1976 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

1976 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
AP	No. 20
Record	9–2, 9 wins forfeited (4–2 SEC, 4 wins forfeited)
Head coach	Bob Tyler (4th season)
Home stadium	Scott Field Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Seasons ←  1975 1977  →

1976 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 10 Georgia $	5	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 11 Alabama	5	–	2	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 20 Mississippi State	4	–	2	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
Florida	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
No. 18 Kentucky	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
LSU	3	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	1
Auburn	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Ole Miss	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Tennessee	2	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Vanderbilt	0	–	6	–	0			2	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Mississippi State later forfeited all 1976 wins due to NCAA violations. Rankings from AP Poll

The 1976 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. The team was led by head coach Bob Tyler, competed as a member of the Southeastern Conference and finished the season with an overall record of nine wins and two losses (9–2, 4–2 SEC). However, in May 1978, the NCAA ruled Mississippi State to forfeit all nine victories due to having played an ineligible player. ^[1]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 4	North Texas State *		Scott Field Starkville, MS	L 7–0 (forfeit)	29,000	[2]
September 18	Louisville *		Scott Field Starkville, MS	L 30–21 (forfeit)	27,000	[3]
September 25	at Florida		Florida Field Gainesville, FL	L 30–34	49,117	[4]
October 2	Cal Poly Pomona *		Scott Field Starkville, MS	L 38–0 (forfeit)	33,000	[5]
October 9	Kentucky		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 14–7 (forfeit)	31,500	[6]
October 16	at Memphis State *		Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	L 42–33 (forfeit)	51,704	[7]
October 23	at Southern Miss *	No. 20	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS	L 14–6 (forfeit)	31,225	[8]
October 30	at No. 18 Alabama	No. 17	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	L 17–34	53,617	[9] [10]
November 6	Auburn		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 28–19 (forfeit)	37,000	[11]
November 13	LSU		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (rivalry)	L 21–13 (forfeit)	40,000	[12]
November 20	Ole Miss		Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (Egg Bowl)	L 28–11 (forfeit)	46,000	[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[14]

Personnel

1976 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB Norman Joseph Sr QB Bruce Threadgill Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Bob Tyler Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "Bulldogs forced to forfeit 19 football games". The Tuscaloosa News. Associated Press. May 24, 1978. p. 19. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
2. "Rain-dampened North Texas offense sputters to 7–0 loss". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 5, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
3. "Bulldogs offense scores with more question marks". The Commercial Appeal. September 19, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Gators squeeze out first SEC win". The Palm Beach Post-Times. September 26, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Unbeaten 49ers Score Win Over Pacific". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 3, 1976. p. III-16. Retrieved February 23, 2017– via Newspapers.com.
6. "UK's early bobbles are fatal in 14–7 loss to Miss. State". The Courier-Journal. October 10, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Memphis State streak ends". The Tennessean. October 17, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Luck rides with Bulldogs". The Clarion-Ledger. October 24, 1976. Retrieved March 24, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
9. Martin, Steve (October 31, 1976). "Tide blows Bulldogs out, 34–17". The Tuscaloosa News. p. A1. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
10. "Tide rolls past Mississippi St". The Ledger. Associated Press. October 31, 1976. p. 5C. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
11. "Davison is 'big man' in Bulldogs' victory". The Commercial Appeal. November 7, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Late Bengal rally falls short". Daily World. November 14, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
13. "State trounces Ole Miss Rebels 28–11". The Greenwood Commonwealth. November 21, 1976. Retrieved October 28, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
14. "1976 Mississippi State Bulldogs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 29, 2023.