Mississippi State and QB Dak Prescott marched up and down the field Saturday en route to a convincing 42-16 victory over Kentucky in this old southern rivalry between two teams that have been in the same conference since 1895. The triumph also allowed the Bulldogs to become bowl eligible for a school-record sixth consecutive season.

Here is an analysis of Mississippi State’s 42-16 victory:

5 TAKEAWAYS

  • Mississippi State is back in the conversation: Three consecutive victories, all by more than three touchdowns and all with the Bulldogs scoring at least 42 points, puts them back in the conversation when discussing top teams in the SEC. It could very well be that State is playing its best ball at the right time with four strong SEC opponents remaining on the schedule.
  • Flashing Heisman-like brilliance: Prescott was nearly flawless in engineering an offense that chewed up 586 total yards. That’s second on the all-time list at Mississippi State behind a 593-yard game, also against Kentucky, back on Oct. 12, 1991 in Starkville. The Bulldogs senior quarterback took advantage of running lanes opened up by the offensive line, rushing for 117 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries as well as throwing for another 348 yards (25-for-35) and three more scores. He now has 2,302 career rushing yards, most-ever at Mississippi State. It’s one of 26 school records that Prescott has his name associated with. So far.
  • Defense is bending a little too much: Manny Diaz’ bend-but-don’t-break defense has worked out well in the last three games against Troy, Louisiana  Tech and Kentucky but will be tested down the stretch against much more powerful offenses. Kentucky piled up 423 yards of total offense, moving mostly between the 20s. The Bulldogs ranked eighth in the SEC in total defense. Missed tackles has also been a key factor there.
  • Brandon Holloway isn’t just a runner: The junior running back showed he can catch the ball as well. On Saturday Holloway had a career-high five pass receptions for 98 yards and one touchdown. His 63-yard catch and run set up another score as well.
  • Defense came up big when it counted: It was a team effort, but the Bulldogs made plays on defense when it counted most. Senior CB Taveze Calhoun picked off two passes, including a game-changer in the first half that stopped a Kentucky drive and started a Bulldogs march that ended in a touchdown. Junior DE A.J. Jefferson came up big with tackles for losses and now ranks 10th in school history in that category with 22.5 for his career. Senior LB Zach Jackson also recorded two key tackles for losses.

REPORT CARD

Offense: (A) – Prescott moved the offense at will both with his arm and his feet.

Defense: (C) – The Bulldogs defense yielded a lot of yardage, especially through the air, but came up with big plays to keep Kentucky at arm’s length.

Special teams: (B-) – It was a relatively uneventful game for special teams, although the Bulldogs kick coverage was excellent in holding Kentucky to just a 17.5-yard average on four kick returns. Punter Logan Cooke averaged 37.3 yards on three boots with no return yardage allowed. Holloway had a very pedestrian 19-yard average on two kick returns.

Coaching: (A-) – Dan Mullen had Kentucky’s defense on its heels all night long with a dizzying array of pass/run options for Prescott. Diaz’ passive defense, especially against the pass, would be the only knock on an outstanding effort by the Mississippi State coaching staff.

Overall: (A-) – The Bulldogs were clearly the better team both offensively and defensively and it proved out after Kentucky opened with a 10-7 lead after one quarter. A 21-3 second quarter effectively swung the momentum in the Bulldogs’ favor.

GAME PLAN

Effective execution of the pass and run offense led to big numbers for Prescott and the Mississippi State skill players. Controlling the football in that way allowed for a rested Bulldogs defense to make big stops when needed.

GAME BALLS

  • QB Dak Prescott: Accounting 465 yards of total offense, Prescott completely controlled the game on Saturday.
  • CB Taveze Calhoun: With a career-high two interceptions, Calhoun changed the momentum of the game with his first-half pick.
  • WR De’Runnya Wilson: A season-high 91 yards on six catches, Wilson also scored his 18th career touchdown, second-most in school history.

INJURY UPDATE

  • CB Will Redmond tore his ACL in practice during the week and is out for the rest of the season.
  • LB Dezmond Harris suffered a knee injury and is out for the season.
  • RB Ashton Shumpert (back), DB Jamal Peters (undisclosed), WR Gabe Myles (leg) and WR Joe Morrow (arm) did not play and are questionable for the Nov. 5 game at Missouri.