Game Recap: Mississippi State 42, Kentucky 16
Refresh often (or click here) throughout Saturday night's Kentucky-Mississippi State football game in Starkville for score updates, live stats and a look at expert reaction to the Wildcats' latest SEC test. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
FINAL: UK went away quietly in the fourth quarter, making it a 3-point second half for the Cats in a 42-16 loss to Mississippi State. First, redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Barker got his turn under center.
The Kentucky native tossed an interception while pressured on his first drive but, then facing mostly Bulldogs backups, led UK into the red zone before time expired. Barker finished 7 of 9 for 42 yards, while Stanley "Boom" Williams led the rushing attack with 95 yards on 18 carries; only 15 yards came after the first quarter, however.
Instant Analysis | UK blown out in Starkville
Ultimately, a Cats team that saw its first six games decided by eight points or less couldn't overcome three turnovers, untimely penalties and a stellar performance by Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott.
Before handing the offense to backup Fred Ross, Prescott numbered six touchdowns – three rushing, just as many passing – and more than 450 total yards. A Heisman candidate? He may be leaving Saturday.
For UK, it's on to hosting a Tennessee team that took Alabama to the brink.
See a full box score: bit.ly/1H26bXw.
6:53, 4Q: Drew Barker wasn't on the field long. His second career pass went for an interception. The redshirt freshman was under heavy pressure and tried to dump off short before the pick. MSU leads 42-16.
9:07, 4Q: It appears Patrick Towles is done and Drew Barker on to finish the game -- as well as make his college debut. Towles went 23 of 42 for 218 yards but also threw two picks. Barker, on his first play, scrambled 10 yards for a first down.
9:14, 4Q: Did Dak Prescott's Heisman Trophy campaign start tonight? On a blueprint zone read play, the senior went 18 yards untouched for his third rushing touchdown of the night. Prescott has also thrown for three scores, completed 35 of 35 passes and has more than 450 total yards. Oh, and his team leads UK 42-16.
0:00, 3Q: The third quarter nearly ended with a thud for UK. Instead, the Cats will get one last chance. A late hit to Patrick Towles overturned a pick-six -- what would have been Towles' third interception of the night. So it remains 35-16 to the fourth, UK still in need of a major rally but not completely done here. The offense needs to find some rhythm with the Bulldogs out-gaining the Cats 163-83 in the second half.
0:59, 3Q: Finally, a touchdown. MSU's line gave Dak Prescott plenty of time, and he capped a 7-play, 75-yard drive by rifling his third touchdown pass of the evening. Is that all for UK? It's 35-16, the Cats down big on the road.
2:55, 3Q: Defensive holding by MSU set up UK with 1st and goal at the 5. Then came a harsh penalty for the Cats, a personal foul on lineman Ramsey Meyers that killed the drive. A 3rd down pass to Garrett Johnson fell incomplete in the end zone -- there was a holding call anyway -- before Austin MacGinnis connected on a 32-yard field goal. Now it's the UK defense's turn with the score 28-16.
8:27, 3Q: There's still opportunity for UK. MSU drove down into the red zone but couldn't punch it in. Then Westin Graves' 26-yard field goal missed wide right, locking the score at 28-13 early in the second half.
10:40, 3Q: For the second time tonight, a pass intended deep for Dorian Baker instead went to MSU's Taveze Calhoun. The defender tipped another over-the-shoulder pass and came down with another interception of UK's Patrick Towles.
12:23, 3Q: Is it the makings of a rally? UK's defense did its part out of the locker room, stalling an MSU drive just after the Bulldogs crossed midfield. The Cats take over at their 12 following a punt.
15:00, 3Q: On top of all that happened to end the first half, remember MSU deferred to start the game. The Bulldogs will open up with the ball and two-possession lead at 28-13.
Halftime: MSU coach Dan Mullen, speaking to ESPN at the half, said, "We finished great, except for the points there at the end, but that's on me for not kicking it deep."
He added on UK that, "Every year, it's a close game with them. Every game with them has come down to the wire, so we've got to come out and play a great second half."
See a full box score with the Cats trailing 28-13: bit.ly/1H26bXw.
0:00, 2Q: Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott went 289 passes without an interception to cap last season and start this one. When he finally tossed a pick, one nabbed by UK freshman Chris Westry, the Wildcats failed to make him pay.
UK followed with a 49-yard field goal pulled just left, and the Bulldogs responded by scoring twice before the half.
First came a five-play, 69-yard drive. Then Patrick Towles threw an interception of his own, one caught brilliantly over the shoulder by the MSU's Taveze Calhoun. Brandon Holloway turned a short pass into a 63-yard gain, and Prescott then ran ahead 20 more for another score.
But with fewer than two minutes left, UK set itself up for another field goal try. Austin MacGinnis hit this time from 48 yards, making the score 28-13 into the half.
In all, the Bullogs out-gained the Wildcats 233-86 in the second quarter.
Westry's interception did make for one UK positive. Former quarterback Andre' Woodson still holds the SEC record for most passes without an interception at 325.
0:03, 2Q: UK needed that one. Austin MacGinnis made good on his earlier miss, belting through a 48-yard field goal just before the half to pull the Cats to within two scores at 28-13.
0:34, 2Q: The effort has come unhinged for UK. Dak Prescott just scooted 20 yards for another score, moving the Bulldogs ahead 28-10 into the half. UK has been out-gained 233 yards to 59 in the second quarter.
1:03, 2Q: Somehow, MSU's threatening again. Patrick Towles tossed his first interception of the game on a brilliant over-the-shoulder grab by Taveze Calhoun. On the next play, Brandon Holloway turned a short pass into a 63-yard gain. It's back to the red zone for the host Bulldogs.
1:34, 2Q: Five plays after Austin MacGinnis missed a field goal, MSU doubled up on UK. Dak Prescott completed all four of his passes, and Brandon Holloway added an 18-yard rush on the Bulldogs' way to their third score of the night. Make it 21-10 just before the half.
3:05, 2Q: Another UK drive stalled before the half following three straight Patrick Towles incompletions. Not all were on the quarterback, but the result was the same -- a long Austin MacGinnis field goal. This one, the kicker pulled to the left. The score remains 14-10.
5:54, 2Q: Chris Westry ended Dak Prescott's interception streak. It had been quite a while since the Heisman Trophy candidate a year ago turned it over -- 289 attempts, third-most in SEC history.. On an underthrown pass, Westry came up big to get UK the ball back.
6:03, 2Q: UK's offense can move the ball, but its threats are inconsistent. After completions of 14 yards to Dorian Baker and 12 to Garrett Johnson, the Cats stalled and punted for a second time tonight. Landon Foster's boot set up MSU, still up 14-10, at its own 14-yard line.
9:18, 2Q: UK's defense came up with a pivotal stop, and it was Matt Elam who helped plug up a 4th-and-1 MSU rush in the red zone. A video review upheld the spot, and the Cats have the ball back.
11:25, 2Q: MSU got its defense off the field quickly following a touchdown by the host Bulldogs. A sack set UK up with an impossible 3rd and 18 situation, and MSU, sporting a 14-10 lead, brought pressure on a punt in the shadow of the Cats' goalposts. The Bulldogs will set up at the Cats' 41, looking to grow their advantage.
13:38, 2Q: Dak Prescott has now run for and passed for MSU touchdowns. Prescott looked off a defensive back, then found De'Runnya Wilson cutting over the middle for a 13-yard score. Easy. It's 14-10 in Starkville, and Prescott's 10 of 12 for 115 yards through the air.
0:00, 1Q: Both UK quarterback Patrick Towles and Mississippi State's Dak Prescott produced 1-yard touchdown runs in the first quarter. Largely, the Wildcats had running back Stanley "Boom" Williams to thank for pushing them ahead 10-7.
Williams surpassed 1,000 yards for his career while racking up 80 yards on his seven carries, his longest rush 25 yards.
Towles also completed his first seven passes, but he then missed on his next three to stall UK's final drive. Kicker Austin MacGinnis came on to drill a 44-yard field goal amid the clanging of cowbells.
Officials actually called back UK's biggest play, a would-be gain of more than 40 yards by Garrett Johnson on a screen pass out to the right. But he was ruled to have stepped out at midfield rather than in the red zone. The Cats hit their field goal six plays later.
0:56, 1Q: Patrick Towles, who opened by completing his first seven passes, then missed three straight to stall the Cats' latest drive. A positive, though, is a healthy Austin MacGinnis. The kicker came on to hit a 44-yard field goal and push UK back ahead 10-7.
2:11, 1Q: Garrett Johnson wouldn't go down. The UK receiver, on a screen pass to the right flat, shook off a tackle, then tip-toed down the sideline for 43 yards. If only his toe wasn't ruled out by replay, setting up the Cats with 1st and 10 at midfield instead of 1st and goal. The home fans loved the call.
2:49, 1Q: Star quarterback Dak Prescott's 15th rushing touchdown of the season has the score knotted at 7-7. As with UK's Patrick Towles, all it took was a yard burst forward into the end zone. Prescott is also 6 of 8 for 54 yards passing early.
4:16, 1Q: MSU tried to pick on Matt Elam by running at the 360-pounder on UK's defensive front until he tired and left the game. Once he did, facing 4th and short, the Bulldogs went to the air to convert. They're down to the 21-yard line and trailing 7-0.
8:19, 1Q: Patrick Towles completed all three of his passes, and Boom Williams delivered runs of 14 and 9 yards before Towles sneaked in for a 1-yard score. A lengthy review determined the score, and UK now leads on the road. Towles is 5 for 5 and Williams has 45 yards already. It's 7-0.
11:12, 1Q: A promising opening UK drive ended with a punt, one Landon Foster pinned at the MSU 11. Three plays later, already the Bulldogs are punting thanks to solid pass coverage by the Cats.
13:58, 1Q: Boom Williams' big-play ability saved UK early. On 3rd and 10, UK went with a draw, and he found the left sideline for a gain of 25. The Cats are out to mid field.
15:00, 1Q: A sight of relief for UK fans. Vanderbilt didn't let Missouri score on the SEC Network's lead-in to Cats-Bulldogs. MSU won the toss and deferred to the second half in Starkville, by the way.
PREGAME: The stakes aren't the same for MSU as the last time these two teams met -- Dak Prescott led the No. 1 Bulldogs into Commonwealth Stadium last year -- but this one may have major postseason implications for UK.
The Wildcats, who still have Vanderbilt and UNC-Charlotte left to play this season, could take a step toward their first season of bowl eligibility under coach Mark Stoops with a victory.
UK enters at 4-2 and off 30-27 loss to Auburn, while MSU went out of conference for its last two, beating Troy and Louisiana Tech.
Notably, this is only the Wildcats' second road game of the season after knocking off South Carolina in September. The program hasn't won its first two of the season away from Commonwealth Stadium since 1999.