2014 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

2014 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Orange Bowl, L 34–49 vs. Georgia Tech
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Western Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 12
AP	No. 11
2014 record	10–3 (6–2 SEC)
Head coach	Dan Mullen (6th season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Billy Gonzales (1st as co-OC, 2nd overall season)
Co-offensive coordinator	John Hevesy (1st as co-OC, 6th overall season)
Offensive scheme	Spread option
Defensive coordinator	Geoff Collins (4th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Davis Wade Stadium (Capacity: 61,337)
Seasons ← 2013 2015 →

2014 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Eastern Division
No. 14 Missouri x		7	–	1					11	–	3
No. 9 Georgia		6	–	2					10	–	3
Florida		4	–	4					7	–	5
Tennessee		3	–	5					7	–	6
South Carolina		3	–	5					7	–	6
Kentucky		2	–	6					5	–	7
Vanderbilt		0	–	8					3	–	9
Western Division
No. 4 Alabama x$^		7	–	1					12	–	2
No. 11 Mississippi State		6	–	2					10	–	3
No. 22 Auburn		4	–	4					8	–	5
LSU		4	–	4					8	–	5
Texas A&M		3	–	5					8	–	5
Arkansas		2	–	6					7	–	6
No. 17 Ole Miss*		0	–	3					1	–	4
Championship: Alabama 42, Missouri 13
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions * Ole Miss vacated all wins (except for Presbyterian) due to NCAA violations. Rankings from AP Poll

The 2014 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Dan Mullen, who was in his sixth season with Mississippi State. The Bulldogs played their home games at the newly expanded and renovated Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi and competed in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

The 2014 season was one of the most successful seasons in Mississippi State's 110-year football history. In mid-October, they shot to #1 in the polls for the first time in school history, and the highest that any FBS team in Mississippi had been ranked at that late date in the season in half a century. They ultimately finished 10–3, the second 10-win regular season in school history. They netted a berth in the Orange Bowl, the second major-bowl appearance in school history, where they were defeated by Georgia Tech.

Before the season[]

Previous season[]

The 2013 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team finished 7–6, defeating Rice in the Liberty Bowl. The Bulldogs' conference victories included a narrow win over Kentucky, an overtime road win at Arkansas, and an overtime thriller over rival Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl.

It was the Bulldogs' fourth straight bowl season, the first time in school history a team had accomplished this feat. The 2013 Bulldogs averaged 434 yards per game on offensive, the highest output in school history.

Departing players[]

Key losses for the Bulldogs included:

• Denico Autry, starting defensive end and current member of the Indianapolis Colts
• Gabe Jackson, offensive guard who was selected by the Raiders in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft
• LaDarius Perkins, starting running back and fifth on the Bulldogs' career leaderboard with 2,554 rushing yards
• Tyler Russell, whose 5,441 passing yards ranked third in school history at the time
• Deontae Skinner, starting linebacker and current member of the New York Giants
• Nickoe Whitley, a four-year starter at safety with 15 career interceptions and 2 key late-game forced fumbles to seal games in 2013

Preseason prognostication[]

The Bulldogs were picked to finish 5th in the SEC West by a vote of 229 media writers at the 2014 SEC Media Days,^[1] while Athlon Sports^[2] and NBC Sports^[3] both picked the Bulldogs to come in sixth.

Roster and staff[]

2014 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 De'Runnya Wilson So WR 4 Jameon Lewis Sr WR 5 Fred Brown So TE 6 Malcolm Johnson Sr RB 7 Nick Griffin Sr WR 8 Fred Ross So QB 10 Josiah Phillips  Fr RB 10 Brandon Holloway So QB 11 Damian Williams So WR 12 Robert Johnson Sr RB 13 Josh Robinson Jr QB 14 Elijah Staley  Fr QB 15 Dak Prescott Jr WR 16 Joe Morrow Jr QB 17 Nick Fitzgerald  Fr TE 18 Brandon Hill Sr ATH 19 Zak Neary  Fr TE 19 Gus Walley So RB 27 Aeris Williams  Fr RB 32 Ashton Shumpert So ATH 33 Boderick Oliver Fr RB 33 Dontavian Lee  Fr WR 35 Gabe Myles Fr RB 37 Bennie Braswell III Fr TE 53 Hunter Bradley So ATH 54 Lawrence Brown  So OL 56 Nick Proby Jr OL 58 Justin Senior So OL 59 Archie Muniz Sr OL 60 Jamaal Clayborn So OL 61 Deion Calhoun  Fr OL 62 Devon Desper So OL 63 Dillon Day Sr OL 64 Jocquell Johnson  Jr OL 66 Ben Beckwith Sr OL 70 Justin Malone Jr OL 71 Cole Carter So OL 73 Elgton Jenkins  Fr OL 74 Kent Flowers Fr OL 75 Blaine Clausell Sr OL 76 Jake Thomas Fr OL 77 Rufus Warren Jr OL 78 Damien Robinson   Sr OL 79 Ronald Cochran  Fr WR 80 Shelby Christy Fr WR 81 Jamoral Graham Fr WR 83 Kareem Vance, Jr. Fr TE 84 Darrion Hutcherson Jr TE 85 Rashun Dixon Fr WR 86 Jesse Jackson  Fr TE 87 B.J. Hammond Fr TE 88 Aaron Hamaker  Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 2 Will Redmond Jr DB 3 Jay Hughes Sr LB 4 Gerri Green  Fr DB 5 Jamerson Love Sr DB 9 Justin Cox Sr DB 11 Kivon Coman So DB 13 Cedric Jiles  So LB 14 Zach Jackson Jr DB 17 Deontay Evans So DB 18 Tyrell Miller Jr DB 20 Brandon Bryant  Fr LB 22 Matthew Wells Sr DB 23 Taveze Calhoun Jr DB 24 Chris Rayford  Fr DB 25 Jahmere Irvin-Sills Fr DB 26 Kendrick Market Jr LB 28 DeAndre Ward So LB 29 Quadry Antoine So ATH 30 Brandon Wells Fr DB 31 Tolando Cleveland So DB 32 Brandon Davis So DL 34 Cory Thomas  Fr LB 39 Richie Brown So LB 42 Beniquez Brown So LB 44 Christian Holmes Sr LB 45 J. T. Gray Fr LB 46 Dezmond Harris Fr DL 47 A.J. Jefferson So DL 48 Jr DL 49 Torrey Dale So LB 50 Benardrick McKinney Jr LB 51 Kelan Chairs  Fr DL 57 Will Coleman Jr DL 67 Rodney Lacy So DL 88 Nick James So DL 90 Grant Harris  Fr DL 91 Preston Smith Sr DL 92 Kaleb Eulls Sr DL 93 P.J. Jones Sr DL 94 Nelson Adams So DL 95 Braxton Hoyett  Fr DL 96 Chris Jones So DL 98 Curtis Virges Sr DL 99 John Harris Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 35 Westin Graves Fr LS 38 Winston Chapman Jr K/P 40 Devon Bell Jr K 41 Evan Sobiesk So K/P 43 Logan Cooke Fr	Head coach Dan Mullen – 6th year Coordinators/assistant coaches Billy Gonzales (Co-OC/Wide Receivers) – 2nd year John Hevesy (Co-OC/Offensive Linemen) – 6th year Brian Johnson (Quarterbacks) – 1st year Greg Knox (Running backs) – 6th year Scott Sallach (Tight ends) – 6th year Geoff Collins (DC/Linebackers) – 4th year Tony Hughes (Safeties) – 5th year Deshea Townsend (Cornerbacks) – 2nd year David Turner (Defensive Linemen) – 2nd year Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: May 3, 2015

Schedule[]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	6:30 p.m.	Southern Miss*		Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	SECN	W 49–0	61,889
September 6	1:00 p.m.	UAB*		Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	SECRN	W 47–34	57,704
September 13	3:00 p.m.	at South Alabama*		Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, AL	ESPNews	W 35–3	38,129
September 20	6:00 p.m.	at No. 8 LSU		Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	ESPN	W 34–29	102,321
October 4	11:00 a.m.	No. 6 Texas A&M	No. 12	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS (SEC Nation)	ESPN	W 48–31	61,133
October 11	2:30 p.m.	No. 2 Auburn	No. 3	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS (College GameDay)	CBS	W 38–23	62,945‡
October 25	2:30 p.m.	at Kentucky	No. 1	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (SEC Nation)	CBS	W 45–31	64,791
November 1	6:15 p.m.	Arkansas	No. 1	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	ESPN2	W 17–10	62,307
November 8	3:00 p.m.	Tennessee–Martin*	No. 1	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	SECN	W 45–16	61,421
November 15	2:30 p.m.	at No. 5 Alabama	No. 1	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry) (College GameDay)	CBS	L 20–25	101,821
November 22	6:30 p.m.	Vanderbilt	No. 4	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	SECN	W 51–0	60,493
November 29	2:30 p.m.	at No. 19 Ole Miss	No. 4	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS (Egg Bowl / SEC Nation)	CBS	L 17–31	62,058
December 31	6:30 p.m.	vs. No. 12 Georgia Tech*	No. 7	Sun Life Stadium Miami Gardens, FL (Orange Bowl)	ESPN	L 34–49	58,211
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after October 28) - Released prior to game All times are in Central time

Schedule Source:^[4]

• ‡ New Davis Wade Stadium Attendance Record

Southern Miss[]

Southern Miss at Mississippi State

1 2 3 4 Total Golden Eagles 0 0 0 0 0 • Bulldogs 7 21 14 7 49 Date: August 30 Location: Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS Game start: 6:30 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:08 Game attendance: 61,889 Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), Overcast with rain, winds S 3mph Referee: Steve LaMantia TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (Play-by-play), Andre Ware (Color) & Laura Rutledge (Sideline) Source:[5]

Scoring summary 1 12:35 MSU De'Runnya Wilson 25-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 7–0 2 12:22 MSU Nick Griffin 1-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 14–0 2 4:15 MSU Fred Ross 35-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Westin Graves kick good MSU 21–0 2 0:35 MSU Malcolm Johnson 23-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 28–0 3 10:52 MSU De'Runnya Wilson 24-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Westin Graves kick good MSU 35–0 3 5:02 MSU Jay Hughes 68-yd blocked FG return, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 42–0 4 7:51 MSU Fred Ross 21-yard touchdown pass from Damian Williams, Westin Graves kick good MSU 49–0

*Mississippi State won the games on the field in 1975 and 1976, but were later forced to forfeit the games by the NCAA due to an NCAA rules violation in which offensive lineman Larry Gillard received a 33 percent discount at an Okolona, Mississippi clothing store.^[6][7][8]

UAB[]

UAB at Mississippi State

1 2 3 4 Total Blazers 3 17 7 7 34 • Bulldogs 13 13 21 0 47 Date: September 6 Location: Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS Game start: 1:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:35 Game attendance: 57,704 Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C), Partly cloudy, winds N 3 MPH Referee: Matt Moore TV announcers (SECRN): Bob Rathbun (Play-by-play) & Tim Couch (Color) Source:[9]

Scoring summary 1 14:03 MSU Robert Johnson 68-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 7–0 1 5:31 UAB Ty Long 44-yard kick good MSU 7–3 1 0:43 MSU Preston Smith 21-yard interception return, Westin Graves kick failed MSU 13–3 2 14:13 UAB Jordan Howard 2-yard touchdown run, Ty Long kick good MSU 13–10 2 13:03 UAB JJ Nelson 88-yard touchdown pass from Jeremi Briscoe, Ty Long kick good UAB 17–13 2 11:37 MSU Josh Robinson 17-yd touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick failed MSU 19–17 2 8:06 UAB Ty Long 46-yard kick good UAB 20–19 2 5:02 MSU Gus Walley 20-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 26–20 3 13:03 MSU Dak Prescott 4-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 33–20 3 6:40 MSU Joe Morrow 15-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 40–20 3 5:49 UAB Josh Magee 81-yard touchdown pass from Cody Clements, Ty Long kick good MSU 40–27 3 1:49 MSU De'Runnya Wilson 8-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 47–27 4 0:49 UAB Quincy Perdue 75-yard touchdown pass from Jeremi Briscoe, Ty Long kick good MSU 47–34

South Alabama[]

Mississippi State at South Alabama

1 2 3 4 Total • Bulldogs 7 21 7 0 35 Jaguars 0 3 0 0 3 Date: September 13 Location: Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, AL Game start: 3:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:13 Game attendance: 38,129 Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C), Partly cloudy, Winds NNE 7 mph Referee: Matt Loeffler TV announcers (ESPNews): Mike Couzens (Play-by-play) & Rene Ingogila (Color) Source:[10]

Scoring summary 1 4:56 MSU Malcolm Johnson 15-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 7–0 2 9:30 USA Aleem Sunanon 26-yard kick good MSU 7–3 2 7:00 MSU Josh Robinson 2-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 14–3 2 4:27 MSU Dak Prescott 24-yard touchdown pass from Jameon Lewis, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 21–3 2 2:58 MSU Josh Robinson 15-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 28–3 3 7:17 MSU Dak Prescott 40-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 35–3

LSU[]

Mississippi State at #8 LSU

1 2 3 4 Total • Bulldogs 14 3 14 3 34 No. 8 Tigers 0 3 7 19 29 Date: September 20 Location: Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA Game start: 6:00 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:37 Game attendance: 102,321 Game weather: 85 °F (29 °C), Clear sunny, Winds East 4-7 mph Referee: Hubert Owens TV announcers (ESPN): Brad Nessler (Play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (Color) & Holly Rowe (Sideline) Source:[11]

Scoring summary 1 10:47 MSU De'Runnya Wilson 9-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 7–0 1 0:45 MSU Josh Robinson 3-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 14–0 2 9:26 MSU Evan Sobiesk 27-yard kick good MSU 17–0 2 1:20 LSU Colby Delahoussaye 30-yard kick good MSU 17–3 3 14:48 LSU Danielle Hunter 25-yard fumble recovery, Colby Delahoussaye kick good MSU 17–10 3 12:44 MSU Dak Prescott 56-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 24–10 3 9:35 MSU Jameon Lewis 74-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 31–10 4 14:49 MSU Evan Sobiesk 28-yard kick good MSU 34–10 4 12:34 LSU Kenny Hilliard 30-yard touchdown run, Anthony Jennings rush failed MSU 34–16 4 1:55 LSU Malachi Dupre 31-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Harris, Brandon Harris rushed failed MSU 34–22 4 1:27 LSU Malachi Dupre 30-yard touchdown pass from Brandon Harris, Colby Delahoussaye kick good MSU 34–29

Texas A&M[]

#6 Texas A&M at #12 Mississippi State

1 2 3 4 Total No. 6 Aggies 7 3 7 14 31 • No. 12 Bulldogs 14 14 13 7 48 Date: October 4 Location: Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS Game start: 11:00 AM CDT Elapsed time: 3:30 Game attendance: 61,133 Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), Sunny, Winds Northwest 9 mph Referee: Ken Williamson TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch (Play-by-play), Brian Griese (Color) & Tom Luginbill (Sideline) Source:[12]

Scoring summary 1 13:19 TAMU Josh Reynolds 13-yard touchdown pass from Kenny Hill, Josh Lambo kick good TAMU 7–0 1 10:30 MSU Josh Robinson 1-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good Tie 7–7 1 0:13 MSU Josh Robinson 1-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 14–7 2 8:33 MSU Dak Prescott 1-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 21–7 2 2:02 MSU De'Runnya Wilson 9-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 28–7 2 0:02 TAMU Josh Lambo 27-yard kick good MSU 28–10 3 6:38 MSU Dak Prescott 2-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick block MSU 34–10 3 3:33 TAMU Speedy Noil 23-yard touchdown pass from Kenny Hill, Josh Lambo kick good MSU 34–17 3 2:08 MSU Fred Brown 51-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 41–17 4 10:19 MSU Dak Prescott 11-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 48–17 4 2:29 TAMU Speedy Noil 6-yard touchdown pass from Kenny Hill, Josh Lambo kick good MSU 48–24 4 1:25 TAMU Josh Reynolds 23-yard touchdown pass from Kenny Hill, Josh Lambo kick good MSU 48–31

Auburn[]

#2 Auburn at #3 Mississippi State

1 2 3 4 Total No. 2 Tigers 0 13 7 3 23 • No. 3 Bulldogs 21 7 0 10 38 Date: October 11 Location: Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS Game start: 2:30 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:55 Game attendance: 62,945 Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C), Partly Cloudy, Winds Southwest 5 mph Referee: Tom Ritter TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (Play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Color) & Allie LaForce (Sideline) Source:[13]

Scoring summary 1 12:41 MSU De'Runnya Wilson 34-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 7–0 1 11:30 MSU Josh Robinson 1-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 14–0 1 6:09 MSU Dak Prescott 2-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 21–0 2 14:57 AU Daniel Carlson 21-yard kick good MSU 21–3 2 11:17 AU Daniel Carlson 22-yard kick good MSU 21–6 2 5:26 AU D'haquille Williams 9-yard touchdown pass from Nick Marshall, Daniel Carlson kick good MSU 21–13 2 3:58 MSU Dak Prescott 15-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick block MSU 28–13 3 6:09 AU D'haquille Williams 15-yard touchdown pass from Nick Marshall, Daniel Carlson kick good MSU 28–20 4 11:33 MSU Evan Sobiesk 21-yard kick good MSU 31–20 4 11:07 MSU Josh Robinson 1-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 38–20 4 7:43 AU Daniel Carlson 42-yard kick good MSU 38–23

Kentucky[]

#1 Mississippi State at Kentucky

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 1 Bulldogs 10 7 14 14 45 Wildcats 7 3 14 7 31 Date: October 25 Location: Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY Game start: 2:30 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:37 Game attendance: 64,791 Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), Fair, Winds West Southwest 12 mph Referee: Hubert Owens TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (Play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Color) & Allie LaForce (Sideline) Source:[14]

Scoring summary 1 8:38 MSU Josh Robinson 12-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 7–0 1 6:25 UK Demarco Robinson 67-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Towles, Austin MacGinnis kick good Tie 7–7 1 2:41 MSU Evan Sobiesk 26-yard kick good MSU 10–7 2 10:20 MSU Dak Prescott 2-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 17–7 2 6:18 UK Austin MacGinnis 34-yard kick good MSU 17–10 3 11:54 MSU Dak Prescott 11-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 24–10 3 8:33 UK Patrick Towles 10-yard touchdown run, Austin MacGinnis kick block MSU 24–17 3 4:44 MSU Brandon Hill 8-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 31–17 3 3:32 UK Javess Blue 58-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Towles, Austin MacGinnis kick good MSU 31–24 4 11:47 MSU Josh Robinson 73-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 38–24 4 2:31 UK Patrick Towles 4-yard touchdown run, Austin MacGinnis kick good MSU 38–31 4 2:22 MSU Christian Holmes 61-yard kickoff return, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 45–31

Arkansas[]

Arkansas at #1 Mississippi State

1 2 3 4 Total Razorbacks 3 7 0 0 10 • No. 1 Bulldogs 0 7 3 7 17 Date: November 1 Location: Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS Game start: 6:15 PM CDT Elapsed time: 3:16 Game attendance: 62,207 Game weather: 45 °F (7 °C), Clear skies, Winds Northwest 5 mph Referee: David Smith TV announcers (ESPN2): Joe Tessitore (Play-by-play), Brock Huard (Color) & Shannon Spake (Sideline) Source:[15]

Scoring summary 1 9:50 Ark Adam McFain 36-yard kick good UAR 3–0 2 11:01 Ark Alex Collins 1-yard touchdown run, Adam McFain kick good UAR 10–0 2 7:30 MSU Josh Robinson 3-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good UAR 10–7 3 3:35 MSU Evan Sobiesk 37-yard kick good Tie 10–10 4 13:21 MSU Fred Ross 69-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 17–10

Tennessee–Martin[]

Tennessee–Martin at #1 Mississippi State

1 2 3 4 Total Skyhawks 3 0 0 13 16 • No. 1 Bulldogs 7 17 14 7 45 Date: November 8 Location: Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS Game start: 3:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:18 Game attendance: 61,421 Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C), Partly cloudy, Winds Northwest 5 mph Referee: Marc Curles TV announcers (SECN): Brent Musburger (Play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (Color) & Maria Taylor (Sideline) Source:[16]

Scoring summary 1 6:44 MSU Fred Brown 10-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 7–0 1 1:33 UTM Jackson Redditt 33-yard kick good MSU 7–3 2 14:49 MSU Dak Prescott 48-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 14–3 2 6:31 MSU Brandon Holloway 35-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 21–3 2 0:35 MSU Evan Sobiesk 27-yard kick good MSU 24–3 3 8:52 MSU Joe Marrow 55-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 31–3 3 4:40 MSU Ashton Shumpert 59-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 38–3 4 10:14 UTM Ben Axline 31-yard touchdown pass from Jarod Neal, Jackson Redditt kick good MSU 38–10 4 7:28 UTM Jarod Neal 1-yard touchdown run, Jackson Redditt kick blocked MSU 31–16 4 3:37 MSU Jamoral Graham 44-yard touchdown pass from Damian Williams, Westin Graves kick good MSU 45–16

Alabama[]

#1 Mississippi State at #5 Alabama

1 2 3 4 Total No. 1 Bulldogs 0 3 3 14 20 • No. 5 Crimson Tide 5 14 0 6 25 Date: November 14 Location: Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL Game start: 2:30 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:32 Game attendance: 101,821 Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C), Clear & Sunny, Winds South Southeast 6 MPH Referee: Matt Moore TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (Play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Color) & Allie LaForce (Sideline) Source:[17]

Scoring summary 1 7:49 UA Trey DePriest safety UA 2–0 1 2:06 UA Adam Griffith 36 yd field goal UA 5–0 2 7:45 UA Amari Cooper 4 yd pass from Blake Sims. Adam Griffith kick good UA 12–0 2 5:32 UA Derrick Henry 1 yd run. Adam Griffith kick good UA 19–0 2 0:03 MSU Evan Sobiesk 23 yd field goal UA 19–3 3 12:06 MSU Evan Sobiesk 32 yd field goal UA 19–6 4 14:16 MSU Fred Ross 4 yd pass from Dak Prescott. Evan Sobiesk kick UA 19–13 4 8:09 UA T. J. Yeldon 7 yd run. Blake Sims pass failed UA 25–13 4 0:15 MSU Jameon Lewis 4 yd pass from Dak Prescott. Evan Sobiesk kick good UA 25–20

Vanderbilt[]

Vanderbilt at #4 Mississippi State

1 2 3 4 Total Commodores 0 0 0 0 0 • No. 4 Bulldogs 13 24 7 7 51 Date: November 22 Location: Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS Game start: 6:30 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:19 Game attendance: 60,493 Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), Partly cloudy, Winds Southeast 9 MPH Referee: Marc Curles TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (Play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (Color) & Heather Mitts (Sideline) Source:[18]

Scoring summary 1 8:01 MSU Malcolm Johnson 9-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick failed MSU 6–0 1 5:05 MSU Joe Morrow 27-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 13–0 2 14:01 MSU Christian Holmes fumble recovery 51-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 20–0 2 8:27 MSU Josh Robinson 14-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 27–0 2 2:31 MSU Dak Prescott 4-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 34–0 2 0:00 MSU Evan Sobiesk 34-yard kick good MSU 37–0 3 4:23 MSU Ashton Shumpert 3-yard touchdown run, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 44–0 4 14:55 MSU Joe Morrow 9-yard touchdown pass from Damian Williams, Evan Sobiesk kick good MSU 51–0

Mississippi[]

#4 Mississippi State at #18 Ole Miss

1 2 3 4 Total No. 4 Bulldogs 0 3 7 7 17 • No. 18 Rebels 7 0 17 7 31 Date: November 29 Location: Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS Game start: 2:30 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:54 Game attendance: 62,058 Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), Cloudy, Winds South 7 MPH Referee: Tom Ritter TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (Play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Color) & Allie LaForce (Sideline) Source:

Georgia Tech–Orange Bowl[]

#8 Mississippi State vs. #10 Georgia Tech
(Orange Bowl)

1 2 3 4 Total No. 8 Bulldogs 0 20 0 14 34 • No. 10 Yellow Jackets 14 7 21 7 49 Date: December 31 Location: Sun Life Stadium Miami Gardens, FL Game start: 7:00 PM CST Elapsed time: 3:28 Game attendance: 58,211 Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C), Cloudy, Winds North 13 MPH Referee: Dan Capron TV announcers (ESPN): Brent Musburger (Play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (Color) & Maria Taylor (Sideline) Source:

Rankings[]

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV	RV	14	12	3 (2)	1 (45)	1 (43)	1 (46)	1 (45)	1 (48)	4	4	10	8	11
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	RV	16	14	6	1 (26)	1 (36)	1 (41)	1 (40)	1 (41)	4	4	10	8	12
CFP	Not released									1	1	1	4	4	10	7	Not released

Following MSU's win over Auburn, the team was ranked Number 1 in the AP Poll for the first time in the program's history. That also marked "the fastest [rise to the top] in AP Top 25 history."^[19] The previous mark was six weeks by Ohio State in 1954.^[20] The Bulldogs also became the first ever team to be ranked number 1 in the newly created College Football Playoff Poll when the initial poll was released on October 28, 2014.^[21]

References[]