  • QB Jeff Driskel (Louisiana Tech): To the chagrin of any Gator fans who may have been watching, Driskel seems to be thriving as part of his Louisiana Tech offense. Driskel went 25 of 41 for 303 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.

INJURY UPDATE

  • TE Gus Walley took a big hit in the end zone trying to catch a pass toward the end of a Mississippi State drive in the second quarter. He left the game and did not return. His injury was undisclosed.
  • WR Fred Ross left the first quarter early with an undisclosed injury. According to Mullen, he was cleared to return to the game and did in the second quarter.
  • S Jamal Peters did not play against Louisiana Tech, but Mullen expects him to be back next week.
  • RB Ashton Shumpert missed the game with a back injury. Mullen said Shumpert warmed up prior to the game but didn’t feel right, so they held him out.
  • WR Gabe Myles and Joe Morrow also did not play, but Mullen said that they are “close” to being ready to play and a decision on their availability will be made next week.