Mississippi State’s season didn’t go as Dan Mullen and the fan base hoped, but at least it is still going – and with momentum after the Egg Bowl blowout.

The Bulldogs take five wins into the Dec. 26 St. Petersburg Bowl against Miami (Ohio) with a chance to put bad losses to South Alabama and Kentucky behind them and ride the momentum of the Egg Bowl win a little further.

Here are some highlights of a season that can with six wins, a lot better than it started at home to South Alabama.

Offensive MVP — QB Nick Fitzgerald: The guy didn’t start out as the guy, but he has ended as the only guy under center for the Bulldogs. Fitzgerald, just a sophomore, exploded as the year went on. Fitzgerald rushed for a team-high 1,243 yards and 14 touchdowns on 177 carries. In five of his final six games, Fitzgerald ran for 107, 119, 182, 131 and a school record 258 yards against Ole Miss. He scored all 14 touchdowns in the final seven games. His arm leaves things to be desired, though he did throw 21 touchdown passes and complete 55 percent of his passes, but his legs were plenty of excitement while he perfects other aspects.

Defensive MVP — DL Johnathan Calvin: Mississippi State struggled defensively, finishing 13th in total defense and dead last in passing defense. Calvin, a senior, was not part of the problem. Calvin made the most of his second and final season in Starkville. After a spring game that made fans wonder if he could produce like that all season, he did. Calvin had 11.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks, both team highs. He was sixth on the team with 54 tackles and two forced fumbles. Calvin saved his only two-sack game for the Egg Bowl.

Rookie of the year — LB Leo Lewis: Lewis didn’t have eye-popping stats, but everyone knew he was on the field. The heralded signee from the 2015 class finished second on the team in tackles from linebacker spot, behind senior Richie Brown. He had 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Lewis had a pair of double-digit tackle games against LSU and BYU, seven solos at BYU. Lewis is waiting on his first interception but played with the fierceness that got him signed in the first place. Brown has been the leader. Lewis has a chance to do the same.

Assistant of the year: Co-offensive coordinator John Hevesy: Hevesy also is the Bulldogs’ running game coordinator and offensive line coach. Mississippi State entered the season with a lot of quarterbacks and a lot of running backs.

It took a little longer than maybe it should have to give Aeris Williams his feature running back role but it didn’t take long to make Fitzgerald the guy. The Bulldogs finished fifth in the conference after rushing for 233 yards per game.

They ran the ball at least 45 times in six games, including 59 times in a key win against Texas A&M. Ole Miss knew what was coming in the Egg Bowl and couldn’t stop it. Senior center Jamal Clayborn was a big part of the success. He started every game, but Hevesy also solved the quarterback/running back overload and his unit looked good when that dust settled.