The Mississippi State Bulldogs lost three of their last four games in 2014, but still won 10 games for just the second time in the last 70 years. Here’s the five areas where Mississippi State needs to improve the most for next season.

1. Defending the pass: Mississippi State boasted the SEC’s worst pass defense in 2014, and allowed more completions of 30 or more yards than any team in the conference. The Bulldogs secondary stands to lose a starting cornerback and both its starting safeties this offseason, but it must get its replacements up to speed in a hurry when next season finally arrives. If Mississippi State continues to present opponents with such a glaring weakness, it will be exploited to an even greater extent in 2015.

2. The return game: The Bulldogs cost themselves field position time and time again in 2014 in amassing the SEC’s third-worst kickoff return unit and the conference’s second-worst punt return unit. Freshman Jamoral Graham struggled to field punts and find a rhythm in the return game, but he improved in those areas in the second half of the season. He’ll need to continue to improve, and so will his blocking, if Mississippi State has any hope of improving its standing in the field position battle next season.

3. Red zone offense: Mississippi State boasted the nation’s best red zone defense in 2014, but it also had the SEC’s 10th-best red zone offense, failing to score on nearly 20 percent of its red zone trips this season. The Bulldogs are losing a ton of talent on offense, and even if Dak Prescott returns it could take MSU a few weeks to get back into a rhythm on that side of the ball. Thus, it must take advantage every time it gets inside an opponents 20 yard line as the offense continues to develop.

4. Limiting turnovers: The Bulldogs were fourth from the bottom of the SEC in 2014 with 23 turnovers in 13 games, and they committed five of those turnovers in a pair of losses to Alabama and Georgia Tech. With the talent Mississippi State stands to lose on offense, it can’t afford to give away possessions in the grueling SEC West. If Prescott returns that will help limit turnovers significantly, but even he must protect the football better against elite opponents like the Crimson Tide to allow MSU to take the next step toward the elite tier of the conference.

5. Balance in the run game: The tandem of Dakman and Robinson was a huge reason for Mississippi State’s success in 2014, but as the team began to struggle late in the season the balance in the run game between Prescott and Josh Robinson was lost. Robinson became less effective and Prescott was worn down with physical runs between the tackles mixed in with a number of pass attempts in the face of heavy pressure. Even if Prescott returns, Mississippi State must be more subtle in how it uses him as a runner, aiding his durability while giving talented runner like Ashton Shumpert the opportunity to be MSU’s new bell cow.