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STARKVILLE, Miss. — A pair of fourth quarter touchdowns by Kansas State proved to be the difference Saturday afternoon at Davis Wade Stadium as the Bulldogs dropped a 31-24 contest with the Wildcats.
Mississippi State (2-1) trailed 3-0 after one quarter before Kansas State (3-0) made it 10-0 early in the second quarter. Senior running back Jordon Brown found the end zone on a 7-yard rush to make it a 10-0 game with 13:31 left in the first half.
Senior quarterback Tommy Stevens got MSU on the board with a 2-yard touchdown. Kansas State then got a 1-yard touchdown run from junior quarterback Skylar Thompson to give the Wildcats a 17-7 lead with 46 seconds before halftime.
Stevens then fund junior wide receiver Osirus Mitchell for a 35-yard touchdown pass with just nine seconds remaining to bring the Bulldogs within 17-14 at halftime.
Freshman quarterback Garrett Shrader entered the game early in the third quarter to lead the Bulldogs on a 12-play, 79-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard touchdown run from Shrader to give State a 21-17 lead with 4:47 to go in the third quarter. MSU increased its lead to 24-17 to begin the fourth quarter with a 47-yard field goal from junior kicker Jace Christmann.
The Wildcats responded with a 100-yard touchdown from freshman Malik Knowles on the ensuing kickoff to tie things up at 24-24.
A 15-yard touchdown pass to Kansas State’s Dalton Schoen proved to be the difference this time, as the Bulldogs dropped their first game of the season.
Stevens finished with 100 passing yards, one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown and an interception. Shrader passed for 51 yards to go along with 82 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
Senior linebacker Leo Lewis led the defense with a career-high 12 tackles, while junior linebacker Erroll Thompson and senior safety Jaquarius Landrews followed with nine apiece.
The Bulldogs end their three-game homestand next Saturday against Kentucky (2-1). Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT at Davis Wade Stadium and will be televised by SEC Network.