STARKVILLE — It didn’t seem possible for Mississippi State to sink any deeper than the Bulldogs already had this season, but MSU was on its way to finding a new low a quarter into Saturday’s game against Massachusetts.

The Bulldogs lost nine yards on their first six plays, while the Minutemen drove down the field with ease on their opening possession, converting three third downs on a 13-play, 76-yard drive that ended in a short touchdown run. Instead of letting an early 10-point deficit against lowly UMass get to their heads, though, they made the right adjustments and found their rhythm on both sides of the ball. They scored 35 unanswered points in a 45-20 victory over the Minutemen.

“Just a happy locker room,” said MSU head coach Jeff Lebby, who earned his first win as a head coach over an FBS opponent. “(It’s about) them just being able to experience a win and being able to feel good again. Could not be more proud of our togetherness, the team we are creating, the foundation that’s being built. For those guys, being able to feel victory is important.”

The turnaround started with a big play on special teams, when Davon Booth returned a kickoff out to the Bulldogs’ 42-yard line to give the hosts good starting field position. Freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren found Booth out of the backfield on an angle route to move the chains for the first time in the game, and after a pair of costly defensive penalties, Van Buren pulled the ball out of Booth’s stomach and took it in himself to put MSU (2-7) on the board.

The Bulldogs’ much-maligned defense then got in on the action with Brylan Lanier — who moved midseason from safety to cornerback — intercepted an overthrown pass from UMass quarterback Taisun Phommachanh. MSU took over on its own 3, but Johnnie Daniels hit a big hole on the first play for a 35-yard gain, jump-starting a 97-yard drive that Van Buren capped with a 19-yard touchdown pass on play action to tight end Seydou Traore.

“Just keep going throughout hard times. That’s what Coach Lebby always preaches to us,” Van Buren said. “How you handle adversity is big. It pretty much makes you as a man. If you’re a man, you’re going to go through it and you’re going to keep fighting and keep getting back up after you lose.”

Van Buren’s only passing touchdown of the day put the Bulldogs in front for good, and the defense backed it up by forcing the Minutemen (2-7) to punt on their next four possessions, including two three-and-outs. MSU extended its lead with Van Buren’s second touchdown run on the same play as his first one and was ahead 21-10 at the half.

The running game continued to pave the way in the second half. Daniels sprinted straight through the middle for a 36-yard touchdown on the Bulldogs’ first drive of the third quarter, and Booth used excellent blocking downfield to find the end zone from 30 yards out.

“We finished in better body positions in the core, at the line of scrimmage, and that gives those backs a chance to run through trash,” Lebby said. “Our guys did a pretty good job of winning some one-on-ones, and that’s the difference. Instead of gaining four (yards), you have the ability to run through some trash and gain 11. Now you start creating some chunks and start leaning on people, and you have the chance to keep the momentum in the run game.”

After completing just two of his first seven passes, Van Buren was 11 for his next 14 despite taking several hits and getting sacked three times. Jordan Mosley set a new career high with 107 receiving yards on just four catches, including a 55-yard grab on an underthrown deep ball that he snatched away from a defensive back.

“I love single coverage. It’s my favorite kind of coverage,” Mosley said. “I like (when there’s) a guy right in front of me and it’s man on man, him versus me. It was fun. A lot of opportunities to go down the field and make plays, and that’s what we did as an offense.”

The MSU defense recorded its first two sacks since the Texas game on Sept. 28, both in the second half. Linemen Kai McClendon and Deonte Anderson teamed up for the first one, a five-yard loss, and linebacker Ty Cooper brought down third-string quarterback AJ Hairston in the fourth quarter.

“Just playing a whole game of defense, a complete game, that’s what we needed,” said middle linebacker Stone Blanton, who had a game-high 14 tackles.

The Bulldogs were even able to empty the bench a bit late and bring in a few more youngsters. Freshman receiver Sanfrisco Magee made his first collegiate reception on a screen pass for six yards, and freshman Xavier Gayten put the exclamation point on the win with a 72-yard burst for the first touchdown of his college career.

MSU’s final three opponents are all ranked, starting with a trip to Knoxville to face a top-10 Tennessee team next week. For now, though, the Bulldogs were happy to sing the fight song after the clock hit zeros for the first time in more than two months.

“The way we started was not what we wanted at all, on both sides of the football,” Lebby said. “I was incredibly proud of our guys continuing to play the next play and finding a way to create some momentum and then being able to keep momentum. When you have a chance to create it, you have to find ways to keep it.”