STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State is one week away from challenging the king of the Southeastern Conference.
The Bulldogs' performance against UMass on Saturday didn't inspire a whole lot of confidence.
No. 21 Mississippi State rallied to beat UMass 34-23, bouncing back from a 20-13 halftime deficit to win its fourth straight game.
The Bulldogs (7-2, CFP No. 16) were 31-point favorites coming into Saturday, but it wasn't until Deddrick Thomas returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter that they could be confident in a positive confident.