Mississippi State Takes 24-3 Homecoming Loss to Kentucky
It was supposed to be a retro-night for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, as they celebrated homecoming at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday night. Instead, it turned into a game that most fans won't want to remember.
With the offense struggling, and the only points at the end of a 20-play possession, Mississippi State saw its bowl hopes take a major hit with a 24-3 loss to Kentucky.
Quarterback Mike Wright completed 11 of his 21 throws for 78 yards, and he rushed for 20 more. But with the Bulldogs unable to get into the end zone, the coaching staff turned to freshman signal caller Chris Parson late in the third quarter. He threw for 67 yards while making his Bulldogs debut.
Kentucky never trailed, as an early 4-yard touchdown reception by Demie Karngbaye gave the Wildcats all the momentum they needed. Two more touchdowns before the half put the game out of reach.
Marcus Banks and Leadrick Griffin were among the few bright spots, and Jett Johnson had 2.5 tackles for a loss. The 55-yard punt by Keelan Crimmins in the second quarter was a career-best.
Kentucky limited the home team to just 218 yards of total offense. D’Eryk Jackson had a 28-yard interception return for a touchdown and the Wildcat defense notched five sacks and eight tackles for loss.
Devin Leary passed for 156 yards and two touchdowns, and Kentucky (6-3, 3-3 SEC) got 80 yards on the ground from Ray Davis.
This loss gave the Bulldogs an overall record of 4-5 (1-5 SEC) with no home conference wins. MSU will travel to College Station next week to take on the Texas A&M Aggies. With Southern Miss and Ole Miss still on the schedule it needs two more wins to be bowl eligible.
