2014 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

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).

2014 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Orange Bowl, L 34–49 vs. Georgia Tech
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionWestern Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 12
APNo. 11
2014 record10–3 (6–2 SEC)
Head coach
Co-offensive coordinatorBilly Gonzales (1st as co-OC, 2nd overall season)
Co-offensive coordinatorJohn Hevesy (1st as co-OC, 6th overall season)
Offensive schemeSpread option
Defensive coordinatorGeoff Collins (4th season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumDavis Wade Stadium (Capacity: 61,337)
2014 Southeastern Conference football standings
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 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:

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.#NameClass
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.#NameClass
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 Ryan Brown 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.#NameClass
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

Schedule
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
August 306:30 p.m.Southern Miss*
SECNW 49–061,889
September 61:00 p.m.UAB*
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS
SECRNW 47–3457,704
September 133:00 p.m.at South Alabama*
ESPNewsW 35–338,129
September 206:00 p.m.at No. 8 LSU
ESPNW 34–29102,321
October 411:00 a.m.No. 6 Texas A&MNo. 12
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS
ESPNW 48–3161,133
October 112:30 p.m.No. 2 AuburnNo. 3
CBSW 38–2362,945‡
October 252:30 p.m.at KentuckyNo. 1
CBSW 45–3164,791
November 16:15 p.m.ArkansasNo. 1
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS
ESPN2W 17–1062,307
November 83:00 p.m.Tennessee–Martin*No. 1
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS
SECNW 45–1661,421
November 152:30 p.m.at No. 5 AlabamaNo. 1
CBSL 20–25101,821
November 226:30 p.m.VanderbiltNo. 4
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS
SECNW 51–060,493
November 292:30 p.m.at No. 18 Ole MissNo. 4
CBSL 17–3162,058
December 316:30 p.m.vs. No. 10 Georgia Tech*No. 8
ESPNL 34–4958,211
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game
  • All times are in Central time
Schedule Source:[4]
  • ‡ New Davis Wade Stadium Attendance Record

Southern Miss
See also: Southern Miss Golden Eagles football and 2014 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team
Southern Miss at Mississippi State
1 234Total
Golden Eagles 0 000 0
• Bulldogs 7 21147 49
Source:[5]

*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
See also: UAB Blazers football and 2014 UAB Blazers football team
UAB at Mississippi State
1 234Total
Blazers 3 1777 34
• Bulldogs 13 13210 47
Source:[9]

South Alabama
See also: South Alabama Jaguars football and 2014 South Alabama Jaguars football team
Mississippi State at South Alabama
1 234Total
• Bulldogs 7 2170 35
Jaguars 0 300 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]

Louisiana State
See also: LSU Tigers football and 2014 LSU Tigers football team
Mississippi State at #8 LSU
1 234Total
• Bulldogs 14 3143 34
No. 8 Tigers 0 3719 29
Source:[11]

Texas A&M
See also: Texas A&M Aggies football and 2014 Texas A&M Aggies football team
#6 Texas A&M at #12 Mississippi State
1 234Total
No. 6 Aggies 7 3714 31
• No. 12 Bulldogs 14 14137 48
Source:[12]

Auburn
See also: Auburn Tigers football and 2014 Auburn Tigers football team
#2 Auburn at #3 Mississippi State
1 234Total
No. 2 Tigers 0 1373 23
• No. 3 Bulldogs 21 7010 38
Source:[13]

Kentucky
See also: Kentucky Wildcats football and 2014 Kentucky Wildcats football team
#1 Mississippi State at Kentucky
1 234Total
• No. 1 Bulldogs 10 71414 45
Wildcats 7 3147 31
Source:[14]

Arkansas
See also: Arkansas Razorbacks football and 2014 Arkansas Razorbacks football team
Arkansas at #1 Mississippi State
1 234Total
Razorbacks 3 700 10
• No. 1 Bulldogs 0 737 17
Source:[15]

Tennessee–Martin
See also: Tennessee–Martin Skyhawks football and 2014 Tennessee–Martin Skyhawks football team
Tennessee–Martin at #1 Mississippi State
1 234Total
Skyhawks 3 0013 16
• No. 1 Bulldogs 7 17147 45
Source:[16]

Alabama
See also: Alabama Crimson Tide football and 2014 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
#1 Mississippi State at #5 Alabama
1 234Total
No. 1 Bulldogs 0 3314 20
• No. 5 Crimson Tide 5 1406 25
Source:[17]

Vanderbilt
See also: Vanderbilt Commodores football and 2014 Vanderbilt Commodores football team
Vanderbilt at #4 Mississippi State
1 234Total
Commodores 0 000 0
• No. 4 Bulldogs 13 2477 51
Source:[18]

Mississippi
See also: Ole Miss Rebels football and 2014 Ole Miss Rebels football team
#4 Mississippi State at #18 Ole Miss
1 234Total
No. 4 Bulldogs 0 377 17
• No. 18 Rebels 7 0177 31
Source:

Georgia Tech–Orange Bowl
See also: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football, 2014 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team, and 2014 Orange Bowl (December)
#8 Mississippi State vs. #10 Georgia Tech
(Orange Bowl)
1 234Total
No. 8 Bulldogs 0 20014 34
• No. 10 Yellow Jackets 14 7217 49
Source:

Rankings
Further information: 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football 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
  1. Casagrande, Michael (July 17, 2014). "SEC preseason media poll picks Alabama over Auburn to win league title". AL.com. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  2. Lassan, Steven (January 16, 2014). "Early SEC Football Predictions for 2014". Athlon. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  3. Taylor, John (August 18, 2014). "CFT 2014 Preseason Preview: SEC Predictions". Athlon. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  4. "2014 Mississippi State Bulldogs Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  5. "Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Mississippi State Bulldogs (August 30, 2014)". Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. August 30, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  6. 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.
  7. "NCAA Orders Mississippi State to Forfeit 19 Football Games". Lakeland Ledger. May 24, 1978. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  8. Mississippi State vs Southern Mississippi @ Winsipedia
  9. "UAB Blazers at Mississippi State Bulldogs (September 6, 2014)". Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  10. "Mississippi State Bulldogs at South Alabama Jaguars (September 13, 2014)". Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. September 13, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  11. "Mississippi State Bulldogs at LSU Tigers (September 20, 2014)". Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. September 20, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  12. "Texas A&M Aggies at Mississippi State Bulldogs (October 4, 2014)". Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. October 4, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  13. "Auburn Tigers at Mississippi State Bulldogs (October 11, 2014)". Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. October 11, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  14. "Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kentucky Wildcats (October 25, 2014)". Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  15. "Arkansas Razorbacks at Mississippi State Bulldogs (November 1, 2014)". Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. November 1, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  16. "Tennessee–Martin Skyhawks at Mississippi State Bulldogs (November 8, 2014)". Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. November 8, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  17. "Mississippi State Bulldogs at Alabama Crimson Tide (November 14, 2014)". Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. November 14, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  18. "Vanderbilt Commodores at Mississippi State Bulldogs (November 22, 2014)". Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. November 22, 2014. Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  19. 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.
  20. "Mississippi State No. 1 in AP poll". ESPN. October 12, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  21. 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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