#14 Mississippi State Football Falls to Kentucky 28-7

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Mississippi State football team couldn’t slow down a strong Kentucky running game as the Bulldogs fell to the Wildcats 28-7 Saturday night at Kroger Field.

With the loss, MSU falls to 3-1 (0-1 SEC) on the season, while UK improves to 4-0 (2-0 SEC).

MSU took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter after a one-yard rush by senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald midway through the second quarter, but a four-touchdown performance by junior running back Benny Snell Jr. propelled the Wildcats to 28 unanswered points. The Wildcats pulled away with two fourth-quarter scores. Snell Jr. finished with 25 rushes for 165 yards. As a team, Kentucky ran the ball 47 times for 229 yards.

State committed 16 penalties for 139 yards on the night and couldn’t get things going offensively.

The Kentucky defense held a normally productive Bulldog ground game to just 56 yards. Senior running back Aeris Williams rushed for a team-high 22 yards on eight carries. Fitzgerald rushed 16 times for 20 yards.

Fitzgerald went 16-32 passin for 145 yards and an interception. Sophomore wide receiver Osirus Mitchell led all receivers with a game-high six catches for 65 yards.

Defensively, the Bulldogs tallied 10 tackles for loss, led by a pair from senior defensive tackle Braxton Hoyett. Senior pass rusher Montez Sweat had 1.5 of MSU’s three sacks on the night. Sophomore linebacker Erroll Thompson led the Bulldogs with seven total tackles. Junior defensive back Brian Cole snagged his first interception as a Bulldog late in the contest.

MSU now returns to Starkville to host Florida (3-1, 1-1 SEC) in Southeastern Conference action. The game is set to kickoff at 5:00 p.m. CT at Davis Wade Stadium and will be televised by ESPN.