Mississippi State falls to No. 14 Texas A&M for sixth straight – The Vicksburg Post

1 from 9

Mississippi State defensive backs tackle Texas A&M running back Le’Veon Moss in Saturday’s game in Starkville. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Former Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott smiles during pregame ceremonies at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday before the Bulldogs took on Texas A&M. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Former Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott rings the giant cowbell at Davis Wade Stadium during Saturday’s game against Texas A&M. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Texas A&M defensive lineman Albert Regis (17) tackles Mississippi State running back Davon Booth during Saturday’s game in Starkville. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

A skydiver parachutes into Mississippi State’s Davis Wade Stadium during pregame ceremonies Saturday before the Bulldogs take on Texas A&M. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren drops back to pass against Texas A&M. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Mississippi State fans watch Saturday’s game against No. 14 Texas A&M at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Mississippi State football head coach Jeff Lebby shouts instructions to his team during Saturday’s game against Texas A&M. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Former Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott runs through Davis Wade Stadium before Saturday’s game against Texas A&M. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

STARKVILLE – Another game against a top-15 team. Another good performance from Mississippi State. And another loss.

The Bulldogs stood tough again as they completed the first leg of a difficult Southeastern Conference schedule, but fell short with a 34-24 loss to No. 14 Texas A&M on Saturday.

Mississippi State (1-6, 0-4 SEC) lost its sixth straight game. The last three have been No. 1 Texas, No. 4 Georgia and now No. 14 Texas A&M, and all have been competitive. There are three more ranked opponents at the back end of the schedule in November.

Le’Veon Moss ran for 65 yards and two touchdowns for Texas A&M (6-1, 4-0), and Amari Daniels had 47 yards and a touchdown. The Aggies have won six straight games since their opening game loss to Notre Dame and have quietly moved into first place in the SEC.

The Aggies went 9 of 14 on third-down conversions Saturday and made nine of their first 11.

“It’s a road win and that’s not easy in this league,” Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said. “There’s nothing easy about being at this conference, and they certainly didn’t make it easy. We have to give our guys credit, I thought we fought and battled through the adversity.”

Mississippi State continued to show an offensive spark with true freshman Michael Van Buren at quarterback. He led the Bulldogs to two touchdowns in the first half and completed 22 of 41 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception.

Van Buren threw three touchdown passes for the second straight game.

“I think he’s getting better and better,” Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said. “This is a young man with a lot of ability being thrown into the fire as an 18-year-old. I am incredibly proud of his process. He has to get better.”

Mississippi State trailed just 21-17 at halftime, but the Aggies pulled away in the second half. Moss scored on a 3-yard run with 3:24 left in the third quarter, and Randy Bond made field goals of 28 and 44 yards.

Van Buren threw a 12-yard TD pass to Kevin Coleman Jr. early in the fourth quarter to put the Bulldogs up 31-24, and then the final three possessions ended with a punt and two turnovers on downs.

“I thought (Texas A&M) did a really good job throwing and catching,” Lebby said. “We had a few opportunities to get off the field but couldn’t. We have to continue to be better in the third half. We have to be better on both sides in the third half.”

About Ernest Bowker

Ernest Bowker is sports editor of the Vicksburg Post. He has been a member of the Vicksburg Post sports team since 1998, making him one of the longest-serving reporters in the newspaper’s 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. Over the course of his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.

More from Ernest