The 2008 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University

Mississippi State University

The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...

 during the 2008 college football season

2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 28, 2008, progressing through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 8, 2009, where the #2...

. The team's head coach was Sylvester Croom

Sylvester Croom

Sylvester Croom, Jr. is the former football head coach at Mississippi State University and current running backs coach of the St. Louis Rams. He was the first African American head football coach in the Southeastern Conference...

. The Bulldogs played their six home games in 2008 at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field

Davis Wade Stadium

Davis Wade Stadium is the home playing venue for the Mississippi State Bulldogs football team. Located in Starkville, Mississippi, the stadium has a capacity of 55,082. It was built in 1914 as Scott Field and was named for Don Magruder Scott, an Olympic sprinter and one of the University's first...

 in Starkville, Mississippi

Starkville, Mississippi

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 21,869 people, 9,462 households, and 4,721 families residing in the city. The population density was 851.4 people per square mile . There were 10,191 housing units at an average density of 396.7 per square mile...

. Despite going 4-8 and having two home losses, both home losses were by a single point.

Croom resigned at the end of the season. On December 10, Mississippi State hired Florida

Florida Gators football

The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...

 offensive coordinator

Offensive coordinator

An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...

 Dan Mullen

Dan Mullen

-External links:** on Bulldog Junction's website* article on Coach Mullen as new MSU head coach* Dan Mullen goes from Trinity star QB to Mississippi State head coach...

.

Schedule

• Rankings indicate opponent's position in AP Poll as released week prior to game. Schedule Source:

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Last Meeting: September 21, 1996

1996 NCAA Division I-A football season

The 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Florida Gators crowned National Champions, but not as unanimously as the Bowl Alliance would have hoped....

, L 23-38

Series Record: MSU leads 7-2

South Eastern Louisiana University Lions

Last Meeting: Never Met

Series Record: Never Met

Auburn Tigers

Last Meeting: September 15, 2007, W 19-14

Series Record: MSU trails 23-56-2

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Last Meeting: October 5, 1929, L 13-27

Series Record: MSU trails 0-2

Louisiana State University Tigers

Last Meeting: August 30, 2007

2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 30, 2007, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7, 2008, where the top...

, L 0-45

Series Record: MSU trails 33-65-3

Vanderbilt Commodores

Last Meeting: October 2, 2004

2004 NCAA Division I-A football season

The 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with several undefeated teams vying for a spot in the national title game, triggering controversy. In the 2003 season, no team finished the regular season unbeaten, and five teams finished the season with one loss...

, L 13-31

Series Record: MSU leads 10-7-2

University of Tennessee Volunteers

Last Meeting: October 13, 2007, L 21-33

Series Record: MSU trails 15-27-1

Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders

Last Meeting:October 28, 2000,W 61-35

Series Record: MSU leads 2-0

Kentucky Wildcats

Last Meeting: October 27, 2007

2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 30, 2007, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7, 2008, where the top...

, W 31-14

Series Record: MSU trails 15-20

Alabama Crimson Tide

Last Meeting: November 10, 2007

2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 30, 2007, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7, 2008, where the top...

, W 17-12

Series Record: MSU trails 18-71-3

Arkansas Razorbacks

Last Meeting: November 17, 2007

2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 30, 2007, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7, 2008, where the top...

, L 31-45

Series Record: MSU trails 5-12-1

Mississippi Rebels (Egg Bowl

Egg Bowl

The Battle for the Golden Egg, also known as the Egg Bowl, is an American college football rivalry game between played annually by the Mississippi State Bulldogs football team of Mississippi State University and the Ole Miss Rebels football team of the University of Mississippi . The rivalry is...

)

Last Meeting: November 23, 2007

2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 30, 2007, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7, 2008, where the top...

, W 17-14

Series Record: MSU trails 39-59-6

Statistics

Mississippi State Overall Team Statistics (as of Oct 11, 2008)

Team

class="wikitable" style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;">	Statistics	Mississippi State	Opponents
Scoring	183	296
Points per game	15.2	24.7
First downs	187	200
Rushing	69	95
Passing	108	89
Penalties	10	16
Total offensive yards	3,312	3,990
Avg per Game	276.0	327.5
Rushing	1,220	1,811
Passing	2,092	2,119
Fumbles–Lost	19-8	20-8
Penalties–Yards	68-544	76-643
Average per game	45.3	53.6

class="wikitable" style="white-space:nowrap; text-align:center;"> Statistics Mississippi State Opponents Punts–Yards 82-3,099 66-2,671 Average per punt 37.8 40.5 Average ToP/game 30:15 29:45 3rd down conversions 58-178 59-168 3rd down percentage 33 35 4th down conversions 8-18 10-11 4th down percentage 44 91 Touchdowns scored 23 35 Field goals–Att–Long 7–13–42 17-25–20 PAT

Extra Point

Extra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio that covers generic sports-related topical news and opinion. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...

–Att 22–23 33-34 Attendance 260,716 411,944 Average 43,453 68,657

Scores by quarter

Rushing

Name	GP-GS	Att	Gain	Loss	Net	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Anthony Dixon	12-12	197	930	61	869	4.4	7	71	72.4
Christian Ducre	12-1	56	234	12	222	4.0	2	20	18.5
Robert Elliott	4-0	18	65	4	61	3.4	1	15	15.2
Tyson Lee	11-8	62	228	191	37	0.6	1	18	3.4
Wesley Carroll	7-4	18	54	72	-18	-1.0	0	20	-2.6
Jamayel Smith	12-4	2	13	10	3	1.5	0	9	0.2
Wade Bonner	12-0	7	11	1	10	1.4	0	3	0.8
Brandon Hart	12-2	4	9	0	9	2.2	1	4	0.8
Chris Relf	2-0	7	20	33	-13	-1.9	0	10	-6.5
Eric Hoskins	11-4	1	3	0	3	3.0	0	3	0.3
Brandon McRae	12-10	1	0	1	-1	-1.0	0	0	-0.1
Marcus Green	2-1	1	0	3	-3	-3.0	0	0	-1.5
TEAM	8-0	8	0	30	-30	-3.8	0	0	-3.8
Total	12	397	1645	425	1220	3.1	13	71	101.7
Opponents	12	443	2055	244	1811	4.1	19	88	150.9

Passing

Name	GP-GS	Effic	Att-Cmp-Int	Pct	Yds	TD	Lng	Avg/G
Tyson Lee	11-8	112.96	153-260-5	58.8	1519	7	41	138.1
Wesley Carroll	7-4	85.17	55-115-7	47.8	560	3	50	80.0
Chris Relf	2-0	34.36	2-9-0	22.2	13	0	12	6.5
TEAM	8-0	0.00	0-1-0	0.0	0	0	0	0.0
Total	12	102.53	210-385-12	54.5	2,092	10	50	174.3
Opponents	12	115.40	169-324-8	52.2	2119	13	87	176.6

Receiving

Name	GP-GS	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Brandon McRae	6-4	33	302	9.2	2	24	50.3
Aubrey Bell	6-5	19	171	9.0	0	22	28.5
Christian Ducre	6-1	11	91	8.3	1	24	15.2
Jamayel Smith	6-2	8	120	15.0	0	41	20.0
Co-Eric Riley	6-1	8	75	9.4	0	26	12.5
Delmon Robinson	4-0	7	84	12.0	0	25	21.0
Eric Hoskins	5-1	5	36	7.2	0	14	7.2
Anthony Dixon	6-6	5	22	4.4	0	12	3.7
Robert Elliott	4-0	4	53	13.2	0	19	13.2
Arnil Stallworth	6-0	4	45	11.2	0	29	7.5
Brandon Henderson	6-0	2	11	5.5	1	7	1.8
Marcus Green	2-1	1	50	50.0	0	50	25.0
Brandon Hart	6-2	1	8	8.0	0	8	1.3
Wade Bonner	5-0	1	6	6.0	0	6	1.2
Austin Wilbanks	4-2	1	1	1.0	1	1	0.2
Total	6	110	1,075	9.8	5	50	179.2
Opponents	6	65	829	12.8	4	70	138.2

Defense

Name	GP	Tackles				Sacks	Pass Defense		Interceptions				Fumbles		Blkd Kick
		Solo	Ast	Total	TFL-Yds	No-Yds	BrUp	QBH	No.-Yds	Avg	TD	Long	Rcv-Yds	FF
Total

Special teams

Name	Punting								Kickoffs
	No.	Yds	Avg	Long	TB	FC	I20	Blkd	No.	Yds	Avg	TB	OB
Blake McAdams	35	1,261	36.0	53	0	12	8	0
Adam Carlson	2	50	25.0	28	0	0	1	0	18	1,016	56.4	0	1
Eric Richards									3	190	63.3	0	0
Total	37	1,311	35.4	53	0	12	9	0	21	1,206	57.4	0	1

Name	Punt Returns					Kick Returns
	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long	No.	Yds	Avg	TD	Long
Total

Coaching staff

Name	Responsibility	Position Group	Year	Alma Mater
Sylvester Croom Sylvester Croom Sylvester Croom, Jr. is the former football head coach at Mississippi State University and current running backs coach of the St. Louis Rams. He was the first African American head football coach in the Southeastern Conference...	Head Coach		5th	University of Alabama University of Alabama The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....  (1975)
Woody McCorvey	Asst. Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator	Quarterbacks	5th	Alabama State University Alabama State University Alabama State University, founded 1867, is a historically black university located in Montgomery, Alabama. ASU is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.- History :...  (1972)
Charlie Harbison	Defensive Coordinator	Safeties	2nd	Gardner-Webb University Gardner-Webb University Gardner–Webb University is a private university located west of Charlotte in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, USA. The school has a total of 14 academic departments offering 45 major fields of study. Among the most popular of the school's 39 undergraduate majors are those in business , education ,...  (1995)
Reed Stringer	Special Teams Coordinator	Tight Ends	5th	Delta State University Delta State University Delta State University, also known as DSU, is a regional public university located in Cleveland, Mississippi, United States, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta...  (2001)
Rocky Felker	Recruiting Coordinator	Running Backs	7th	Mississippi State University Mississippi State University The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...  (1972)
J.B. Grimes		Offensive Linemen	5th	Henderson State University Henderson State University Henderson State University, founded in 1890 as Arkadelphia Methodist College, is a four-year public liberal arts university located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, United States. It is Arkansas's only member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges...  (1977)
David Turner		Defensive Linemen	2nd	Davidson University (1985)
Melvin Smith		Cornerbacks	3rd	Millsaps College Millsaps College Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college located in Jackson, Mississippi. Founded in 1890, the college is recognized as one of the country's best private colleges dedicated to undergraduate teaching and educating the whole individual. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, Millsaps...  (1982)
Pat Washington		Wide Receivers	2nd	Auburn University Auburn University Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...  (1987)
Louis Campbell		Linebackers	1st	University of Arkansas University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...  (1973)
Ben Pollard	Head Strength & Conditioning Coach		2nd	Texas Tech University Texas Tech University Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...  (1984)
Brad Pendergrass	Assistant Athletic Director for Football Operations		5th	University of Tennessee University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...  (1998)
Ryan Hollern	Coordinator of Recruiting Operations		2nd	Gannon University Gannon University Gannon University is a private, co-educational Catholic university offering associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees, certificates and doctoral degrees and is located in Erie, Pennsylvania. Gannon University has an alumni base numbering around 31,500. Current enrollment is 4,238.Gannon's... (2001)