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STARKVILLE, Miss. - Louisiana Tech jumped out to a 14-0 lead but miscues and big plays for Mississippi State turned the tide as LA Tech fell, 45-20, in front of 61,651 at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville Saturday.

Mississippi State (5-2) was buoyed by a blocked punt recovered on the LA Tech two yard line and five plays of 20 yards or more -- including a 73-yard interception return for a touchdown -- along with scoring 21 unanswered points overlapping halftime to pull away from Louisiana Tech (4-3).

Jeff Driskel was 25-for-41 for 303 yards and two touchdowns in the game but gave up an interception that was returned for a touchdown.

Meanwhile Mississippi State's Dak Prescott threw for 347 yards in a 30-for-43 performance with three touchdowns and extended his unblemished streak of no interceptions on the season.

For the Magnolia State's Bulldogs, Donald Gray blocked the punt of Gerald Shouse to set up a two-yard score late in the first half while Brandon Bryant's 73-yard interception return for a touchdown sealed the outcome.

Boston Scott led LA Tech with a career-best 55 rushing yards on 10 carries while Jarred Craft recorded 96 all-purpose yards (40 rushing, 56 receiving). Xavier Woods and Nick Thomason each registered 10 total tackles and a pass break-up for Tech with Woods credited for 1.5 tackles for a loss of three yards and Thomason with one tackle for a loss of three yards.

A week after being named Louisiana's Defensive Player of the Week Jaylon Ferguson -- in his second career start - led Tech with 2.5 tackles for a loss of eight yards including a solo sack for a loss of four yards along with three quarterback hurries.

LA Tech jumped out to a 14-0 lead early on Mississippi State as Driskel orchestrated a pair of long drives -- both over 70 yard. The first score was a Paul Turner 21-yard touchdown catch from Driskel to cap an 80-yard drive in eight plays for the first score of the game. After forcing a Mississippi State punt, Tech drove back down the field with Trent Taylor making an acrobatic, toe-tapping touchdown catch on a 16-yard reception for the 14-0 lead.

Miss. State responded with 2:30 left in the first quarter with a two-yard run as the Magnolia State Bulldogs moved the ball 82 yards in 1:49 to pull within a score of Tech.

State would add three points to its tally with a 26-yard field goal by Westin Graves less than four minutes into the second quarter before Tech would respond with a field goal of its own, a 33-yard kick by Jonathan Barnes.

Another long drive by Mississippi State netted seven points with De'Runnya Wilson's five-yard catch from Prescott to tie the game at 17-17 with 2:53 left in the first half.

Pinned back deep in its own territory on the next series, Tech allowed Mississippi State to block Gerald Shouse's punt attempt with State recovering the ball on Tech's two-yard line. Prescott would run it in on the first play of the drive as Mississippi State took a 24-17 lead into half.

Mississippi State extended its run to 21 consecutive points scored in tehi third quarter as Prescott found Wilson again, this time for a 20-yard touchdown pass, as State extended its lead to 31-17.

Louisiana Tech would get back on the board with 4:44 left in the third quarter as Barnes would hit a 27-yard field goal, cutting State's lead to 31-20. But State would respond with 1:30 left in the quarter as Prescott threw his third touchdown pass of the day -- this time a 12-yard pass to Fred Brown -- pushing State's lead to 38-20.

State's final score was the interception return for a touchdown by Bryant with 7:10 left in the game.

Louisiana Tech returns to action next Saturday, Oct. 24, when the Bulldogs host Middle Tennessee at 2:30 p.m. CT at Joe Aillet Stadium.

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