Arizona erased a 21-7 second-half deficit to force overtime on Saturday against Mississippi State on the road.

But the comeback attempt fell just a few inches short. On a fourth-and-10 scramble in overtime, quarterback Jayden de Laura was ruled down just shy of the line to gain to end the game and hand the Bulldogs a 31-24 win.

Arizona’s Tyler Loop kicked a field goal with five seconds on the clock to tie the game at 24-all and force overtime.

MSU got the ball first and scored on a second-and-14 play. MSU quarterback Will Rogers — 162 yards and three scores on 13-for-17 passing — connected with Jeffery Pittman for a 29-yard score to put Arizona up against the brink.

De Laura misfired on each of his first three passes to set up a do-or-die fourth down.

He needed 10. He got 9.

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The Wildcats stumbled through a mistake-riddled first half that included three de Laura interceptions and a fumble from Jacob Cowing. Yet they trailed by just seven at the break.

Arizona went three-and-out to open the second half and Mississippi State scored four plays later to take a 14-point lead.

From there, Arizona found some footing on offense and started stringing stops together on defense.

MSU went three-and-out on its next possession, then went punt, field goal, and three-and-out to leave the door open for Arizona to claw back into the game. Mississippi State gained just 45 yards on 12 fourth-quarter plays. Eight runs lost 1 yard.

Jacob Manu had a monster game for the Wildcats, finishing with 12 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. Justin Flowe added 12 tackles and half a TFL himself.

De Laura ended his day with four interceptions and three total touchdowns. He completed 32 of his 46 passes and produced 386 total yards of offense.

The Wildcats fall to 1-1 with the loss. They’ll return home in Week 3 to host UTEP.