After earning their first SEC win of the season against Kentucky last week, the Mississippi State University Bulldogs fell to the South Carolina Gamecocks. In what was mostly a close game for the first half, the Gamecocks managed to use turnovers and time of possession to pull away to a 34-16 victory. 
Turnovers were a huge issue for the Bulldogs as they turned the ball over five times against a strong South Carolina defense. Four out of the five Bulldog turnovers proved to be detrimental as they resulted in points for the Gamecocks. Despite leading the team in passing and rushing yards and scoring two touchdowns, MSU quarterback Dak Prescott turned the ball over four times. Prescott had a total of three interceptions all season before entering Saturday’s game. Although scoring the first touchdown of the game, Prescott said a lack of execution ultimately tilted momentum and was a major factor in the loss.
“We went down there and scored, and that’s how the game should have went the whole game,” he said. “We didn’t execute. The first drive should have been like that the rest of the game.”
Turnovers were not the only problem the Bulldogs faced as they could not seem to find a way to keep the Gamecocks from scoring touchdowns through the air. The Bulldogs’ defense was impressive for the most part as they managed to hold South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw to under 150 yards passing and allowed him to complete only 10 passes throughout the entire game. However, Shaw was still able to throw four touchdown passes to three different receivers. 
MSU Cornerback Cedric Jiles said despite the turnovers, the defensive coverage prevented the Bulldog offense from getting time of possession.
“It isn’t frustrating really. It’s more ‘let me get my stuff together and don’t get beat,’” he said. “You have got to be ready to play and stop the offense every down and make the changes.”
The Bulldogs (4-4, 1-3), whose record dropped to 2-19 against AP ranked teams under head coach Dan Mullen, will travel to College Station, Texas to take on reigning Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel and the No. 11 Texas A&M Aggies (7-2, 3-2) this weekend. 
Mullen said the Bulldogs will have to prepare for one of the best offensive attacks in the country.
“It’s going to be a tough challenge playing one of the best, if not the best, offenses in the country. Through a consistency standpoint, I think the lowest number of points they’ve scored in a game is 41,” he said. “When 41 is their lowest point total, obviously they are a very explosive offense. They’ve done a great job and have several talented players. Last week we went from playing the best defensive player in the country (Jadeveon Clowney) to this week playing probably the best offensive player in the country.”
The Aggies claim the third-best total offense in the nation with 582 yards per game while averaging 49 points per game. The game will be MSU’s third consecutive conference bout. The Aggies defeated the Bulldogs 38-13 last year. The game will air Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on CBS.