Chris Relf came off the bench to lead Mississippi State on three first-half touchdown drives as the Bulldogs defeated host Kentucky 28-16 on Saturday for their first SEC victory of the season.

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen kept the identity of his starting quarterback under wraps all week. He started Tyler Russell, but the offense found its groove with Relf, who ran for two touchdowns and threw for another to Ricco Sanders as the Bulldogs (3-4, 1-4) opened up a 21-6 lead. That point total surpassed Mississippi State’s entire output in any of its previous four SEC games.

Kentucky (3-4, 0-4) lost starting quarterback Morgan Newton to an ankle sprain in the first quarter when he got sacked by Fletcher Cox, the reigning SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week. Maxwell Smith came on and completed 26-of-33 passes. He was also sacked three times.

Smith had Kentucky in position make it a one-possession game with less than five minutes to go. Instead, the Wildcats turned the ball over on downs in Mississippi State’s red zone.

Mississippi State won despite committing three turnovers and not forcing any. It marked the first defeat for the Wildcats under coach Joker Phillips in a game which Kentucky won the turnover battle.