Mississippi State vs. Missouri: Game Grades, Analysis for Bulldogs and Tigers

The No. 20 Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-2, 3-2 SEC) defeated the Missouri Tigers (4-5, 1-5 SEC), 31-13, on a sloppy, rainy Thursday night in Columbia, Missouri.

MSU quarterback Dak Prescott was fantastic, completing 27 of 40 passes for 303 yards and four touchdowns. On his final touchdown pass, Prescott became the sixth player in SEC history with 100 touchdowns. 

The Bulldogs remain firmly in the race for the SEC West title. 

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Second-Half Grade
Pass Offense	A-	A
Run Offense	C	C+
Pass Defense	A	A
Run Defense	C+	B-
Special Teams	C	B+
Coaching	B+	A-

Pass Offense: Prescott was unstoppable. Even in bad conditions, he hit De'Runnya Wilson for a big touchdown. He was efficient all night, and his receivers didn't let him down. Fred Ross caught 11 balls for 115 yards and a score, while Wilson caught two touchdowns.

Run Offense: The Bulldogs had no running game to speak of. Prescott had one impressive run to get a first down, but other than that, the Bulldogs used the short passing game against a stout Missouri defense. Prescott led MSU with 47 yards on the ground. 

Pass Defense: Mississippi State put pressure on Missouri quarterback Drew Lock all night. One pressure created an interception. The Bulldogs were terrific at limiting Missouri's yards after the catch. 

Run Defense: Outside of one drive, MSU did a solid job against the run. That particular drive was the only one of note all game long for the Tigers. However, late in the fourth quarter with the game out of hand, the Bulldogs allowed a 72-yard run, missing several tackles. 

Special Teams: The Bulldogs allowed a blocked punt when the game was close. Fortunately for Mississippi State, it only resulted in three points for Missouri. Kicker Westin Graves hit a field goal into the driving rain late in the second quarter. 

Coaching: Head coach Dan Mullen did a good job of sticking with his game plan against a good defense, even when the rain was making it difficult to pass the football. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz adjusted nicely after the Bulldogs gave up an easy touchdown drive. 

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Second-Half Grade
Pass Offense	F	F
Run Offense	B	B-
Pass Defense	D+	C-
Run Defense	B+	B+
Special Teams	A	B
Coaching	C	B-

Pass Offense: Lock was 11-of-26 for just 107 yards and two interceptions. He was hurried all night, but when he had time to make throws, he made bad decisions. His play is a major reason for Mizzou's struggles on offense. 

Run Offense: Overall, the Tigers ran for 215 yards. However, about 80 of those yards came on the final drive when the game was decided. The Tigers ran extremely well on their lone touchdown drive. The running game, except for one run, was not consistent after that. 

Pass Defense: The Tigers got pressure on Prescott, sacking him multiple times. Unfortunately, though, Missouri's secondary wasn't up to task. Prescott had his way with Mizzou's defensive backs. 

Run Defense: The Bulldogs didn't have much of a running game. They didn't need one. However, Missouri did a good job of limiting MSU's running backs to just 80 yards on 22 carries. The Tigers are getting terrific play, as usual, from their defensive front four. 

Special Teams: The Tigers blocked a punt, which set up a score. It was Kentrell Brothers' third block of the season. Kicker Andrew Baggett hit two field goals in difficult conditions. 

Coaching: Gary Pinkel needs to do a better job of getting his running game going early in games. If Missouri had tried to run the ball more on its first two possessions, perhaps the Tigers could've come away with more points.