By Matt Overing | Football beat writer

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Mississippi State University senior running back LaDarius Perkins has bowl aspirations for his final season in Starkville, Miss.

UK will be the next step for the Bulldogs in the quest for a fourth-straight bowl appearance when the Cats play at Mississippi State on Thursday.

With six games remaining, Mississippi State (3-3, 0-2 SEC) is three wins away from becoming bowl eligible and has remaining games at home versus the University of South Carolina, Texas A&M University and the University of Alabama — all teams ranked in the AP Top 25 poll.

In an interview with the Kernel, Perkins said his team hasn’t lost to UK since Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen has coached the Bulldogs.

“I feel like it is a must-win (on Thursday),” Perkins said in an interview with the Kernel. “ … We’re going to go out there and make sure we win. We know they are going to play us hard.”

Mullen is 8-0 in his coaching career against UK. He was 4-0 against UK as an assistant at Florida and is 4-0 as the head coach of the Bulldogs.

Perkins said his team is improving from their mistakes in those games.

”We have to finish our games off,” he said. “We’re trying to put those three losses behind us and keep moving forward so we can make it to a bowl.”

With the six games left on the schedule, Perkins believes they can win all six.

The second half of Mississippi State’s schedule is more favorable than the first, according to their opponent’s records. The Bulldogs’ first six opponents are a combined 32-11, while the final six are 25-17, starting with Thursday night’s game with UK (1-5, 0-3 SEC).

Perkins said the preparation is different for a Thursday night game.

“Preparation comes so quick. The game is here before you know it,” Perkins said. “The main thing is that we get prepared.”

UK head coach Mark Stoops said on Monday that the bye week helped his team heal.

”Having a chance to recoup physically and mentally I think should help us going into this game,” Stoops said. “I think our preparation has been very good.”

UK will be preparing for a rushing attack that ranks fourth in the SEC at 214.3 yards per game.

Perkins — a second-team All-SEC player last season — averages 54.6 yards per game this year. He is also on the Doak Walker Award watch list, an award given to the nation’s best college running back.

Mississippi State sophomore quarterback Dak Prescott leads the team in rushing yards per game, averaging 76.2 yards per game. He averages 224.5 total offensive yards per game.

Perkins said he thinks having a dual-threat quarterback in the backfield makes it tough for defenses.

“Dual-threat quarterbacks keep defenses on their heels so they can’t get adjusted to one thing,” Perkins said.

Stoops said Prescott fits well in MSU’s offense.

“I think he’s physical, he’s versatile, and that goes with their offense,” Stoops said.

The MSU offense is second in the SEC in time of possession, averaging 33:42 per game. UK is last at 25:57.

Perkins expects UK to give them a great game on Thursday, he said.

“Everyone in the SEC is good,” Perkins said. “They have talent all over the field. We have to make sure we come out with our A game.”

Though he said UK’s record isn’t good, he said his team expects UK to play hard.

”We’re going to go out there and play hard, too,” he said. “We’re trying to make a bowl game.”