Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State: Score and Twitter Reaction

No. 12 Mississippi State made a major statement Saturday afternoon at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi, as the Bulldogs upset No. 6 Texas A&M, 48-31.

Mississippi State handed the Aggies their first loss of the season, while the Bulldogs improved their record to 5-0. Quarterback Dak Prescott proved to be the difference, as he outplayed Texas A&M signal-caller Kenny Hill and possibly leapfrogged him in the Heisman Trophy race.

Prescott ended the game with 259 passing yards, 77 rushing yards and five total touchdowns in the greatest performance of his career to date.

On the heels of their win over LSU two weeks ago, the Bulldogs made history by defeating the Aggies, according to ESPN College GameDay:

There was plenty riding on this game, as both teams entered with perfect records. The Aggies and Bulldogs each had SEC title and College Football Playoff aspirations and knew full well that a loss could crush those dreams.

Texas A&M was shorthanded entering the game, as a shoulder injury suffered during last week's come-from-behind win over Arkansas forced leading receiver Malcome Kennedy to sit out.

Even without his No. 1 target, Hill had no trouble marching down the field on the Aggies' opening drive. As Bill Bender of Sporting News noted, Hill was able to take advantage of the great weapons still at his disposal:

On that opening drive, Hill threw for 65 yards and tossed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Josh Reynolds to put Texas A&M on top 7-0 in the early going. As the game progressed, however, Kennedy's absence would certainly come to loom large, with the Aggies offense struggling.

Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle had more on the Aggies' receiving woes with Kennedy out:

Unfazed by the early 7-0 deficit, the Bulldogs marched right down the field on their opening drive. A 49-yard run from junior running back Josh Robinson eventually set up a one-yard plunge by Robinson to tie the game less than five minutes in. A personal foul call against Texas A&M defensive end Qualen Cunningham helped shrink the field for Mississippi State in the red zone.

After a high hit on Prescott, Cunningham was ejected from the game for targeting, per ESPN Texas A&M:

Due to a miscommunication regarding the jersey number, the officials nearly made a mistake, according to NFL.com's Chase Goodbread:

After a three-and-out series, the Aggies gained new life when Bulldogs return man Jamoral Graham muffed a punt. The coverage got extremely close, but Texas A&M didn't get flagged on the play, per Zack McMillin of The Commercial Appeal:

The Bulldogs were fortunate to avoid further damage, however, as they made a crucial stop on 4th-and-1 at their own 17-yard line and regained possession of the ball.

Both teams traded possessions for the remainder of the first quarter until Mississippi State gained some momentum late in the frame. Prescott was especially effective on the drive, as he completed a pair of 22-yard passes and ran the ball with purpose as well.

Prescott was even starting to outshine Hill, which impressed many, including Kedrick Storey of the Southern Sentinel:

A short Robinson touchdown run on the final play of the first quarter once again finished off the drive, which gave the Bulldogs a 14-7 advantage.

As seen in this graphic, courtesy of MSU Football on Twitter, Mississippi State's offense was far more efficient than that of Kevin Sumlin's heralded squad:

Texas A&M once again failed to get anything going on offense early in the second, which gave the Bulldogs an opportunity to extend their lead. They did precisely that with an 11-play, 87-yard drive that took nearly five minutes off the clock.

Prescott was once again on fire; he ran or passed on all but one play during the drive. The junior signal-caller found pay dirt with a tough, second-effort run, giving Mississippi State a commanding 21-7 lead.

The run was reminiscent of former Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, one NFL general manager has already drawn a favorable comparison between Prescott and the former Gator:

With Prescott running roughshod over the Aggies, Ralph D. Russo of The Associated Press endorsed the big signal-caller as a true player in the Heisman race:

The Aggies started to drive on the following possession, but Bulldogs linebacker Richie Brown prematurely ended the drive by picking off Hill. It was a fortuitous bounce for Mississippi State, as the ball popped out of the hands of wide receiver Boone Niederhofer.

While Niederhofer could have done better, Alex Brown of Optimum Scouting critiqued Hill, as the ball was thrown well behind his receiver:

Robinson fumbled the ball back to Texas A&M two plays later, but Hill's nightmarish half continued. He threw yet another interception, with Brown coming away with the ball for the second time in five plays.

The pair of picks shocked the Aggies, especially since Hill had thrown just two interceptions all season entering the contest.

With the Aggies in disarray, Prescott went to work and orchestrated another masterful drive. The do-everything quarterback even caught a pass for 11 yards before firing a nine-yard strike to De'Runnya Wilson, which made it 28-7 in favor of Mississippi State.

Texas A&M was able to salvage something at the end of the half by hitting a 27-yard field goal, but the Bulldogs had to be content to enter halftime up 28-10.

As seen in this tweet courtesy of ESPN's College GameDay, Prescott definitely won the battle of quarterbacks in the opening half:

The Bulldogs had a chance to cancel out Texas A&M's late field goal early in the third quarter, but kicker Evan Sobiesk brutally missed a 42-yard attempt short.

Much like in the first half, though, the Aggies offense couldn't capitalize. On Mississippi State's third drive of the half, it managed to essentially bury Texas A&M and put the game out of reach. A 51-yard romp by running back Brandon Holloway set the stage for Prescott's second short touchdown of the day.

The Texas A&M defensive line was no match for Prescott on the sneak as he muscled his way past the goal line, ESPN's Rece Davis noted:

The Bulldogs' extra point attempt was blocked, though, making the score 34-10. Texas A&M desperately needed a touchdown, and it was finally able to get one on the next drive. Hill led his team on a 78-yard drive, culminating in a touchdown pass to freshman Speedy Noil.

Noil turned in a spectacular effort as he caught the ball near the end zone and somehow managed to extend the ball over the pylon while falling backward out of bounds.

Dan Wolken of USA Today was among those taken aback by the athletic move:

Just when it seemed like the Aggies were gaining momentum, the Bulldogs answered back almost immediately. Prescott found Fred Brown for a 51-yard touchdown to go back up by 24 points, 41-17.

With time running out for the Aggies, the Bulldogs managed to get in yet another body blow. Hill threw an interception to Brown for the third time in the game. That pick gave Brown the team lead on the season, according to Bob Carskadon of HailState.com:

To add insult to injury, Mississippi State took advantage of the turnover, as Prescott rushed for his third touchdown of the day. That put the Bulldogs on top 48-17 and further bolstered Dak's Heisman resume, per the AP's David Brandt:

The Aggies were able to make a cosmetic improvement to the score with a touchdown from Hill to Noil with just under two-and-a-half minutes remaining, followed by another scoring toss from Hill to Reynolds a little more than a minute later.

The game was already out of hand by that time, though, and Mississippi State was able to seal the victory.

While this is a huge win for the Bulldogs, especially on the heels of a victory over LSU, things won't get any easier. Mississippi State will host No. 5 Auburn next week in yet another game with huge College Football Playoff implications.

The Tigers will be a major challenge for Mississippi's State's offense, due largely to the dual-threat nature of quarterback Nick Marshall. If the Bulldogs can win that game, though, nobody will be able to deny their status as legitimate national title contenders.

Texas A&M isn't technically out of it yet, but it will likely have to win out in order to vie for the national championship. With games against No. 11 Ole Miss and No. 3 Alabama over the next two weeks, this season has the potential to get out of hand quickly if the Aggies defense can't get straightened out.

There is no question that the Texas A&M fanbase has to be disappointed with Saturday's effort, but Mississippi State essentially played a perfect game on both sides of the ball.

If the Bulldogs are able to maintain this form moving forward, there may not be a team in the nation they can't beat.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter