Dak in action
Mississippi State junior quarterback Dak Prescott leapt into the Heisman Trophy conversation after back-to-back victories against LSU and Texas A&M. He catapulted to the top of that list when he had 367 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-23 victory against then-No. 2 Auburn. Coming off MSU’s second bye week in less than a month, Prescott will look to continue that Heisman momentum in Lexington, Kentucky.
Count Kentucky coach Mark Stoops as one who respects what Prescott brings to the table.
“He’s as talented of a guy as there is in the country,” Stoops said. “He can run it, he can throw it. He’s making great decisions and their offense puts stress on you. Physically, good-looking guy, strong, leader, tough, just everything you want in your quarterback and, in particular, with what they do, with the dual threat and putting that stress on you.”
Prescott has lived up to Stoops’ opinion. He has thrown for 1,563 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for 576 yards and eight scores. He also has a touchdown reception, giving him 23 touchdowns in six games. That’s one more than former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow had at the midway point of his Heisman Trophy-winning season in 2007.
Asked to compare the two, Stoops admitted he sees a resemblance.
“Two big, physical guys with a will to win,” Stoops said. “(Prescott) has a lot of the same qualities as Tim (Tebow).”
Attention-grabbers
Two weeks ago, MSU played host to then-No. 2 Auburn in CBS’ Game of the Week, the first such home game for MSU since 2005. On Saturday, the Bulldogs will appear on the network for the second-straight game.
After MSU’s demolition of Auburn, the network announced it would broadcast the MSU-Kentucky showdown, continuing a trend of national attention for the Bulldogs, who have made two appearances on the cover of Sports Illustrated and who will be on a national network for the sixth time in seven games.
For Mullen, the attention has been great. But he also uses the attention to get a message across to his unbeaten football team.
“We’ve told them, ‘Hey, if you don’t like the attention, go out there and play poorly. If you lose, they won’t talk about you anymore,’ ” Mullen said. “We haven’t played poorly yet, so I guess they like the attention.”
They call it a streak
MSU will try to keep a pair of winning streaks going Saturday. Mullen, who is in his sixth year as MSU’s coach, has never lost to Kentucky. MSU has won five straight in the series, dating back to Mullen’s first year in 2009.
More importantly, the Bulldogs have raced to No. 1 on the strength of a nine-game winning streak, the fourth-longest in school history. MSU hasn’t lost since a 20-7 home setback against No. 1 Alabama last November. In that time, MSU has enjoyed a streak that ranks as the nation’s second-longest active run, behind the 23-game roll of No. 2 Florida State.
Lewis returns
One of the most impressive parts about the back-to-back wins against Texas A&M and Auburn is MSU accomplished it without one of its most important pieces.
Senior wide receiver Jameon Lewis, who is second on the team with 15 catches, was a late scratch against Texas A&M due to a lower leg injury. The injury also kept him out of the Auburn game.
Earlier this week, Mullen said Lewis is “expected to be 100 percent” for the Kentucky game. Last season against Kentucky, the Tylertown product ran for a touchdown, threw for a touchdown, and caught a touchdown, a feat he has accomplished twice as a Bulldog.
“We have our most explosive player coming back,” Mullen said. “That just adds another weapon the defense has to be concerned about. I think that is going to cause more concern for the defense to know exactly where he is because they know what he can do with the ball in his hands.”
Kentucky gets grounded?
When comparing strengths and weakness between the Wildcats and Bulldogs, look no further than the ground game. MSU, behind Prescott and tailback Josh Robinson, ranks second in the SEC in rushing offense. It has rushed for at least 250 yards in all three of its SEC wins.
Kentucky is 11th in the league in rushing yards allowed. In three of its four conference games, Kentucky has allowed a 100-yard rusher. It surrendered 316 rushing yards to then-No. 23 LSU a week ago.
“It is a concern,” Stoops said. “Another physical football team, they are very well-coached. They put you in some tough predicaments.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
