Vanderbilt holds off Mississippi State to win its first SEC game 25-23

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- , Vanderbilt withstood a comeback attempt by Mississippi State and won 25-23 on Saturday. It’s the Commodores’ first Southeastern Conference win of the year, and it snaps a five-game losing streak. “This team, to the last second, every blade of grass,” Vandy head coach Clark Lea said. “We played the way that we want to play at Vanderbilt.” This was Vanderbilt’s first win over State since 2004 and its first in Starkville, Mississippi since 1971. The Commodores (4-5, 1-5 SEC) led 16-0 at halftime, but the Bulldogs scored two touchdowns in 52 seconds to make it a two-point game in the third quarter. Vanderbilt answered with back-to-back field goals between the third and fourth. Mississippi State (4-5, 2-5) got all the way to the Commodores’ 8-yard line late in the fourth quarter, but it could not get into the end zone and instead settled for a field goal.