Vanderbilt Commodores vs Mississippi State Bulldogs Match Player Stats On Nov 22, 2014

No. 4 Mississippi State 51, Vanderbilt 0: Dak Prescott threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, and the defense pitched the program’s first SEC shutout in 15 years as the Bulldogs bounced back decisively from their first loss of the season.

Prescott finished 16-of-21 for 193 yards and added 30 yards rushing on six carries before being replaced by Damian Williams late in the third quarter for Mississippi State (10-1, 6-1 SEC), which posted the first 10-win regular season in the program’s history. The Bulldogs, who also are fourth in the College Football Playoff rankings, forced three turnovers and limited Vanderbilt to 228 total yards, including 49 on 27 rushing attempts.

Freshman quarterback Johnny McCrary was 15-of-31 for 161 yards and an interception before leaving with a fourth-quarter injury for the Commodores (3-8, 0-7), who remain the only winless team in SEC play. Reserve quarterbacks Patton Robinette (2-of-3, 18 yards, interception) and Stephen Rivers (0-of-2) also played for Vanderbilt, which was led by McCrary’s 21 rushing yards on eight carries and Davis Dudchock’s 41 receiving yards on three catches.

Mississippi State punted on each of their first two possessions of the third quarter, but after a missed 41-yard field goal by the Commodores’ Tommy Openshaw, the Bulldogs put together back-to-back touchdown drives. The second TD march was guided by backup quarterback Williams, who replaced Prescott with 2:51 remaining in the third quarter, and Mississippi State preserved the shutout by knocking down Rivers’ fourth-down pass in the end zone with 7:04 to play.

Mississippi State scored on five of its six first-half possessions and added a defensive TD on Christian Holmes’ 51-yard return of Latevius Rayford fumble 59 seconds into the second quarter. Prescott threw for three touchdowns and ran for another in the half, while Evan Sobiesk kicked a 34-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter to give the Bulldogs a 37-0 halftime lead – their largest ever against an SEC opponent.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Mississippi State, which visits Mississippi next Saturday in the regular-season finale, posted a perfect home record (7-0) for the first time since 1999. … Vanderbilt capped a 0-4 road season and failed to win a game away from home for the first time since going 0-5 in 2004. … Prescott upped his season school total-TD record to 35 (23 passing, 12 rushing).