Prescott throws 4 TD passes, Mississippi State tops Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- De'Runnya Wilson bided his time. Whenever Missouri went to man-on-man coverage against the Mississippi State wide receiver, he was ready.

"My feet get sweaty, my eyes get blurry, I know the ball's going to come to me," Wilson said after making the most of his chances in the Bulldogs' 31-13 victory on Thursday night.

"So, I just try to execute."

Dak Prescott threw four touchdown passes and Mississippi State (No. 20 CFP, No. 24 AP) got 100-yard receiving games from Wilson and Fred Ross in the rain.

"I've said it year-round," Prescott said of Wilson. "I'll take him vs. any cornerback one-on-one, at any time."

The Bulldogs kicked it into gear after a heavy downpour stopped at halftime, turning a one-point game into a runaway with a 17-point third quarter that included two of Prescott's TD throws.

"I'm juiced, man," coach Dan Mullen said. "We work hard to try and get some wins and when you get them, I love it."

Wilson had four catches for 102 yards with two touchdowns, giving him a conference-leading eight on the year. Ross and Fred Brown had one each for Mississippi State (7-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference), which has won four in a row to stay in contention in the SEC West.

The Bulldogs pulled away without left tackle Rufus Warren, who injured his left leg late in the first half and was carted off at halftime and at the end of the game, too. Mullen said he didn't think Warren was seriously hurt.

Prescott became the 10th player in SEC history with 10,000 yards of total offense after entering the game needing just 65, and he became the sixth player in history to account for 100 touchdowns.

He was 27-of-40 for 303 yards, most allowed by Missouri's strong defense all season, and led the Bulldogs in rushing with 47 yards on 14 carries.

Russell Hansbrough's 14-yard run late in the first half gave Missouri (4-5, 1-5) its first touchdown in four games. Kentrell Brothers forced a fumble and blocked a punt to set up a pair of field goals in the first half for the Tigers. They have lost four in a row for the first time since 2004.

"Nothing changes; you work your butt off," coach Gary Pinkel said. "There's not magic dust; it doesn't happen."

The attendance of 58,878 was Missouri's worst this season, dragged down by the school's struggles and the stormy conditions.

"I think it's just tough for a lot of us because we made a lot of mistakes," said linebacker Michael Scherer, beaten for a touchdown pass on the opening drive. "We made way too many mistakes."

Freshman quarterback Drew Lock, the starter throughout the losing streak, was 11 of 26 for 107 yards and was sacked five times. Maty Mauk, who began the season as the starter, was suspended for the second time this season on Sunday for a violation of team policies.

Pinkel said Lock did some good things, "but I'm not going to go through an evaluation of our QBs."

Wilson scored on catches of 28 and 5 yards, the first set up by Brandon Holloway's 69-yard kickoff return and the second set up by Wilson's 63-yard reception. Ross had 11 receptions for 115 yards.

Mississippi State started fast. Ross was wide open on a 36-yard catch to cap the opening drive of 62 yards on four plays in 42 seconds, but the Bulldogs didn't score again until Wilson's 28-yard grab midway through the second quarter made it 14-6.

Hansbrough's TD was his first of the year after getting 10 last season, and Missouri's first since Ish Witter scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter of a victory over South Carolina on Oct. 3.

Missouri reserve Tyler Hunt had a 35-yard reception and a 72-yard run.

Both teams had last weekend off.