NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Micale Cunningham threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 81 more, and Louisville capped Coach Scott Satterfield’s debut season by beating Mississippi State 38-28 Monday in the Music City Bowl.

The Cardinals (8-5) rallied from a 14-point deficit by scoring 31 straight to finish their big turnaround from 2-10 last season. Louisville also finally beat Mississippi State on the field for the first time in six tries, though the series now is tied 3-3 thanks to a pair of forfeits by the Bulldogs in the 1970s.

Mississippi State (6-7) had been trying to finish the season with a three-game winning streak for the first time since 2013 and only the third time since the end of World War II. Instead, the Bulldogs go home having lost a bowl game in each of Coach Joe Moorhead’s two seasons.

The Cardinals had four sacks and recovered two fumbles, one returned 31 yards for a TD by safety Khane Pass.

Javian Hawkins led Louisville with 105 yards rushing, and he ran for a TD late. The Cardinals outgained Mississippi State 510-366.

Louisville was poised to take control on its opening drive, going from the Cardinals 3 down the field.

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Cunningham hit Dez Fitzpatrick on a 19-yard pass only to be stripped of the ball by linebacker Willie Gay Jr., with linebacker Tim Washington recovering for the Bulldogs just short of the end zone.

Tommy Stevens led Mississippi State on a 99-yard drive, and he put the Bulldogs up 7-0 with a 3-yard TD run. Mississippi State added an 80-yard drive and went up 14-0 on a 3-yard TD run by Nick Gibson with 10:19 left in the second quarter.

Louisville finally got on the board with a bit of trickery. Micale Cunningham lateraled left to wide receiver Tutu Atwell, who threw back across the field to a wide-open Marshon Ford, who then ran in for a 33-yard TD midway through the second. Ryan Chalifoux added a 31-yard field goal as the first half expired to pull Louisville within 14-10.

REDBOX BOWL: Chase Garbers threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score, leading California (8-5)  to a 35-20 win over Illinois (6-7) in Santa Clara, California.

Christopher Brown Jr. ran for 120 yards on 20 carries, and Makai Polk caught five passes for a season-high 105 yards as Cal (8-5) won its first bowl game since 2015.

FIRST RESPONDERS BOWL:  Freshman Cory Munson kicked a career-long 52-yard field goal with no time left after a rules review to give Western Kentucky (9-4) a 23-20 victory over Western Michigan (7-6) in the First Responder Bowl in Dallas.

The Hilltoppers (9-4) drove 36 yards in 27 seconds before Munson kicked his third field goal in four tries. The clock had expired and Munson was given the final play after a five-yard defensive substitution penalty against the Broncos for having 12 players on the field.

Munson had tied the score at 20 on a 31-yarder with 1:36 to play. He also kicked a 26-yarder and missed from 29.

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