American college football season
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 third 10-win 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 .
Key losses for the Bulldogs included:
Preseason prognostication [ edit ] The Bulldogs were picked to finish 5th in the SEC West by a vote of 229 media writers at the 2014 SEC Media Days,[ 2] while Athlon Sports[ 3] and NBC Sports[ 4] both picked the Bulldogs to come in sixth.
2014 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team roster Players Coaches Offense Defense 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 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
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance August 30 6:30 p.m. Southern Miss * SECN W 49–061,889 September 6 1:00 p.m. UAB * Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS SECRN W 47–3457,704 September 13 3:00 p.m. at South Alabama * ESPNews W 35–338,129 September 20 6:00 p.m. at No. 8 LSU ESPN W 34–29102,321 October 4 11:00 a.m. No. 6 Texas A&M No. 12 ESPN W 48–3161,133 October 11 2:30 p.m. No. 2 Auburn No. 3 CBS W 38–2362,945‡ October 25 2:30 p.m. at Kentucky No. 1 CBS W 45–3164,791 November 1 6:15 p.m. Arkansas No. 1 Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS ESPN2 W 17–1062,307 November 8 3:00 p.m. UT Martin * No. 1 Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS SECN W 45–1661,421 November 15 2:30 p.m. at No. 5 Alabama No. 1 CBS L 20–25101,821 November 22 6:30 p.m. Vanderbilt No. 4 Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS SECN W 51–060,493 November 29 2:30 p.m. at No. 19 Ole Miss No. 4 CBS L 17–3162,058 December 31 6:30 p.m. vs. No. 12 Georgia Tech * No. 7 ESPN L 34–4958,211
Schedule Source: [ 5] ‡ New Davis Wade Stadium Attendance Record Southern Miss at Mississippi State 1 2 3 4 Total Golden Eagles 0 0 0 0 0 • Bulldogs 7 21 14 7 49
Source:[ 6] 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.[ 7] [ 8] [ 9]
UAB at Mississippi State 1 2 3 4 Total Blazers 3 17 7 7 34 • Bulldogs 13 13 21 0 47
Source:[ 10] 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 goodMSU 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 goodMSU 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
Mississippi State at South Alabama 1 2 3 4 Total • Bulldogs 7 21 7 0 35 Jaguars 0 3 0 0 3
Date: September 13Location: Ladd–Peebles Stadium Mobile, AL Game start: 3:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:13Game attendance: 38,129Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C), Partly cloudy, Winds NNE 7 mphReferee: Matt LoefflerTV announcers (ESPNews ): Mike Couzens (Play-by-play) & Rene Ingogila (Color) Source:[ 11] 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
Mississippi State at #8 LSU 1 2 3 4 Total • Bulldogs 14 3 14 3 34 No. 8 Tigers 0 3 7 19 29
Source:[ 12] 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 failedMSU 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
#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
Source:[ 13] 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
#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
Source:[ 14] 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 goodMSU 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
#1 Mississippi State at Kentucky 1 2 3 4 Total • No. 1 Bulldogs 10 7 14 14 45 Wildcats 7 3 14 7 31
Source:[ 15] 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 at #1 Mississippi State 1 2 3 4 Total Razorbacks 3 7 0 0 10 • No. 1 Bulldogs 0 7 3 7 17
Source:[ 16] 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 goodUAR 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 at #1 Mississippi State 1 2 3 4 Total Skyhawks 3 0 0 13 16 • No. 1 Bulldogs 7 17 14 7 45
Source:[ 17] 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
#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
Source:[ 18] 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 goodUA 12–0 2 5:32 UA Derrick Henry 1 yd run. Adam Griffith kick goodUA 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 failedUA 25–13 4 0:15 MSU Jameon Lewis 4 yd pass from Dak Prescott. Evan Sobiesk kick good UA 25–20
Vanderbilt at #4 Mississippi State 1 2 3 4 Total Commodores 0 0 0 0 0 • No. 4 Bulldogs 13 24 7 7 51
Source:[ 19] 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
#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
Source:
Georgia Tech (Orange Bowl)[ edit ] #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
Source:
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes ( ) = 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."[ 20] The previous mark was six weeks by Ohio State in 1954 .[ 21] 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.[ 22]
^ Stevens, Matthew (August 21, 2013). "ONE LAST RUN: Autry looks to lead Bulldogs' defensive effort" . The Dispatch . Retrieved November 23, 2024 . ^ Casagrande, Michael (July 17, 2014). "SEC preseason media poll picks Alabama over Auburn to win league title" . AL.com. Retrieved May 3, 2015 . ^ Lassan, Steven (January 16, 2014). "Early SEC Football Predictions for 2014" . Athlon. Retrieved May 3, 2015 . ^ Taylor, John (August 18, 2014). "CFT 2014 Preseason Preview: SEC Predictions" . Athlon. Retrieved May 3, 2015 . ^ "2014 Mississippi State Bulldogs Football Schedule" . FB Schedules. Retrieved December 30, 2013 . ^ "Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Mississippi State Bulldogs (August 30, 2014)" . Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. August 30, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2014 . ^ NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION and Walter Byers v. Larry J. GILLARD, by and through Bob Tyler, as next friend, and Mississippi State University. Supreme Court of Mississippi. December 7, 1977. ^ "NCAA Orders Mississippi State to Forfeit 19 Football Games" . Lakeland Ledger . May 24, 1978. Retrieved January 1, 2015 . ^ Mississippi State vs Southern Mississippi @ Winsipedia ^ "UAB Blazers at Mississippi State Bulldogs (September 6, 2014)" . Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014 . ^ "Mississippi State Bulldogs at South Alabama Jaguars (September 13, 2014)" . Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. September 13, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2014 . ^ "Mississippi State Bulldogs at LSU Tigers (September 20, 2014)" . Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. September 20, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2014 . ^ "Texas A&M Aggies at Mississippi State Bulldogs (October 4, 2014)" . Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. October 4, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014 . ^ "Auburn Tigers at Mississippi State Bulldogs (October 11, 2014)" . Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. October 11, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014 . ^ "Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kentucky Wildcats (October 25, 2014)" . Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014 . ^ "Arkansas Razorbacks at Mississippi State Bulldogs (November 1, 2014)" . Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. November 1, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2014 . ^ "Tennessee–Martin Skyhawks at Mississippi State Bulldogs (November 8, 2014)" . Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. November 8, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2014 . ^ "Mississippi State Bulldogs at Alabama Crimson Tide (November 14, 2014)" . Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. November 14, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2014 . ^ "Vanderbilt Commodores at Mississippi State Bulldogs (November 22, 2014)" . Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. November 22, 2014. Retrieved November 23, 2014 . ^ Vander Voort, Eric (October 12, 2014). "Mississippi State Completes Fastest Ascent to No. 1 in AP Top 25 History" . National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved October 15, 2014 . ^ "Mississippi State No. 1 in AP poll" . ESPN.com . Associated Press. October 12, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2014 . ^ Tracy, Marc (October 28, 2014). "Mississippi State Leads College Football Playoff Committee's First Rankings" . The New York Times . Retrieved October 29, 2014 .
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