2017 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

2017 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
2017 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
TaxSlayer Bowl champion
TaxSlayer Bowl, W 31–27 vs. Louisville
Conference	Southeastern Conference
	Western Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 20
AP	No. 19
Record	9–4 (4–4 SEC)
Head coach	Dan Mullen (9th season); Greg Knox (interim);
Co-offensive coordinator	Billy Gonzales (4th season)
Co-offensive coordinator	John Hevesy (4th season)
Offensive scheme	Spread (multiple)
Defensive coordinator	Todd Grantham (1st season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Davis Wade Stadium (Capacity: 61,337)
	Seasons ← 2016 2018 →

Last updated August 24, 2023

2017 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 2 Georgia x$^	7	–	1	13	–	2
South Carolina	5	–	3	9	–	4
Kentucky	4	–	4	7	–	6
Missouri	4	–	4	7	–	6
Florida	3	–	5	4	–	7
Vanderbilt	1	–	7	5	–	7
Tennessee	0	–	8	4	–	8
West Division
No. 10 Auburn xy	7	–	1	10	–	4
No. 1 Alabama x#^	7	–	1	13	–	1
No. 18 LSU	6	–	2	9	–	4
No. 19 Mississippi State	4	–	4	9	–	4
Texas A&M	4	–	4	7	–	6
Ole Miss*	3	–	5	6	–	6
Arkansas	1	–	7	4	–	8
Championship: Georgia 28, Auburn 7
# – College Football Playoff champion ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant * Ole Miss ineligible for postseason due to NCAA sanctions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2017 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2017 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 ninth-year head coach Dan Mullen. They finished the season 9–4, 4–4 in SEC play to finish in a tie for fourth place in the Western Division. They were invited to the TaxSlayer Bowl where they beat Louisville.

Head coach Dan Mullen resigned at the end of the regular season to become the head coach at Florida. Running backs coach Greg Knox served as interim head coach for the TaxSlayer Bowl. On November 28, Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead was hired as their new head coach, beginning in the 2018 season.

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:**██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. RV = Received votes.
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	—	RV	RV	17	24	—	—	RV	RV	21	18	17	16	24	24	19
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	19	24	RV	RV	RV	RV	22	18	19	17	24	23	20
CFP	Not released									16	16	16	14	23	23	Not released

Schedule

Mississippi State announced its 2017 football schedule on September 13, 2016. The 2017 schedule consists of 7 home and 5 away games in the regular season. The Bulldogs will host SEC foes Alabama, Kentucky, LSU, and Ole Miss, and will travel to Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, and Texas A&M.^[1]

The Bulldogs will host three of the four non-conference opponents, BYU, UMass both are football independent schools and Charleston Southern from the Big South Conference and travel to Louisiana Tech of Conference USA.

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	3:00 p.m.	No. 14 (FCS) Charleston Southern *		Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	SECN	W 49–0	54,215
September 9	6:30 p.m.	at Louisiana Tech *		Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA	CBSSN	W 57–21	28,100
September 16	6:00 p.m.	No. 12 LSU		Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS (rivalry)	ESPN	W 37–7	60,596
September 23	6:00 p.m.	at No. 11 Georgia	No. 17	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	ESPN	L 3–31	92,746
September 30	5:00 p.m.	at No. 13 Auburn	No. 24	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	ESPN	L 10–49	86,901
October 14	11:00 a.m.	BYU *		Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	SECN	W 35–10	54,866
October 21	3:00 p.m.	Kentucky		Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	SECN	W 45–7	58,963
October 28	6:15 p.m.	at No. 24 Texas A&M (Coaches Poll only)		Kyle Field College Station, TX	ESPN	W 35–14	96,128
November 4	11:00 a.m.	UMass *	No. 16	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	SECN	W 34–23	57,374
November 11	6:00 p.m.	No. 2 Alabama	No. 16	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS (rivalry)	ESPN	L 24–31	61,344
November 18	11:00 a.m.	at Arkansas	No. 16	Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR	CBS	W 28–21	64,153
November 23	6:30 p.m.	Ole Miss	No. 14	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS (Egg Bowl)	ESPN	L 28–31	59,345
December 30	11:00 a.m.	vs. Louisville *	No. 23	EverBank Field Jacksonville, FL (TaxSlayer Bowl)	ESPN	W 31–27	41,310
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after October 31 released prior to game All times are in Central time

Schedule Source:^[2]

Game summaries

Charleston Southern

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 14 (FCS) Buccaneers	0	0	0	0	0
Bulldogs	23	12	7	7	49

At Louisiana Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
MSU Bulldogs	16	20	21	0	57
LTU Bulldogs	9	5	0	7	21

LSU

	1	2	3	4	Total
No.12 Tigers	0	7	0	0	7
Bulldogs	0	17	13	7	37

At Georgia

	1	2	3	4	Total
No.17 MSU Bulldogs	0	3	0	0	3
No.11 UGA Bulldogs	14	0	17	0	31

At Auburn

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 24 Bulldogs	3	7	0	0	10
No. 13 Tigers	14	7	7	21	49

BYU

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	0	3	7	0	10
Bulldogs	7	14	7	7	35

Kentucky

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	7	0	0	7
Bulldogs	7	10	7	21	45

At Texas A&M

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	7	7	14	7	35
Aggies	0	0	7	7	14

UMass

	1	2	3	4	Total
Minutemen	3	17	0	3	23
Bulldogs	10	3	14	7	34

Alabama

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 1 Crimson Tide	7	7	3	14	31
Bulldogs	7	7	7	3	24

At Arkansas

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	14	0	14	28
Razorbacks	14	0	7	0	21

Ole Miss

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rebels	7	3	14	7	31
Bulldogs	0	6	0	22	28

vs Louisville–TaxSlayer Bowl

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	7	14	3	3	27
Bulldogs	14	3	0	14	31

Related Research Articles

Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA Division I.

Daniel Mullen is an American former college football player and coach, and current television analyst with the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and ESPN. He served as the head football coach at Mississippi State University from 2009 to 2017 and the University of Florida from 2018 until 2021.

The Mississippi State Bulldogs football program represents Mississippi State University in the sport of American football. The Bulldogs compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They also have won one SEC championship in 1941 and a division championship in 1998. The Bulldogs have 26 postseason bowl appearances. The program has produced 38 All-Americans, 171 All-SEC selections, and 124 NFL players. The Bulldogs’ home stadium, Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field, is the second oldest in the NCAA Division I FBS.

The 2009 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Mississippi State has been a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) since the league's inception in 1932, and has participated in that conference's Western Division since 1992. The Bulldogs played their home games in 2009 at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville, Mississippi, which has been MSU football's home stadium since 1914.

The 2012 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Dan Mullen, who was in his fourth season with Mississippi State. The Bulldogs played their home games at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi, and competed in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

The 2013 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game held on January 1, 2013, at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida in the United States. The 68th edition of the Gator Bowl began at noon EST and aired on ESPN2. It featured the Mississippi State Bulldogs from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) against the Northwestern Wildcats from the Big Ten Conference and was the final game of the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season for both teams. The Bulldogs accepted their bowl bid after an 8–4 regular season, while the Wildcats accepted theirs after a 9–3 finish. It was the first time that the two teams had met. Northwestern won the game by a score of 34 – 20.

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 2015 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2015 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 seventh-year head coach Dan Mullen. The Bulldogs finished the season 9–4, having won the 2015 Belk Bowl.

The 2016 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2016 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 eighth-year head coach Dan Mullen. Despite having a 5–7 record, the first losing season since 2009, Mississippi State qualified for a bowl bid due to their high APR score. Mississippi State beat the Miami RedHawks in the St. Petersburg Bowl to finish the season at 6–7.

The 2016 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team represented Louisiana Tech University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs played their home games at the Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston, Louisiana, and competed in the West Division of Conference USA (C–USA). They were led by fourth-year head coach Skip Holtz. They finished the season 9–5, 6–2 in C-USA play to be champions of the West Division. They represented the West Division in the Conference USA Championship Game where they lost to WKU. They were invited to the Armed Forces Bowl where they defeated Navy. The Louisiana Tech offense became the first team in NCAA Division 1 history to have a QB pass for 4,500+ yards, a RB rush for 1,000+ yards and two WRs with 1,500+ receiving yards all in a single season.

The 2017 Texas A&M Aggies football team represented Texas A&M University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Aggies played their home games at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas and competed in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by sixth-year head coach Kevin Sumlin. They finished the season 7–6, 4–4 in SEC play to finish in a tie for fourth place in the Western Division. They were invited to the Belk Bowl where they lost to Wake Forest. This season was the first time since 2009 that Texas A&M was not ranked in the AP Poll during the regular season.

The 2017 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team represented Louisiana Tech University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs played their home games at the Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston, Louisiana and competed in the West Division of Conference USA (C–USA). They were led by fifth-year head coach Skip Holtz. They finished the season 7–6, 4–4 in C-USA play to finish in fourth place in the West Division. They were invited to the Frisco Bowl where they defeated SMU.

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.

The 2018 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cardinals competed in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They played their home games at Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. They were led by head coach Bobby Petrino until he was fired on November 11 after starting the season 2–8. Lorenzo Ward was the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. They finished the season 2–10, 0–8 in ACC play to finish in last place in the Atlantic Division.

Greg Knox is an American college football coach. He is a senior offensive analyst at Mississippi State University. Knox served as interim head football coach at Mississippi State for the final game of the 2017 and at the University of Florida for the final two games in 2021. From 2009 to 2021, he was Dan Mullen's running backs, first at Mississippi State and then at Florida.

The 2019 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2019 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 second-year head coach Joe Moorhead. Following the team's loss in the Music City Bowl Moorhead was fired as the Bulldogs' head coach.

The 2020 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2020 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 Mike Leach.

The 2023 Auburn Tigers football team represent Auburn University in the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers are led by first-year head coach Hugh Freeze and compete as members of the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They will play their home games at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama.

The 2023 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team will represent Mississippi State University in the West Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs will be led by Zach Arnett in his first season as their head coach. Arnett was hired in December 2022 following the death of Mike Leach.

References

↑ "2017 MSU Football Schedule Unveiled, Egg Bowl To Return To Thanksgiving" (Press release). Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. September 13, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
↑ "2017 Mississippi State Bulldogs Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved October 18, 2016.

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[MSU17-1] "2017 MSU Football Schedule Unveiled, Egg Bowl To Return To Thanksgiving" (Press release). Mississippi State University Department of Athletics. September 13, 2016. Retrieved October 18, 2016.

[2] "2017 Mississippi State Bulldogs Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved October 18, 2016.

[1]

[2]

v t e Mississippi State Bulldogs football
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