[Tuck4Bama]

STARKVILLE — The reverberations, if there are any, of Mississippi State's 31-15 win over Gardner-Webb Saturday probably won't be felt much outside of the state.

That's OK. A week after shocking Auburn, any win over the tiny Division I-AA foe wouldn't create much of a ripple anyway.

But piece together the perspective, and maybe MSU's win over the Big South's Runnin' Bulldogs in front of an announced 42,272 at Scott Field was as important as any to this team's psyche.

Why? Mississippi State improved to 3-1 for the first time since 2000 - also the last time the program had a winning record. On a humid September night, MSU equaled its highest win total since that very season.

And the Bulldogs did it with little doubt, even after a 28-0 halftime lead turned into a final score that wasn't as convincing.

"We made a lot of mistakes during the game, especially in the second half," MSU quarterback Josh Riddell said. "But this is the third win in a row."

Essentially, the Bulldogs (3-1, 1-1 SEC) took care of business, making sure that the kinds of I-AA upsets like Maine's win here in '04 - or Appalachian State at Michigan earlier this month - wouldn't happen this night.

MSU Football: Bulldogs run streak to 3, equaling most wins since '00