Mississippi State set up for a strong close to season
In a rain-soaked Thursday night showdown, No. 20 Mississippi State used another stellar performance from quarterback Dak Prescott to take out Missouri on the road, 31-13.
What we learned: MSU has a chance to make a run. The Bulldogs have had questions in the run game and those questions will continue moving forward, but they have Prescott. The senior quarterback is on a different level at this point in his career and anything that the Bulldogs are missing in the run game he makes up for it in the pass.
Prescott finished with his fourth-straight 300-yard passing performance going 27-for-40 for 303 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He also led the team in rushing again with 47 yards on 14 carries.
The rain and the lackluster rushing attack didn't seem to keep Prescott and the offense from putting up points against the SEC's best defense. MSU scored more points in a game than any other team against the Tigers this season.
State will play more challenging teams over the next three ball games with three offenses much better than what they saw on Thursday night. It's going to be hard to find defenses that are much better than Mizzou's. However, Alabama has one of the nation's best units coming to Starkville next week.
As long as Prescott is healthy and controlling the MSU offense, the Bulldogs are going to have a chance over the next month. If they win out and get a little help from their SEC West brethren, there's a chance they sneak into Atlanta.
What's next: MSU now welcomes No. 4 Alabama in a huge SEC West showdown next week at Davis Wade Stadium. It's the Bulldogs' chance to finally get over the hump against Nick Saban and also their chance to prove they can win big ball games in November.
Alabama knocked MSU out of the playoff race a season ago and took control of the SEC West after its win in Tuscaloosa. The Bulldogs are hoping to try and take a similar position this year.
This story was originally published November 8, 2015 at 1:08 PM with the headline "Mississippi State set up for a strong close to season ."