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STARKVILLE, Mississippi (Ticker) -- Scott Westerfield made No. 8 Mississippi State forget about its 19 penalties, kicking a 45-yard field with five seconds left for a 23-22 victory over Kentucky in a Southeastern Conference battle. Westerfield also atoned for two previous misses from 48 yards, helping Mississipi State (8-0, 5-0 SEC West) continue the best start in school history and remain one of six unbeatens in Division I-A. "Kickers get a bad rap a lot of times for not working hard and not being smart," Westerfield said. "I'm in civil engineering, so I try to keep a level head on and off the field." The Bulldogs committed 19 penalties for 143 yards, including one a play before Westerfield's field goal. The clock continued to run and the kicking team rushed onto the field. "Every week I keep saying I don't know if my heart can take much more," said Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill, whose team has won three straight in the final two minutes. "But as long as you keep winning, your heart keeps pumping." Senior quarterback Matt Wyatt led the game-winning drive from Mississippi State's 20-yard line in relief of sophomore Wayne Madkin. The Bulldogs lost four yards on their previous three drives. Pass-happy Kentucky (5-4, 3-3 East) scored three touchdowns in a 5:14 span of the first half, but defensive lineman Toby Golliday blocked the first extra point attempt, accounting for the difference. "I'm proud of our young guys for playing like they did on the road and on national TV," Kentucky coach Hal Mumme said. "I'm extremely disappointed that we didn't make some pretty simple plays at the right times -- for instance, extra points." Wildcats senior James Whalen established an NCAA record for receptions in a season by a tight end. He caught 11 passes for 99 yards, giving him 78 catches this season, five more than the record set in 1989 by Utah's Dennis Smith. "The record really doesn't matter since we lost," Whalen said. "Maybe in a couple of days it will register, but right now this loss is what matters." "They have a great player in Whalen," Sherrill said. "He's probably one of the greatest players I've seen around in a long time." The Bulldogs extended their winning streak to 11 games by improving to 8-0 for the first time in school history. Mississippi State has won eight games only 12 times and has not won nine since 1980. Kentucky had won three in a row by a combined 57 points before falling to 16-11 in this series. The Wildcats handed the Bulldogs their last loss, a 37-35 setback last season. "They came back to beat us last year," Wyatt said. "It felt good to return the favor." Mississippi State is backed by the nation's best defense but lacked discipline tonight, committing three turnovers in addition to the penalties. Kentucky took advantage on its first scoring drive. They recovered a fumble at the Bulldogs 24-yard line, then took advantage of three penalties before Dicenzo Miller's 12-yard run with 3:45 left in the first quarter made it 7-6. But Golliday busted through the line to block Marc Samuel's kick as Mississippi State kept a one-point advantage. The Bulldogs' special teams let them down. Jeff Walker had a punt blocked for the fourth time this season, then illegally kicked the loose ball out of the end zone, giving Kentucky a first down at the 1. The Wildcats needed only two plays to take the lead as quarterback Dusty Bonner snuck in from one yard. The two-point try failed, leaving Kentucky with a 12-7 lead. A 27-yard punt by Walker after the ensuing possession gave the Wildcats the ball at Mississippi State's 38. Five plays later, Anthony White scored on a six-yard run as Kentucky grabbed a 19-7 advantage 99 seconds into the second quarter. "We gave them 19 points in the first half, and they only had 53 yards," Sherrill said. "You're looking and you're saying, 'We're down, but we're only down because we gave it up.' That's what I told the players." Dontae Walker returned the ensuing kick 27 yards and a personal foul on the Wildcats -- one of their 11 penalties -- put the Bulldogs near midfield. Madkin hooked up with Kelvin Love on a 41-yard strike before Justin Griffith capped the eight-play drive with a one-yard run to get Mississippi State within 19-14. Madkin was 8-of-20 for 201 yards with an interception before being pulled. Wyatt completed 10-of-14 passes for 63 yards as the Bulldogs totaled 334 yards to 176 for Kentucky. "Give credit to Mississippi State," Whalen said. "Their defense is as good as advertised. They are a good football team and they proved that tonight." Samuel gave the Wildcats a 22-14 lead with a 39-yard field goal, but a six-yard TD run by Dontae Walker with 4:45 left in the third quarter capped a 13-play, 80-yard drive. Wyatt's pass on a two-point conversion was knocked down and Mississippi State trailed 22-20. After the Bulldogs totaled 14 yards on 14 plays over their previous four possessions, Wyatt went 6-for-6 for 55 yards on the final drive. Love had two key grabs for 36 yards on that possession and finished with six catches for 147 yards. Dontae Walker rushed 10 times for 38 yards and a TD. Bonner completed 28-of-44 passes for 189 yards and a TD with an interception. White carried 17 times for 14 of Kentucky's 40 rushing yards and had five catches for 25, becoming the fourth player in NCAA history to total 1,400 yards rushing and receiving in a career.
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