BATON ROUGE, La. — Disaster struck, and Dak Prescott didn’t bat an eye.
After leading his Mississippi State team to a 17-3 halftime lead at No. 8 LSU on Saturday night, Prescott watched helplessly as his fumble on the first play of the third quarter was picked up by LSU defensive end Danielle Hunter and returned 25 yards for a score, which cut MSU’s lead in half and gave LSU a much-needed shot of momentum.
Prescott picked himself up, regained his bearings and went out and made history.
Prescott, a native of Haughton, Louisiana, led a 6-play, 75-yard scoring drive to answer and delivered a game-changing 56-yard touchdown run three minutes later, helping MSU recapture momentum on its way to a 34-29 win, its first victory in Tiger Stadium since 1991.
“I just went up to every player on the offense and said ‘I got us,’ ” said Prescott. “I told the sideline I would respond. The offensive line did what they needed to, and we came back on the second drive.”
Prescott’s response was emblematic of an MSU effort that resulted in the program’s first victory in Baton Rouge since 1991 and the first win over LSU since 1999.
Prescott’s answer was not only needed, but it was also a sign that this group of Bulldogs may be different. The junior quarterback would add a 74-yard touchdown pass to senior wideout Jameon Lewis on MSU’s next possession to push the lead to 31-10.
On a night when LSU scored the game’s final 19 points to cut the lead to five points in the game’s final seconds, Prescott’s third-quarter explosion provided MSU the cushion it needed to escape with the win. It was MSU’s seventh-straight victory and fourth-straight to start the season.
“We had been really controlling the game,” said Mullen of Prescott’s fumble. “That could’ve slipped and gone the other way for us right there. But our guys, there wasn’t one bit of panic, one bit of concern, one bit of ‘uh-oh.’ I think our guys played with a lot of confidence.”
That confidence stemmed from Prescott, whose return to his home state was nothing short of triumphant. The redshirt junior put his stamp of MSU’s program with a signature win, and in doing so he completed 15 of 24 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 22 times for 105 yards and the 56-yard touchdown.
“Dak is an explosive guy,” said LSU defensive tackle Christian Lacouture. “He is a guy we really focused on this week making sure that we limit his big plays. A couple times, we did that, and a couple times we didn’t.”
It was more than a couple. Prescott and the MSU offense registered eight plays of 20 yards or better, and four of more than 40 yards. And Prescott wasn’t alone.
Junior tailback Josh Robinson, a native of Franklinton, Louisiana, rushed for a career-high 197 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Robinson’s longest run, a 66-yard burst, spearheaded a 5-play, 98-yard drive that gave the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead in the second quarter. Robinson capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run.
“Give Dan Mullen and Mississippi State a lot of credit,” said LSU coach Les Miles, whose team lost for just the third time in its last 46 home games at night. “That’s a good football team.”
Defensive dominance
Entering the night with a conference-best 29 tackles for loss, MSU’s defense continued to shine for much of Saturday night’s win. The Bulldogs held LSU’s offense scoreless until the fourth quarter, and limited the Tigers to just 89 rushing yards on 36 carries.
For MSU linebacker Benardrick McKinney, the win was like a dream come true.
“I had dreams,” said McKinney. “I’ve been dreaming all day of what type plays I needed to make. I’ve been trying to get the front four right and just trying to get everybody to play to their highest potential.”
For Mullen’s Bulldogs, much of Saturday night’s win was close to perfect, as the Bulldogs out gained the Tigers 520-211 over the first three quarters. Further, MSU’s special teams played well, as kicker Evan Sobiesk delivered field goals of 27 and 28 yards.
“I’ve been telling you guys how well they play in practice,” said Mullen of MSU’s kickers. “Maybe now you will believe me.”
For the Bulldogs, sophomore wide receiver De’Runnya Wilson had four catches for 91 yards, including a nine-yard touchdown pass from Prescott that opened the scoring in the first quarter.
Now 4-0, MSU turns its attention to No. 7 Texas A&M, which will visit Starkville in two weeks after MSU’s bye week.
Immediately following his breakthrough win, Mullen was already focused on the upcoming schedule.
“Well, the win is big for us because now we get to enjoy a bye week,” said Mullen. “After that, it’s on to Texas A&M. It’s a conference win, and that’s always huge, because this is the toughest conference in the country. But because it is the toughest, now we get another top 10 team in two weeks.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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