COLLEGE STATION – No. 14 Texas A&M fought off early rust en route to a hard-fought victory against Mississippi State on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.

The Aggies had gone 2-4 in their last six games but emerged with a 34-24 victory. Although the Aggies looked sloppy at times, they pulled away from the Bulldogs (1-6, 0-4) in the second half thanks to productive offense.

More: Texas A&M vs Mississippi State live updates: Aggies and Bulldogs in battle

The opening drive of the game couldn’t have gone better for the Bulldogs, as the opening drive went 12 plays and 92 yards, capped by a 14-yard touchdown pass from Michael Van Buren Jr. to running back Davon Booth.

After the defense conceded a touchdown on its first drive, the Aggies’ offense put together a well-executed drive to tie the game 7-7. A 13-play, 74-yard possession ended with quarterback Conner Weigman hitting wide receiver Noah Thomas from 20 yards out in the right corner of the end zone.

The Aggies’ defense struggled to stop the Bulldogs’ run early, giving up 95 yards on the ground in the first quarter.

After a defensive stop on the Bulldogs’ second possession, the Aggies were able to march down the field with a seven-play, 81-yard drive capped by a 9-yard touchdown run by Le’Veon Moss to take their first lead, 14 -7.

From there, the Bulldogs were able to score three points from 24 yards out, shrinking the Aggies’ lead to 14-10 with 6:30 left in the first half.

After Mississippi State scored three points, A&M faced a fourth and three more points in Bulldogs territory on the ensuing possession. A&M stayed on the field and secured more possession with a defensive passing interference. One play later, Amari Daniels takes a handoff up the middle and scores from six yards out to extend the lead to 21-10.

As the half came to a close, the Bulldogs orchestrated an eight-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a four-yard touchdown reception by Mario Carver, extending the lead to 21-17 at halftime.

Next up for No. 14 Texas A&M is a home game against No. 8 LSU.

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This article originally appeared on the Austin American-Statesman: Texas A&M football wins over Mississippi State in Week 8