STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen isn't surprised his team came out sluggish during Saturday's game against Alabama-Birmingham.
He's just glad it didn't cost them a victory.
The Bulldogs, playing as a nationally ranked team for the first time since 2001, rallied for a 29-24 victory after trailing early in the fourth quarter. Though there were plenty of sloppy moments, Mullen said film study showed key plays were made when they had to happen.
"We didn't play our best game," Mullen said, "but we did the important things you need to do to win."
Now that the thrill of being ranked has subsided, Mullen expects No. 23 Mississippi State (6-2, 2-2 SEC) to be much more focused as it prepares to host Kentucky (4-4, 1-4) on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.
"All that's behind us — that's old hat now," Mullen said. "When you get that attention for the first time, you can lose a little bit of what got you there. Now we're bowl eligible, we don't have to worry about that, and we can concentrate on being a better football team."
The Bulldogs have won five straight, earning bowl eligibility for the first time since 2007, but Saturday's victory wasn't pretty. UAB outgained Mississippi State 207-103 in the first half, and briefly took a 24-23 lead after a touchdown with 10:16 remaining in the game.
The Bulldogs responded with two field goals from Derek DePasquale to hold on for the win, and his five field goals in the game — one from 28 yards, two from 29, one from 39 and his longest from 43 — tied a school record.
Not bad for a guy who Mullen decided would handle the field goals just before kickoff. The kicking game has been a sore spot all season for the Bulldogs, with Mullen alternating between Sean Brauchle and DePasquale because of inconsistency from both.
"Like I have said all year, I believe in our kickers," Mullen said. "They have the talent."
Now that the Bulldogs escaped UAB's upset bid, they can turn their focus on Kentucky, which lost to Georgia 44-31 on Saturday.
Mississippi State should be close to full strength against the Wildcats. Mullen said he expects starting running back Vick Ballard, who didn't play against UAB because of a sprained ankle, to practice Tuesday. Ballard leads the team with 12 touchdowns and 516 yards rushing.
Freshman LaDarius Perkins was stellar in Ballard's place during Saturday's game, rushing for a career-high 131 yards and a touchdown. Mississippi State's offense was fairly effective, even though quarterback Chris Relf had another spotty night, completing 8 of 19 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Having Ballard back would certainly help the offense, but Mullen sounded more concerned about making sure his defense is prepared to stop Kentucky's offense. Despite losing, the Wildcats gained 423 yards against Georgia. Quarterback Mike Hartline completed 27 of 43 passes for 353 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
Considering the Bulldogs' secondary had issues stopping UAB's passing game, that raises concerns. UAB's Bryan Ellis completed 23 of 45 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown.
"We have a lot of things we need to clean up," Mullen said. "Kentucky's got a very, very explosive on offense."
