2018 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

2018 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Outback Bowl, L 22–27 vs. Iowa
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Western Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 25
Record	0–5, 8 wins vacated (0–4 SEC, 4 wins vacated)
Head coach	Joe Moorhead (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Luke Getsy (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Bob Shoop (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Davis Wade Stadium
Seasons ←  2017 2019  →

2018 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 7т Georgia x		7	–	1					11	–	3
No. 12 Kentucky		5	–	3					10	–	3
No. 7т Florida		5	–	3					10	–	3
South Carolina		4	–	4					7	–	6
Missouri		4	–	4					8	–	5
Vanderbilt		3	–	5					6	–	7
Tennessee		2	–	6					5	–	7
West Division
No. 2 Alabama x$^		8	–	0					14	–	1
No. 16 Texas A&M		5	–	3					9	–	4
No. 6 LSU		5	–	3					10	–	3
Mississippi State*		4	–	4					8	–	5
Auburn		3	–	5					8	–	5
Ole Miss		1	–	7					5	–	7
Arkansas		0	–	8					2	–	10
Championship: Alabama 35, Georgia 28
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions * Mississippi State vacated four conference and eight total wins due to NCAA violations. [1] Rankings from AP Poll

The 2018 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs played their home games at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi and competed in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by first-year head coach Joe Moorhead. Mississippi State subsequently vacated all eight victories due to NCAA sanctions due to academic misconduct involving 10 players and a tutor in online coursework. ^{[2] [3]}

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award	Player	Position	Year
Lott Trophy [4]	Jeffery Simmons	DT	JR
Rimington Trophy [5]	Elgton Jenkins	C	SR
Chuck Bednarik Award [6]	Montez Sweat	DE	SR
	Jeffery Simmons	DT	JR
Maxwell Award [7]	Nick Fitzgerald	QB	SR
Davey O'Brien Award [8]	Nick Fitzgerald	QB	SR
Doak Walker Award [9]	Aeris Williams	RB	SR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy [10]	Jeffery Simmons	DT	JR
	Montez Sweat	DE	SR
Outland Trophy [11]	Jeffery Simmons	DT	JR
Lou Groza Award [12]	Jace Christmann	K	SO
Paul Hornung Award [13]	Deddrick Thomas	WR/KR	JR
Wuerffel Trophy [14]	Gerri Green	LB	SR
Ted Hendricks Award [15]	Montez Sweat	DE	SR
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award [16]	Nick Fitzgerald	QB	SR
Manning Award [17]	Nick Fitzgerald	QB	SR

SEC media poll

The SEC media poll was released on July 20, 2018 with the Bulldogs predicted to finish in third place in the West Division. ^[18]

Media poll (West)
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Alabama	1,971 (263)
2	Auburn	1,664 (19)
3	Mississippi State	1,239 (2)
4	Texas A&M	1,091
5	LSU	1,025
6	Ole Miss	578
7	Arkansas	412

Preseason All-SEC teams

The Bulldogs had five players selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

Offense 3rd team Nick Fitzgerald – QB Aeris Williams – RB

Defense 1st team Montez Sweat – DL Jeffery Simmons – DL 3rd team Mark McLaurin – DB

Schedule

All eight victories were subsequently vacated as part of NCAA sanctions due to academic misconduct involving a tutor and online coursework. ^{[2] [3]}

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	6:30 p.m.	Stephen F. Austin *	No. 18	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	ESPNU	W 63–6 (vacated)	54,289
September 8	11:00 a.m.	at Kansas State *	No. 18	Bill Snyder Family Stadium Manhattan, KS	ESPN	W 31–10 (vacated)	49,784
September 15	6:30 p.m.	Louisiana *	No. 16	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	ESPN2	W 56–10 (vacated)	56,505
September 22	6:00 p.m.	at Kentucky	No. 14	Kroger Field Lexington, KY	ESPN2	L 7–28	60,037
September 29	5:00 p.m.	Florida	No. 23	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS (SEC Nation)	ESPN	L 6–13	61,406
October 6	6:30 p.m.	No. 8 Auburn		Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	ESPN2	W 23–9 (vacated)	60,635
October 20	6:00 p.m.	at No. 5 LSU	No. 22	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	ESPN	L 3–19	101,340
October 27	6:00 p.m.	No. 16 Texas A&M		Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	ESPN	W 28–13 (vacated)	57,085
November 3	6:30 p.m.	Louisiana Tech *	No. 18	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	SECN	W 45–3 (vacated)	58,709
November 10	2:30 p.m.	at No. 1 Alabama	No. 16	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	CBS	L 0–24	101,821
November 17	11:00 a.m.	Arkansas	No. 21	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	ESPN	W 52–6 (vacated)	57,772
November 22	6:30 p.m.	at Ole Miss	No. 18	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS (Egg Bowl)	ESPN	W 35–3 (vacated)	56,561
January 1	11:00 a.m.	vs. Iowa *	No. 18	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL (Outback Bowl)	ESPN2	L 22–27	40,518
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after October 30 released prior to game All times are in Central time

Schedule Source: ^[19]

Rankings

Further information: 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	18	18	16	14	23	RV	24	22	RV	21	18	25	22	20	18	RV
Coaches	18	18	16	14	19	RV	RV	RV	RV	21	15	23	20	19	18	25
CFP	Not released									18	16	21	18	18	18	Not released

Game summaries

Stephen F. Austin

	1	2	3	4	Total
Lumberjacks	0	3	3	0	6
No. 18 Bulldogs	21	14	14	14	63

See also: 2018 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football team

At Kansas State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 18 Bulldogs	3	14	7	7	31
Wildcats	3	0	7	0	10

See also: 2018 Kansas State Wildcats football team

Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald made his first appearance on the football fields since November 2017, when a foot injury sidelined him for the season and a 1-game suspension kept him out of the season opener. Fitzgerald threw for 154 yards with two touchdowns and ran for another 159 yards. Mississippi State compiled a total of 538 yards of total offense where Kansas State only managed 213.

Kansas State continued with its two-quarterback system, switching snaps between Skylar Thompson and Alex Delton. Kansas State running back Alex Barnes managed 75 yards rushing, but the Wildcats fell short to lose the game 31-10. ^[20]

Louisiana

Louisiana at Mississippi State

1 2 3 4 Total Ragin' Cajuns 3 0 0 7 10 •No. 16 Bulldogs 14 21 14 7 56 Date: September 15, 2018 Location: Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS Game start: 6:40 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 2 hours and 57 minutes Game attendance: 56,505 Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C) • Weather: Clear Skies • Wind: 6 N MPH Referee: Ken Williamson Television network: ESPN2

Scoring summary 1 11:48 LA Kyle Pfau 38-yard field goal (9 plays, 54 yards, 3:12) LA 3–0 05:06 MSST Nick Fitzgerald 1-yard rush (Jace Christmann kick) (13 plays, 74 yards, 6:36) MSST 7–3 00:10 MSST Nick Fitzgerald 10-yard rush (Jace Christmann kick) (6 plays, 62 yards, 2:14) MSST 14–3 2 09:35 MSST Aeris Williams 3-yard rush (Jace Christmann kick) (7 plays, 67 yards, 4:00) MSST 21–3 04:54 MSST Nick Fitzgerald 2-yard rush (Jace Christmann kick) (5 plays, 48 yards, 2:16) MSST 28–3 00:18 MSST Stephen Guidry 39-yard pass from Nick Fitzgerald (Jace Christmann kick) (5 plays, 64 yards, 1:11) MSST 35–3 3 13:16 MSST Nick Fitzgerald 26-yard rush (Jace Christmann kick) (4 plays, 65 yards, 1:39) MSST 42–3 06:01 MSST Keith Mixon 25-yard pass from Nick Fitzgerald (Jace Christmann kick) (9 plays, 85 yards, 3:52) MSST 49–3 4 07:31 LA Ja'Marcus Bradley 4-yard pass from Andre Nunez (Kyle Pfau kick) (10 plays, 47 yards, 5:11) MSST 49–10 04:22 MSST Keytaon Thompson 16-yard rush (Jace Christmann kick) (7 plays, 75 yards, 3:09) MSST 56–10

See also: 2018 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team

Pregame line	Over/under
Mississippi State	−34.5

Statistics	Louisiana	Mississippi State
First downs	13	29
Total yards	310	607
Rushing yards	65	331
Passing yards	245	276
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	27:01	32:59

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Louisiana	Passing	Andre Nunez	21–29, 224 yards
	Rushing	Trey Ragas	7 carries, 49 yards
	Receiving	Keenan Barnes	4 receptions, 76 yards
Mississippi State	Passing	Nick Fitzgerald	14–21, 243 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Nick Fitzgerald	15 carries, 107 yards, 4 TDs
	Receiving	Keith Mixon	4 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD

At Kentucky

See also: 2018 Kentucky Wildcats football team

No. 14 Mississippi State at Kentucky

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 14 Bulldogs	0	7	0	0	7
Wildcats	0	7	7	14	28

at Kroger Field, Lexington, Kentucky

• Date: September 22, 2018
• Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
• Game attendance: 60,037
• TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Anthony Becht (analyst), Rocky Boiman (sideline reporter)

Florida

See also: 2018 Florida Gators football team

Florida Gators at Mississippi State Bulldogs – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida	0	3	7	3	13
No. 23 Mississippi State	3	3	0	0	6

at Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, Mississippi

• Date: September 29, 2018
• Game time: 6:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C) • Wind: N at 1 mile per hour (1.6 km/h) • Weather: Partly cloudy
• Game attendance: 61,406
• Referee: Matt Austin
• TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill ^[21]
• Boxscore

Game information

First Quarter Mississippi State – Jace Christmann 34-yard field goal, 3:28 Second Quarter Florida – Evan McPherson 39-yard field goal, 10:24 Mississippi State – Jace Christmann 39-yard field goal, 3:30 Third Quarter Florida – Moral Stephens 20-yard pass from Kadarius Toney (Evan McPherson kick), 8:26 Fourth Quarter Florida – Evan McPherson 21-yard field goal 5:22 Passing leaders FLA – Feleipe Franks – 22/31, 219 yards, 1 interception MSU – Nick Fitzgerald – 11/26, 98 yards Rushing leaders FLA – La'Mical Perine – 10 carries, 55 yards MSU – Kylin Hill – 9 carries, 41 yards Receiving leaders FLA – Josh Hammond – 3 receptions, 47 yards MSU – Osirus Mitchell – 3 receptions, 35 yards Tackling leaders FLA – C. J. Gardner-Johnson and Vosean Joseph – 7 tackles MSU – Erroll Thompson – 14 tackles

Auburn

See also: 2018 Auburn Tigers football team

No. 8 Auburn Tigers at Mississippi State Bulldogs – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 8 Auburn	3	0	3	3	9
Mississippi State	3	10	3	7	23

at Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, Mississippi

• Date: October 6, 2018
• Game time: 6:35 p.m.
• Game weather: Temperature: 81° • Wind: SE 3 mph • Weather: Clear skies
• Game attendance: 60,635
• Referee: James Carter
• TV announcers (ESPN2): Mark Jones (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst), Molly McGrath (sideline reporter)

Game information

First Quarter AUB – Anders Carlson 47 yd field goal, 7:30 (AUB 3–0) MSU – Jace Christmann 25 yd field goal, 2:37 (TIE 3–3) Second Quarter MSU – Jace Christmann 47 yd field goal, 10:13 (MSU 6–3) MSU – Nick Fitzgerald 1 yd run (Jace Christmann kick), 0:00 (MSU 13–3) Third Quarter MSU – Jace Christmann 32 yd field goal, 6:55 (MSU 16–3) AUB – Anders Carlson 38 yd field goal, 5:45 (MSU 16–6) Fourth Quarter AUB – Anders Carlson 24 yd field goal, 11:24 (MSU 16–9) MSU – Nick Fitzgerald 21 yd run (Jace Christmann kick), 2:02 (MSU 23–9) Top Passers AUB – Jarrett Stidham 19–38, 214 yds MSU – Nick Fitzgerald 9–17, 69 yds, 1 INT Top Rushers AUB – JaTarvious Whitlow 8 rushes, 88 yds MSU – Nick Fitzgerald 28 rushes, 195 yds Top Receivers AUB – Ryan Davis 8 receptions, 91 yds MSU – Farrod Green 2 receptions, 23 yds

At LSU

See also: 2018 LSU Tigers football team and LSU–Mississippi State football rivalry

Mississippi State at LSU – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 22 Bulldogs	3	0	0	0	3
No. 5 Tigers	7	3	6	3	19

at Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA

• Date: October 20
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C); cloudy w/ light rain
• Game attendance: 101,340
• Referee: John McDaid
• TV: ESPN

Game information

First quarter LSU – Nick Brossette 1-yard TD run, Cole Tracy kick good, 12:37 (LSU 7–0) MSST – Jace Christmann 19-yard field goal, 8:43 (LSU 7–3) Second quarter LSU – Tracy 25-yard field goal, 0:00 (LSU 10–3) Third quarter LSU – Tracy 38-yard field goal, 10:44 (LSU 13–3) LSU – Tracy 29-yard field goal, 2:54 (LSU 16–3) Fourth quarter LSU – Tracy 40-yard field goal, 10:42 (LSU 19–3) Top passers LSU – Joe Burrow – 16/28, 129 yards, INT MSST – Nick Fitzgerald – 8/24, 59 yards, 4 INT Top rushers LSU – Nick Brossette – 17 carries, 57 yards, TD MSST – Nick Fitzgerald – 23 carries, 131 yards Top receivers LSU – Dee Anderson – 3 receptions, 29 yards MSST – Deddrick Thomas – reception, 15 yards

Texas A&M

See also: 2018 Texas A&M Aggies football team

Week Nine: Texas A&M Aggies at Mississippi State – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 16 Aggies	0	10	3	0	13
Bulldogs	7	0	7	14	28

at Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, MS

• Date: October 27
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Game attendance: 57,085
• TV: ESPN

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Leading Passers TAMU – Kellen Mond – 23/46, 232, TD, INT MSU – Nick Fitzgerald – 14/22, 241 yards, 2 TD Leading Rushers TAMU – Jashaun Corbin – 3 carries, 33 yards MSU – Nick Fitzgerald – 16 carries, 88 yards, 2 TD Leading Receivers TAMU – Quartney Davis – 6 receptions, 59 yards, TD MSU – Stephen Guidry – 3 receptions, 130 yards, TD

Louisiana Tech

See also: 2018 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team

Louisiana Tech at Mississippi State – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
LT Bulldogs	3	0	0	0	3
No. 21 MSU Bulldogs	21	10	7	7	45

at Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, MS

• Date: November 3
• Game time: 6:30 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C); clear
• Game attendance: 58,709
• TV: SEC Network

Game information

First quarter MSST - Stephen Guidry 11-yard TD pass from Nick Fitzgerald, Jace Christmann kick good, 12:38 (MSST 7-0) MSST - Deddrick Thomas 36-yard TD pass from Fitzgerald, Christmann kick good, 7:02 (MSST 14-0) LT - Bailey Hale 46-yard field goal, 3:15 (MSST 14-3) MSST - Kylin Hill 23-yard TD pass from Fitzgerald, Christmann kick good, 0:07 (MSST 21-3) Second quarter MSST - Christmann 47-yard field goal, 5:23 (MSST 24-3) MSST - Jesse Jackson 10-yard TD pass from Fitzgerald, Christmann kick good, 0:30 (MSST 31-3) Third quarter MSST - Aeris Williams 29-yard TD run, Christmann kick good, 4:12 (MSST 38-3) Fourth quarter MSST - Keytaon Thompson 19-yard TD run, Christmann kick good, 13:20 (MSST 45-3) Top passers MSST - Nick Fitzgerald - 17/28, 243 yards, 4 TD LT - J'Mar Smith - 14/30, 98 yards Top rushers MSST - Nick Fitzgerald - 18 carries, 107 yards LT - Kam McKnight - 13 carries, 59 yards Top receivers MSST - Deddrick Thomas - 3 receptions, 70 yards, TD LT - Kam McKnight - 2 receptions, 32 yards

At Alabama

See also: 2018 Alabama Crimson Tide football team and Alabama–Mississippi State football rivalry

1 2 3 4 Total No. 18 Mississippi State 0 0 0 0 0 •No. 1 Alabama 14 7 0 3 24 Date: November 10 Location: Tuscaloosa, AL Game start: 2:50 p.m. Game attendance: 101,821 Game weather: 50, Clear, Sunny, Wind N @ 9 mph Referee: Ken Williamson TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color), Jamie Erdahl (sideline) Sources:

Scoring summary Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Statistics

Statistics	Mississippi State	Alabama
First downs	6	23
Total yards	169	305
Rushes–yards	30–44	45–142
Passing yards	125	163
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	11–20–0	17–27–1
Time of possession	26:05	33:55

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mississippi State	Passing	Nick Fitzgerald	11–20, 125 yards
	Rushing	Kylin Hill	7 carries, 47 yards
	Receiving	Deddrick Thomas	2 receptions, 25 yards
Alabama	Passing	Tua Tagovailoa	14–21, 164 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Josh Jacobs	20 carries, 97 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jerry Jeudy	6 receptions, 45 yards

Arkansas

See also: 2018 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

Game Eleven – Arkansas Razorbacks (2–8) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (6–4)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Razorbacks	0	3	3	0	6
No. 25 Bulldogs	3	14	21	14	52

at Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, Mississippi

• Date: Saturday, November 17, 2018
• Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
• Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 59 °F (15 °C) • Wind: SSE 2 mph
• Game attendance: 57,772
• Referee: Matt Loeffler (SEC)
• TV announcers (ESPN): Adam Amin (play-by-play), Rod Gilmore (color), Quint Kessenich (sideline)
• Pregame line: Mississippi State –23 • Odds to win: Mississippi State 93.2%

Game information

First Quarter (8:27) MSST – Jace Christmann 19 yard FG Mississippi State 3–0; 14 plays, 81 yards, 6:33 Second Quarter (10:28) MSST – Nick Fitzgerald 2 yard rush, Jace Christmann kick Mississippi State 10–0; 11 plays, 53 yards, 4:53 (5:20) MSST – Nick Gibson 8 yard rush, Jace Christmann kick Mississippi State 17–0; 8 plays, 72 yards, 4:11 (0:32) ARK – Connor Limpert 36 yard FG Mississippi State 17–3; 13 plays, 52 yards, 2:48 Third Quarter (11:19) ARK – Connor Limpert 32 yard FG Mississippi State 17–6; 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:35 (8:42) MSST – Justin Johnson 34 yard pass from Nick Fitzgerald, Jace Christmann kick Mississippi State 24–6; 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:37 (7:41) MSST – Keith Mixon 4 yard pass from Nick Fitzgerald, Jace Christmann kick Mississippi State 31–6; 1 play, 4 yards, 0:04 (3:02) MSST – Osirus Mitchell 15 yard pass from Nick Fitzgerald, Jordan Lawless kick Mississippi State 38–6; 3 plays, 58 yards, 1:17 Fourth Quarter (13:04) MSST – Austin Williams 19 yard pass from Nick Fitzgerald, Jordan Lawless kick Mississippi State 45–6; 6 plays, 50 yards, 3:02 (5:20) MSST – Austin Williams 33 yard pass from Keytaon Thompson, Jordan Lawless kick Mississippi State 52–6; 8 plays, 72 yards, 4:01 Top Passers ARK – Ty Storey: 16/27, 137 yards, 1 INT MSST – Nick Fitzgerald: 9/14, 127 yards, 4 TD Top Rushers ARK – Rakeem Boyd: 14 carries, 84 yards MSST – Aeris Williams: 15 carries, 104 yards Top Receivers ARK – La'Michael Pettway: 4 receptions, 85 yards MSST – Justin Johnson: 3 receptions, 59 yards, 1 TD

At Ole Miss

See also: 2018 Ole Miss Rebels football team and Egg Bowl

No. 22 Mississippi State Bulldogs (7–4) at Ole Miss Rebels (5–6)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 22 Bulldogs	7	14	7	7	35
Rebels	0	3	0	0	3

at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, Mississippi

• Date: Thursday, November 22, 2018
• Game time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Clear • 46 °F (8 °C) • Wind —
• Game attendance: 56,561
• Referee: James Carter
• TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Flemming and Greg McElroy
• Pregame line: Mississippi State –12.5

Game information

First Quarter (5:02) MSST - Kylin Hill 6 yard rush, Jace Christmann kick Mississippi State 7-0; 7 plays, 30 yards, 3:02 Second Quarter (14:04) MSST - Nick Fitzgerald 8 yard rush, Jace Christmann kick Mississippi State 14-0; 8 plays, 86 yards, 3:30 (6:46) MISS - Luke Logan 32 yard FG Mississippi State 14-3; 10 plays, 51 yards, 3:54 (0:25) MSST - Deddrick Thomas 9 yard pass from Nick Fitzgerald, Jace Christmann kick Mississippi State 21-3; 8 plays, 92 yards, 3:03 Third Quarter (10:42) MSST - Nick Fitzgerald 9 yard rush, Jace Christmann kick Mississippi State 28-3; 3 plays, 19 yards, 1:40 Fourth Quarter (7:21) MSST - Aeris Williams 1 yard rush, Jace Christmann kick Mississippi State 35-3; 11 plays, 89 yards, 5:46 Top Passers MSST – Nick Fitzgerald: 11/18, 111 yards, 1 TD MISS – Jordan Ta'amu: 8/17, 87 yards, 1 INT Top Rushers MSST – Nick Fitzgerald: 18 carries, 117 yards, 2 TD MISS – Isaiah Woullard: 11 carries, 63 yards Top Receivers MSST – Jesse Jackson: 2 receptions, 31 yards MISS – A. J. Brown: 4 receptions, 61 yards

Vs. Iowa (Outback Bowl)

See also: 2018 Iowa Hawkeyes football team and 2019 Outback Bowl

No. 18 Mississippi State vs. Iowa
Outback Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total No. 18 Bulldogs 6 0 13 3 22 •Hawkeyes 0 17 7 3 27 Date:January 1 Location: Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST Elapsed time: 3:25 Game attendance: 40,518 Referee: Chris Coyte TV announcers (ESPN2): Mark Jones, Dusty Dvoracek, and Molly McGrath Source: Box Score

Scoring summary 1 6:37 MSU Jace Christmann 44-yard field goal MSU 3–0 0:45 MSU Jace Christmann 42-yard field goal MSU 6–0 2 10:02 Iowa Miguel Recinos 44-yard field goal MSU 6–3 7:55 Iowa Nick Easley 75-yard pass from Nate Stanley (Miguel Recinos kick) Iowa 10–6 6:18 Iowa Ihmir Smith-Marsette 15-yard pass from Nate Stanley (Miguel Recinos kick) Iowa 17–6 3 11:26 MSU Kylin Hill 1-yard pass from Nick Fitzgerald (conversion failed) Iowa 17–12 11:08 MSU Nick Fitzgerald 33-yard run (Jace Christmann kick) MSU 19–17 1:55 Iowa Nick Easley 8-yard pass from Nate Stanley (Miguel Recinos kick) Iowa 24–19 4 12:04 MSU Jace Christmann 20-yard field goal Iowa 24–22 5:51 Iowa Miguel Recinos 40-yard field goal Iowa 27–22

In a back-and-forth game, Iowa held on to defeat SEC opponent Mississippi State. Senior Jake Gervase made a critical interception in the end zone, and batted down a fourth down pass to end the Bulldogs' hopes. The victory was Ferentz's fifth January bowl win and eighth overall bowl victory.

^{[22] [23] [24] [25] [26]}

Statistics	MS	IOWA
First downs	15	11
Total yards	342	199
Rushing yards	190	–15
Passing yards	152	214
Turnovers	3	2
Time of possession	33:34	26:26

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mississippi State	Passing	Nick Fitzgerald	14/32, 152 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Nick Fitzgerald	20 carries, 103 yards, TD
	Receiving	Aeris Williams	3 receptions, 19 yards
Iowa	Passing	Nate Stanley	21/31, 214 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Toren Young	3 carries, 7 yards
	Receiving	Nick Easley	8 receptions, 104 yards, 2 TD

Players drafted into the NFL

See also: 2019 NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
1	19	Jeffery Simmons	DT	Tennessee Titans
1	26	Montez Sweat	DE	Washington Redskins
1	27	Johnathan Abram	S	Oakland Raiders
2	44	Elgton Jenkins	C	Green Bay Packers
6	199	Gerri Green	LB	Indianapolis Colts

References

1. Lowery, Logan (September 12, 2024). "MSU fires Moorhead after two seasons". Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Retrieved September 17, 2024. All eight of Moorhead's victories in 2018 had to be vacated after 10 football players were reprimanded by the NCAA for academic misconduct involving a former part-time tutor and an online chemistry class.
2. Journal, Logan Lowery Daily. "MSU fires Moorhead after two seasons". Daily Journal. All eight of Moorhead's victories in 2018 had to be vacated after 10 football players were reprimanded by the NCAA for academic misconduct involving a former part-time tutor and an online chemistry class.
3. "Mississippi State placed on 3 years probation by NCAA". WTVA News. Associated Press. Mississippi State has received three years' probation from the NCAA after an investigation determined a part-time student tutor completed coursework for 10 football players and one men's basketball player in an online class.
4. "2018 Watch List | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Honoring College Football's Defensive Best". lottimpacttrophy.org. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
5. "Rimington Trophy Press Release". May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
6. "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
7. "2018 Maxwell Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
8. "Davey O'Brien Award Watch List includes 26 players". July 17, 2018. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
9. "2018 Doak Walker Award Candidates". July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
10. "2018 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
11. "22018 OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LIST UNVEILED". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
12. "Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Announces 2018 Preseason Watch List". July 25, 2018. Archived from the original on August 17, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
13. "43 PLAYERS NAMED TO 2018 PAUL HORNUNG AWARD WATCH LIST". July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
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