Himmelsbach: Miss St. calls UK 'very dangerous'

LEXINGTON, Ky.

Mississippi State came to Commonwealth Stadium in an unfamiliar role on Saturday. There were the Bulldogs, undefeated and unscathed, having completed their improbable ascension to become the nation's top-ranked team.

In the mighty SEC, the home of Alabama and LSU and Auburn and the rest, MSU was accustomed to being the hunter. And then with two magical months, everything changed.

"For years and years, we've been going after the teams with the target on their backs," senior defensive tackle Kaleb Eulls said. "Now we're the team with the target."

In the Bulldogs' 45-31 win over Kentucky, they withstood one blow after another. They wobbled, then regained their form. They kept bouncing back up, as No. 1 teams tend to do. Then they finished off their opponent, as No. 1 teams tend to do.

And maybe it helped that they were so familiar with UK's pursuit in a game like this one. Maybe it helped that they understood what a win against No. 1 would mean.

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Mississippi State, in a sense, symbolizes what Kentucky is trying to become. MSU went 6-6 last season and then won a bowl game against Rice. It is 22-17 over the last three seasons. Now, it is considered one of the teams capable of winning a national title.

The Bulldogs have proved that change can come suddenly, that a rebuild doesn't have to be a decade-long struggle. Although this loss was frustrating for UK, seeing MSU's turnaround might provide a blueprint. It might give the Wildcats hope.

After the game, Mississippi State voiced its respect for a fellow program trying to nudge its way into the company of this powerful conference's bluebloods. The Bulldogs know what the challenge is like.

"They are a very, very dangerous team," Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said of UK. "I think you're gonna see that team (and coach Mark Stoops) continue to grow with the program. I wouldn't be surprised to see them have a fantastic rest of the year and land in a great bowl game."

Of course, after back-to-back 2-10 seasons, any bowl game would be a great bowl game. But the point is that Mississippi State is leaving Lexington impressed by the home team.

They saw the Wildcats pile up 504 yards of offense. They saw this jam-packed stadium practically shaking. They saw UK take possession twice in the second half with a chance to tie the game. They saw that this is not the same old Kentucky.

"I can tell the difference," linebacker Beniquez Brown said.

"They're a better team this year," linebacker Benardrick McKinley said.

"They have a lot more to prove to the nation," Eulls said.

Florida noticed it, and South Carolina noticed it, and now Mississippi State has noticed it. Kentucky is not a secret anymore. Kentucky is also not an easy win. The word is out and the SEC is taking notice, and that should give this team a boost of confidence.

"They made plays all day long on both sides of the ball," Mullen said. "I don't know if people are giving Mark enough credit for what he's doing here with this outfit, and what type of team Kentucky is."

Yes, teams generally heap praise on an opponent after they defeat them. But all you had to do was watch this game to understand that this was genuine. Even in defeat, Kentucky football continued to trend upward.

It was especially important for UK to show this fight after the drubbing at LSU. It was important to ensure that one loss would not deflate this team, and it didn't. Now everyone will see how fast the next step can be taken.

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at 502-582-4372 by email ahimmelsbach@courier-journal.com and on Twitter @adamhimmelsbach