QUICK RECAP: Mississippi State struggles against Kentucky, drops 24-3 decision
Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary threw for 156 yards and two touchdowns while D’Eryk Jackson had a pick six as the Wildcats captured a 24-3 decision over Mississippi State on Saturday.
The win was Kentucky’s first in Starkville since 2008, snapping an eight-game road losing streak to the Bulldogs. The Wildcats improved to 6-3 overall, 3-3 in the SEC while Mississippi State fell to 4-5 overall and 1-5 in the league. The Bulldogs also remained winless at home in SEC games this year with just one more home SEC game left via the Egg Bowl.
Kentucky built a 21-3 halftime advantage and the lone scoring in the second half was an Alex Raynor 32-yard field goal for the Wildcats. Kentucky had just 271 yards of offense but the Wildcats held State to 218 yards on the night.
True freshman quarterback Chris Parson saw his first action of the season for the Bulldogs. He completed 6 of 14 for 67 yards while starting quarterback Mike Wright was 11 of 21 for 78 yards with one interception.
After forcing State into a 3 and on the game’s first series, Kentucky quickly got on the scoreboard with an eight-play, 62-yard drive. Leary jumpstarted the drive with a 37-yard pass to Tayvion Robinson and then capped off the drive with a four-yard scoring toss to Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, giving the Cats a 7-0 lead with 10:11 left in the first quarter.
Mississipi State got on the board midway through the second quarter. The Bulldogs burned 12:29 off the clock and marched 88 yards on 20 plays. But the Bulldogs had to settle for a Kyle Ferrie 25-yard field goal and trailed 7-3 with 8:51 left in the half.
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Kentucky extended its lead later in the half thanks to the Wildcat defense. Kentucky linebacker D’Eryk picked off Mississippi State’s Mike Wright and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown, giving the Wildcats a 14-3 advantage with 6:35 remaining in the opening half.
The Wildcats closed out the first-half scoring thanks to Leary’s second touchdown pass of the opening half. Leary connected with Dane Key from four yards out as the Wildcats increased their lead to 21-3 with 52 seconds left in the half.
Kentucky had 159 yards of offense in the first half with 101 in the passing game. The Wildcats were 3 of 5 on third-down conversions and had two penalties for 20 yards. Mississippi State had 125 yards of offense with 71 through the air. The Bulldogs were 4 of 9 on third down and had four penalties for 29 yards.
Mississippi State returns to action next Saturday with a road trip to Texas A&M. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and it will be the Bulldogs’ final road game of the season
