By MURRAY EVANS
Associated Press Writer
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) – Arliss Beach and Rafael Little combined for 239 yards from scrimmage and Kentucky snapped a four-game losing streak with a 13-7 win over Mississippi State on Saturday night.
Little scored on an 8-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and Taylor Begley added field goals of 35 and 33 yards for Kentucky (2-5, 1-3 Southeastern Conference), which recorded its first win this season over a Division I-A opponent.
Mississippi State (2-6, 0-5) has lost eight straight SEC games and 20 straight conference road games, dating to a November 2000 win at Kentucky. The Bulldogs have lost five straight overall since beating Tulane on Sept. 17.
Jerious Norwood ran for 121 yards on 20 carries to become the school’s leading career rusher, finishing with 2,888 yards. Walter Packer held the record with 2,820 yards from 1973 through 1976.
Norwood also tied another school record, held by Packer and James Johnson, with his 12th career 100-yard game. Four of those games have come against Kentucky, but Mississippi State won only one of those four.
Little rushed 24 times for 114 yards and caught four passes for 44 yards, and added 89 yards on six punt returns. Fellow tailback Beach had 81 yards rushing on 14 carries. Andre Woodson, battling the flu, completed 13-of-27 passes for 141 yards for the Wildcats.
Kentucky led 13-0 midway through the third quarter after Begley’s second field goal, which came at the end of a 12-play, 82-yard drive that started after Wesley Woodyard recovered a fumbled snap by Mississippi State quarterback Michael Henig at the Wildcats’ 4.
The Bulldogs answered with their only scoring drive of the game, covering 76 yards. Fullback Bryson Davis scored on a 19-yard run with 4:47 left in the third quarter.
Mississippi State threatened again midway through the fourth quarter, driving from its own 1 to the Kentucky 9 before Adam Carlson pushed a 26-yard field-goal attempt wide right with 7:55 left. The Bulldogs had two more possessions but didn’t cross midfield again.
Kentucky led 10-0 at halftime, the first time the Wildcats owned a halftime lead all season.
After two ineffective series to start the game by Omarr Conner, Mississippi State coach Sylvester Croom switched to Henig, who completed 16-of-31 passes for 200 yards.
The Bulldogs never crossed the Kentucky 30 in the first half, recording only 99 yards of offense. They finished the game with 375 yards, 51 more than Kentucky.
