Mississippi State 35, South Alabama 3: Quarterback Dak Prescott rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown and Josh Robinson added 77 yards and two more scores as the visiting Bulldogs ran over the Jaguars.

Prescott, at times, had to give way to Damian Williams in the first half of Mississippi State’s first two games, but a decision by coach Dan Mullen let him have full rein of the offense for more than three quarters versus South Alabama (1-1). He responded by throwing for 201 yards and a touchdown, and continued his burgeoning connection with Jameon Lewis, who caught six passes for 76 yards, as the Bulldogs improved to 3-0 for just the second time since 1999.

Jaguars quarterback Brandon Bridge was thrust into the spotlight as South Alabama scrapped the running game early. Jay Jones, who ran for 102 yards in the season opener and 737 yards last year, was held to just 11 as Bridge often improvised and completed 21-of-39 passes for 203 yards.

With 2:58 left in the second quarter, Robinson took a shotgun pitch from Prescott, rolled to his left, weaved around the Jaguars and scampered into the end zone from 15 yards out to give the Bulldogs a 28-3 lead at the half. His day took a slight turn with a lost, red-zone fumble in the third quarter, but he still averaged 6.4 yards per carry, and also caught a pass for 39 yards.

With three ranked SEC teams on the schedule in the next four weeks, Mullen stressed defense in practice, especially after Mississippi State allowed three touchdowns of 75 yards or more versus UAB. The Bulldogs delivered with a second-half shutout and four turnovers, including a Bridge interception.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Williams replaced Prescott with 7:14 left in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs won their sixth in a row. … The Jaguars, a member of the Sun Belt Conference, had a four-game winning streak snapped and are now 0-2 versus Mississippi State. … Down 32 points with 1:14 left in the third, Matt Floyd replaced Bridge and finished 7-of-16 for 85 yards.