Vanderbilt rides 16-0 halftime lead to 25-23 win at Mississippi State

Vanderbilt beat Mississippi State 25-23 at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday, and the decisive margin was built before halftime. The Commodores led 16-0 at the break after keeping the Bulldogs off the scoreboard entirely in the first two quarters, and Mississippi State's 23 second-half points were not enough to erase the deficit.

Jared Curtis managed the game for Vanderbilt, completing 17 of 27 passes for 168 yards without an interception. Makhilyn Young carried 15 times for 63 yards, Tristen Brown caught two passes for 52 yards, and Issa Ouattara recorded two sacks. Mason Lewis led the Commodores with 10 tackles.

The Commodores led 3-0 after the first quarter and added 13 points in the second. Mississippi State answered with 14 in the third, a period in which Vanderbilt added a field goal, and the Bulldogs outscored the visitors 9-6 over the final 15 minutes.

AJ Swann threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns on 23-of-36 passing with one interception for Mississippi State, and Sanfrisco Magee turned two receptions into 95 yards and both scores. Fluff Bothwell ran 14 times for 50 yards, Jardin Gilbert made 13 tackles and Tyshun Willis had a sack.

The stat sheet showed the gap. Mississippi State managed 43 rushing yards on 19 attempts, an average of 2.3 per carry, and finished with 12 first downs to Vanderbilt's 20. The Commodores ran 52 times for 160 yards and totaled 328 yards to the Bulldogs' 297. Vanderbilt converted just 4 of 17 third downs but went 2-for-2 on fourth down, while Mississippi State was 0-for-1 on fourth down. Each team turned the ball over once; Vanderbilt lost a fumble, and Swann's interception accounted for the Bulldogs' turnover.

Both teams are 4-5 overall following the conference game.