The 5 defining moments of Mississippi State’s 2014 season
By Ethan Levine
Published:
The Mississippi State Bulldogs won 10 games for just the second time since 1940 this season, but lost three of their final four games of the season to spoil one of the best seasons in school history.
The Bulldogs won three straight games against top 10 teams in the first half of the season, and rose from unranked to their first No. 1 ranking ever faster than any team in college football history. Still, Mississippi State’s lackluster end to the season deflated the team’s accomplishments to some extent.
Here are five defining moments from MSU’s peculiar 2014 season:
1. Preston Smith’s three-game stretch to open the year: Mississippi State was the surprise team of the SEC this season, and senior defensive end Preston Smith was among the biggest surprises on the team. The unheralded lineman began the year with three huge games in wins against Southern Miss, UAB and South Alabama, recording 2.0 sacks, 3.0 tackles for loss, two blocked kicks, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a touchdown in that span. Smith was awarded SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors all three weeks, marking the first time in history a player earned the honor three weeks in a row. Smith set a tone for a talented MSU front seven and was a microcosm of the Bulldogs unexpected rise to the top of the SEC West.
2. UAB’s three long touchdowns in an early-season loss in Starkville: The Bulldogs defeated UAB 47-34 in Week 2 to improve to 2-0 on the season, but three long touchdowns by the Blazers foreshadowed a weakness on the MSU defense that would last throughout the season. No defense in the SEC allowed more explosive completions (receptions of 30 or more yards) than Mississippi State, and the Bulldogs allowed three touchdown passes of at least 70 yards against UAB. Those touchdowns didn’t cost MSU in Week 2, but similar plays cost Mississippi State in future games as the Bulldogs fell apart down the stretch in 2014.
3. Dak Prescott’s two long touchdowns against LSU: The Bulldogs took a 15-game losing streak against ranked teams with them into a difficult road test under the Death Valley lights in Week 4. Most expected Mississippi State to fall short against No. 8 LSU, but All-SEC quarterback Dak Prescott had other plans in mind. He led the Bulldogs to a monumental 34-29 win over the Bayou Bengals to cement Mississippi State’s status as a legitimate threat in the SEC, using two long second-half touchdowns to put the game on ice. Leading just 17-10, Prescott eluded most of LSU’s defense on a thrilling 56-yard touchdown run to extend MSU’s lead to two touchdowns. On the next drive, he scrambled for his life before finding Jameon Lewis for a 74-yard touchdown pass to put Mississippi State up 24 points at 34-10. The Tigers would make a late comeback but Prescott’s huge plays stood up in a five-point win. The win launched the Bulldogs into the realm of legitimacy, and they’d make the most of the opportunity in the coming weeks following the game in Baton Rouge.
4. The first quarter of the win against Auburn: Mississippi State welcomed Auburn to Starkville fresh off back to back wins against top 10 teams, and the Bulldogs promptly jumped on then-unbeaten Auburn to the tune of 21 unanswered points in the first 10 minutes of action. The Bulldogs scored on their opening possession, then capitalized with touchdowns on back to back Auburn turnovers to go up three touchdowns in the blink of an eye. If the win over LSU didn’t cement Mississippi State as a top-flight team, the explosive start in what turned out to be a third straight win over a top 10 team certainly did. Few teams played a more dynamic quarter of football than Mississippi State’s opening quarter against the Tigers, and it certainly grabbed the nation’s attention at the midpoint of the season.
5. Synjyn Days’ touchdown run in the second half of the Orange Bowl: The Bulldogs faltered down the stretch in 2014 by losing two of their final three regular season games, but still managed to earn a berth in the Orange Bowl for the first time since 1941. Unfortunately, Mississippi State was run over by Georgia Tech in a 49-34 bowl loss, highlighted by Synjyn Days’ 69-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the second half. The Bulldogs benefited from a miraculous Hail Mary to end the first half, cutting the lead to one point and swinging the momentum back into MSU’s favor. But Days’ long run, including four missed tackles by MSU defenders, sucked the life out of the MSU sideline in a season-ending loss. The play was indicative of the Bulldogs’ demise — they could no longer come up with a big play when they needed it most — and was a fitting end to a frustrating final fourth of the season.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
