Josh Robinson's big day helps Mississippi State stave off Kentucky 45-31
While Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott rightfully gets a lot of attention for his running ability, RB Josh Robinson is pretty damn good too.
Robinson ran over, around and through the Kentucky defense on Saturday as No. 1 Mississippi State held off the Wildcats 45-31.
He finished with 198 yards on 23 carries, including a 73-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that essentially iced the game. After Kentucky had pulled within 31-24, Robinson burst through the line on Mississippi State's third play of the drive and had an incredible cutback to get to the end zone.
However, another run might have been more impressive. In the third quarter, Robinson had an insane 22-yard run that saw him break seven tackles and completely reverse field before being taken down.
After Robinson's 73-yard score, Kentucky had a great chance to pull within a touchdown for the third time in the second half. But on 4th-and-4 from the MSU 19, a pass from Patrick Towles went in and out of the hands of Ryan Timmons in the end zone.
When Kentucky finally made it 38-31, there was just 2:49 remaining in the fourth quarter. That necessitated an onside kick, but, much as it had all day long, Mississippi State immediately ran the lead back to two possessions.
How? Well, the onside kick went straight to Christian Holmes, who ran it back 61 yards for the final score.
While Robinson was an absolute stud, Prescott's Heisman Trophy campaign continued. He finished 18-33 passing for 216 yards a touchdown and an interception but also ran 18 times for 88 yards and two scores. While it his performance wasn't nearly as flashy as Marcus Mariota's five TD performance against Cal on Friday night, it was another strong performance for the man many consider to be the frontrunner for the trophy.
In the loss, Kentucky QB Patrick Towles had the game of his career. Towles was 24-43 for 390 yards passing and two touchdowns while he ran for 76 yards and two other scores.
The win also sets Mississippi State up to be 9-0 against Alabama on November 15. The Bulldogs' next two games before traveling to face the Crimson Tide are against Arkansas and Tennessee-Martin at home. Let the countdown begin.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
