Preseason predictions for the SEC West mostly focused on Alabama and Auburn.

Texas A&M, meanwhile, had supposed issues about its defense and the development of sophomore quarterback Kyle Allen.

The early reports continue to put those concerns to rest as the 14th-ranked Aggies beat No. 21 Mississippi State 30-17 on Saturday night in an SEC game at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.

Allen threw for 322 yards and had a career-high 387 total yards and defensive end Myles Garrett had another big game as the Aggies moved into an early tie with LSU atop the division.

"We have a lot of positives to coach out there," A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said.

Allen completed 25 of 41 passes with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Aggies rolled to 516 total yards against a Bulldogs defense that entered the game allowing an average of 349 per game.

Texas A&M (5-0, 2-0) has started 5-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1940-41. The Aggies are 2-0 in conference play for the first time 1997-98, when they were in the Big 12. The Aggies are off next week in advance of what will be a big home game against Alabama on Oct. 17.

"This was our biggest test yet," Allen said. "We knew if we won this game we'd have a lot of momentum going into the bye week. We're going to have two weeks to prepare (for Alabama). Our morale is going to be high, which is huge."

Mississippi State (3-2, 1-2) ran out of chances when it failed on fourth-and-7 from its 23 with 3:05 left. The Bulldogs have lost to division-leading LSU and Texas A&M.

"There's a lot that can happen and a lot more going on down the road for us," Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said.

Garrett, a sophomore who entered the game with 6.5 sacks, made a key play in the third quarter when he forced a fumble that A&M recovered at its 3-yard line. He finished with seven tackles, including two for loss and a sack, and also broke up a pass.

Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott completed 20 of 34 passes for 210 yards and led the team in rushing with 96 yards on 18 attempts. Prescott has thrown 225 passes without an interception, the longest streak in the nation. A&M did end Prescott's streak of 18 consecutive games with a touchdown pass.

A&M led 24-10 at halftime and curtailed Mississippi State's attempts of a second-half comeback by forcing fumbles on the Bulldogs' first two possessions. The first led to a 24-yard field goal by Taylor Bertolet and the second was the one forced by Garrett near the goal line.

"We've got playmakers, man," A&M linebacker A.J. Hilliard said. "We've got players who are playing fast. (First-year defensive coordinator John Chavis) dials up great calls and gives us an opportunity to make those great plays. We're just flying around. When you play fast, good thing happen."

The Bulldogs hung around and closed to 27-17 on a 5-yard run by Prescott with 12:24 to go. Texas A&M moved ahead 30-17 on a 30-yard field goal by Bertolet with 5:23 left.

Sumlin won his first home game against a ranked team after going 0-5. Sumlin is 8-4 against ranked teams on the road or at neutral sites.

Allen started hot, completing his first nine passes and throwing for 226 yards in the first half.

"We didn't want him to get into that rhythm in the game and he did," Mullen said.

Texas A&M scored on the opening possession, going for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1. Allen, forced from the pocket, rolled to the right sideline and bought enough time to connect with receiver Ricky Seals-Jones to cap a 91-yard drive.

After Mississippi State got a 38-yard field goal by Westin Graves, the Aggies marched 75 yards in six plays. Allen hit receiver Damion Ratley for a 29-yard score and a 14-3 lead with 3:23 to go in the first quarter.

Prescott wasn't quite as sharp early. Under pressure, he missed a wide-open receiver on a deep throw that would have gone for a touchdown on his team's opening drive. On the next possession, he was off-target for an incompletion on a fourth-and-3 swing pass from the Texas A&M 35.

"We've got some things we can definitely improve," Sumlin said. "The bye week is about getting our energy back and healing up physically and mentally. Take a deep breath and regroup."

NOTES: Texas A&M WR Ricky Seals-Jones was ejected in the second quarter because of a targeting penalty on a blind-side block downfield. Seals-Jones had five catches for 34 yards and a touchdown. ... Texas A&M WRs Speedy Noil and Jeremy Tabuyo were not dressed for the game because of undisclosed injuries. Noil has missed the past two games. ... Mississippi State, which has already played three SEC games, goes out of conference for home games against Troy and Louisiana Tech in the next two weeks. ... A 55-yard field goal by Texas A&M's Taylor Bertolet in the first half was the longest at Kyle Field since the Aggies' Terence Kitchens hit from 62 yards in 1999. ... Attendance at Kyle Field was 104,455, the largest crowd that Mississippi State has played before in history.