Last fall, Dak Prescott got a taste of life as one of college football’s elite.

Now he’s coming back for more.

The Mississippi State quarterback, who grew up part of the time in Sulphur, announced Wednesday that he will return for his senior season.

Prescott and his Bulldogs were the darlings of college football through November. He led a Mississippi State resurgence that went all the way to No. 1 in the polls before faltering down the stretch.

His breakout game came on Sept. 20 in his home state, when he led the Bulldogs to a 34-29 victory over then-undefeated and eighth-ranked LSU in Tiger Stadium. Prescott torched the Tigers for 268 yards and two touchdowns in the air and another 105 yards and a score on the ground.

“This is the biggest moment of my life,” Prescott said on the field moments after the game. “I love playing college football.”

Apparently he still does.

“When I came to Mississippi State it was not to make the program a one-hit wonder,” Prescott said. “We want to compete for a championship every year and be a top-five program nationally.

“I think next year we can do that. We have a great team coming back and I think we can be better. We expect to get back to No. 1.”

After beating LSU, Prescott became a hot topic of conversation when it came to the Heisman Trophy. Many had him the leading candidate for the award.

Big wins over Texas A&M and Auburn, along with the No. 1 ranking, only added to the hype. But both he and the Bulldogs struggled down the stretch. They lost three of their last four, including both the Egg Bowl to Ole Miss and the Orange Bowl to Georgia Tech. Those losses left Mississippi State out of the first-ever college playoff and a bad taste in Prescott’s mouth.

Wednesday he said he could not leave with the Egg Bowl trophy still in Oxford.

“The way we finished and the way I finished the season is not what we had in mind,” he told the SEC Network. “I want to leave this university with a better taste.”

Mississippi State finished 10-3, 11th in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Bulldogs are unranked in either the early ESPN or USA Today polls for next season, which is where they started last summer.

With Prescott back that could change. His coaches sure think so.

“We’re excited he’s coming back,” said Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen. “He has an opportunity to do special things. “He’s going to get so many reps here. I think the experience he’s going to get is going to be invaluable.”

Prescott finished his junior year throwing for 3,449 yards, 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also ran for 986 yards and 14 touchdowns and set 12 school records, including total offense with 4,435 yards.

“That’s the best recruiting job of all right there, getting a player back of Dak’s caliber,” MSU quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson said.

Prescott was leaning the other way in October.

“One of the worst things is not going, getting injured and hurting your situation,” he said at the time. “I wouldn’t risk it if I had a chance to go in the first round. I’m graduating college, and my time here will be done, I’ll do exactly what I wanted to do.”

Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott announces that he will stay for another year and not enter the NFL draft during an NCAA college football news conference

Jim Lytle