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Mississippi State defenders wrap up Texas A&M running back Le'Veon Moss during Saturday's game in Starkville. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Former Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott smiles during pregame ceremonies at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday, before the Bulldogs faced Texas A&M. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Former Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott rings the giant cowbell at Davis Wade Stadium during Saturday's game against Texas A&M. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Texas A&M defensive lineman Albert Regis (17) wraps up Mississippi State running back Davon Booth during Saturday's game in Starkville. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

A skydiver parachutes into Mississippi State's Davis Wade Stadium during pregame ceremonies Saturday, before the Bulldogs faced Texas A&M. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Mississippi State quarterback Michael Van Buren drops back to pass against Texas A&M. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Mississippi State fans watch Saturday's game against No. 14 Texas A&M at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Mississippi State football head coach Jeff Lebby yells instructions to his team during Saturday's game against Texas A&M. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

Former Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott walks around Davis Wade Stadium before Saturday's game against Texas A&M. (Walter Frazier/For The Vicksburg Post)

STARKVILLE — Another game against a top 15 team. Another good effort by Mississippi State. And another loss.

The Bulldogs hung tough again as they completed the first leg of a difficult Southeastern Conference schedule, but came up short in a 34-24 loss to No. 14 Texas A&M on Saturday.

Mississippi State (1-6, 0-4 SEC) lost its sixth game in a row. The last three have been to No. 1 Texas, No. 4 Georgia, and now No. 14 Texas A&M, and all were competitive. There are three more ranked opponents on the back end of the schedule in November.

Le’Veon Moss ran for 65 yards and two touchdowns for Texas A&M (6-1, 4-0), and Amari Daniels had 47 yards and a TD. The Aggies have won six games in a row since losing their opener to Notre Dame, and have quietly creeped into first place in the SEC.

The Aggies went 9-for-14 on third-down conversions Saturday, and made nine of the first 11.

“It’s a road win and those don’t come easy in this league,” Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said. “Going on the road in this conference, nothing comes easy, and they certainly didn’t make it easy. Give credit to our guys, I thought we battled and scrapped through adversity.”

Mississippi State continued to show an offensive spark with true freshman Michael Van Buren at quarterback. He led the Bulldogs to two touchdowns in the first half and finished 22-of-41 passing for 242 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception.

Van Buren threw three touchdown passes for the second game in a row.

“I think he is getting better and better,” Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said. “This is a young man that’s got a bunch of ability that’s getting thrown into the fire as an 18-year-old. I’m incredibly proud of his process. He’s got to get better.”

Mississippi State only trailed 21-17 at halftime, but the Aggies pulled away in the second half. Moss scored on a 3-yard run with 3:24 left in the third quarter, and Randy Bond kicked field goals of 28 and 44 yards.

Van Buren threw a 12-yard TD pass to Kevin Coleman Jr. early in the fourth quarter to pull the Bulldogs to within 31-24, and then its last three possessions ended in one punt and two turnovers on downs.

“I thought (Texas A&M) did a really good job of throwing and catching,” Lebby said. “We had some opportunities to get off the field and weren’t able to. We’ve got to continue to be better on third down. We’ve got to be better on both sides of the ball on third down.”

About Ernest Bowker

Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post's sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post's sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured reporters in the paper's 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.

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