At last, a breakthrough. Last Saturday’s win at Texas A&M was what Mississippi State had been clamoring for.

It’s the highlight in a season full of “what-ifs.”

What if State hadn’t given up the scoop-and-score against Memphis? What if State had scored inside the Memphis five-yard-line, up 10? What if State hadn’t committed those two first-quarter turnovers against LSU?

In State’s first four contests, they out-gained their opponents by an average of 102.5 yards per game. They averaged nearly nine more first downs per game than their opponents. They were putting together successful offensive performances, yet their record was only 2-2.

Those offensive showings were negated by turnovers and an inability to finish drives. Possessions that made it to the red zone ended with field goals, or in some instances, no points at all. Improvement by the offensive unit was overlapped by frustration for a lack of results.

All State had to do was take care of the football. All they had to do was capitalize on good field position. On Saturday, they finally did that.

The Bulldogs put together three drives of 75-plus yards, all resulting in touchdowns. They committed zero turnovers. Will Rogers threw for 408 yards on 46 completions. They still left points on the field, but they did enough.

It’s just the fourth top-15 road win for Mississippi State this millennium. It’s a massive step forward for a program whose prior results made it seem dormant. Now, entering a bye week and facing Alabama next, the Bulldogs possess something they’ve desperately needed—momentum.

Looking past what is a likely loss to Alabama and a likely win over Vanderbilt, State hits a stretch of three toss-ups that are all winnable—Kentucky, Arkansas, and Auburn. All three teams have shown flashes of greatness, as well as rather extreme struggles, so it’s huge for MSU to have confidence headed into those matchups. The same goes for the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving against an Ole Miss team that is still licking wounds from its trip to Tuscaloosa.

This past weekend seemingly provided a 180-degree turn for the Mississippi State football program. Entering the week, State was staring a 2-4 start in the face while entering a daunting stretch of conference games that seemed extremely difficult to conquer. The 8th-longest active bowl streak in college football looked to be in jeopardy.

Now, State just put together its best and most complete offensive performance of the season, taking a road win over a top-15 team that it hadn’t beaten in three years. Couple that with some underwhelming performances from other teams in the SEC West, and there’s newfound life within the MSU program.

This past Saturday in College Station was what Mississippi State desperately needed. They were looking for a clean, mistake-free game that led to a win. They got that in an emphatic fashion.

At last, a breakthrough.