LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Mark Stoops says he wasn't sure if his Kentucky team was ready to snap its two-game losing streak on Saturday in a ranked clash with No. 16 Mississippi State, but he knew the Wildcats were deterimined to put forth a better showing at Kroger Field.

Kentucky did just that. The No. 22 Wildcats delivered their best all-around performance of the season en route to a 27-17 win over the Bulldogs, recording 478 yards of total offense while holding Mike Leach's high-powered MSU offense to just 225 total yards.

"Much better feeling this week than last week at this time," Stoops said. "As I told the team, I didn't know the outcome going into this game, but I knew we would play like that. I knew we would play like we play -- tough, resilient, together."

Kentucky (5-2, 2-2 SEC) showed its trademark toughness on both sides of the ball.

It was a perfectly balanced night for the UK offense, gaining 239 yards on the ground and 239 yards through the air. Senior running back Chris Rodriguez had a season-high 197 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while senior quarterback Will Levis shook off a second-half shoulder injury and returned to throw for 230 yards and one touchdown.

"I don't give a lot of game balls out," Stoops said, "because the strength of the team is the team... But I did give (Rodriguez) the ball tonight, and he turned around and gave it to the (offensive) line."

Kentucky's offensive line had been heavily criticized during the first half of the season, but seemed to rediscover some of its physicality against Mississippi State (5-2, 2-2 SEC). The Cats' previous team-high rushing total was 121 last week in a 24-14 loss to South Carolina.

"I think it's pretty fair to say (that it was the line's best game of the season)," Stoops said, "because that is a really good defense. They do a good job of creating a lot of pressure."

"It's about that mentality -- the physicality and the attention to detail," UK senior tackle Kenneth Horsey said. "We put it all together tonight."

Defensively, the Cats held a Mississippi State offense that came to Lexington averaging 461.3 yards and 38.5 points per game to well below its standard. The Bulldogs were just 3-for-11 on third down against Brad White's unit.

"Defensively, we had a great game plan," Stoops said. "Brad really mixed it up well. Just a great team effort."

"You have to give a lot of credit to Coach Stoops," said MSU quarterback Will Rogers, who had a season-low 203 passing yards. "He does a really good job. He has a really good defense. They have some really good players that play really hard. They try to keep everything in front of them and they’re going to make you go on long drives."

In two trips to Lexington since becoming the MSU head coach, Leach has been held to just 10 points on the offensive side of the ball. Two years ago, the Cats became the first team to blank a Leach offense in a 24-2 victory.

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In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...

KEY MOMENT:

After playing to a 3-3 tie in the first half, Kentucky took its first lead of the night at 6-3 early in the third quarter. It did not last long. Mississippi State responded with an eight-play, 75-yard drive to reclaim the lead at 10-6, and it appeared like the Bulldogs may be ready to seize the momentum with UK quarterback Will Levis getting X-Rays in the locker room for a left-shoulder injury. But Levis made a triumphant return to the sideline and sparked everyone in blue at Kroger Field with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Rahsaan Lewis on fourth-and-goal with 4:10 remaining in the third quarter. That drive kept the Cats in the lead for the rest of the night.

GAME BALL:

Chris Rodriguez, Kentucky -- The senior running back turned in his best effort of the season when the Cats needed it the most. Kentucky's workhorse toted the ball 31 times for 197 yards and two scores. In the process, he became the fourth player in program history to eclipse the 3,000-yard career mark.

BY THE NUMBERS:

1 - Punt on the night for the Cats, who were 4-for-5 on fourth down.

1st - Career touchdown catch for senior wide receiver Rahsaan Lewis, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Ray Lewis. He finished with a career-high four receptions for 42 yards.

9 of 9 - Kentucky quarterbacks on third-down passing attempts.

11 - Tackles for super-senior linebacker DeAndre Square tied his career high. He also added an interception to lead the UK defense.

25-25 - The Wildcats evened the all-time series with the Bulldogs in the first-ever matchup between ranked UK and MSU teams. The home team has won the game every season dating back to 2016.

31 - Carries for Chris Rodriguez is the most for a UK running back since Benny Snell had 32 in a 2018 game against Vanderbilt.

QUOTABLE:

"Will's that guy you always want to go to war with... When he came cack out (from having X-rays on his left shoulder) it was, 'OK, it's go time.'" -- UK offensive lineman Kenneth Horsey on quarterback Will Levis returning to the field after taking a hard hit in the third quarter.

UP NEXT:

Kentucky enters the open date on the schedule with a chance to heal and address some of its lingering issues before a high-profile matchup with Tennessee. The No. 6 Volunteers (6-0, 3-0 SEC) are poised to move up in the polls after a thrilling 52-49 win over No. 3 Alabama on Saturday in Knoxville.