2011 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team


2011 SEC football standings
Team	W		L	W		L
Eastern Division
#18 Georgia ^x	7	–	1	10	–	4
#10 South Carolina	6	–	2	11	–	2
Florida	3	–	5	7	–	6
Vanderbilt	2	–	6	6	–	7
Kentucky	2	–	6	5	–	7
Tennessee	1	–	7	5	–	7
Western Division
#1 LSU ^x†	8	–	0	13	–	0
#2 Alabama ‡	7	–	1	11	–	1
#7 Arkansas	6	–	2	10	–	2
Auburn	4	–	4	8	–	5
Mississippi State	2	–	6	7	–	6
Ole Miss	0	–	8	2	–	10
Championship: LSU 42, Georgia 10
† – BCS representative as champion ‡ – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions As of January 2, 2012 • Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the college football season of 2011–2012. The team was coached by Dan Mullen, who was in his third season with Mississippi State. The Bulldogs played their home games at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville, Mississippi, and compete in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They finished the 2011 season with a 7–6 overall play, 2–6 in SEC play, placing 5th in West Division, and were invited for Music City Bowl, where they defeated Wake Forest.

1 Personnel
- 1.1 Coaching staff
- 1.2 Recruiting class
2 Schedule
3 Rankings
4 References

Personnel

Coaching staff

In the week following the Gator Bowl victory, several changes were made to the Mississippi State coaching staff. Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Manny Diaz resigned his position to serve in the same position for Texas as the replacement for Will Muschamp.^[1] Co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Chris Wilson was promoted to defensive coordinator to replace Diaz on January 10.^[2] At that time, Angelo Mirando was promoted from graduate assistant to wide receivers coach to replace Mark Hudspeth who had resigned earlier to accept the head coaching position at UL Lafayette.^[2]^[3] Geoff Collins was hired on January 12 to serve as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach to fill the vacant position made when Wilson was promoted.^[4]

Name	Position	Seasons at Mississippi State	Alma Mater
Dan Mullen	Head coach	3	Ursinus (1994)
Geoff Collins	Co-Defensive Coordinator, Linebackers	1	Western Carolina (1992)
John Hevesy	Offensive Line, Running Game Coordinator	3	Maine (1994)
Tony Hughes	Safeties, Recruiting Coordinator	3	Southern Miss (1980)
Greg Knox	Running Backs	3	Northeastern State (1986)
Les Koenning	Offensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks	3	Texas (1981)
Angelo Mirando	Wide Receivers	1	Case Western Reserve (2008)
Scott Sallach	Tight Ends	3	Ursinus (1994)
Melvin Smith	Cornerbacks, Nickelbacks	6	Millsaps (1982)
Chris Wilson	Defensive Coordinator	2	Oklahoma (1993)
Reference:^[5]

Recruiting class

2011 Recruits

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40^‡	Commit date
Dee Arrington S	Wiggins, Mississippi	Stone High School	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)	200 lb (91 kg)	4.62	Jul 24, 2010
Dee Arrington S	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 78
Taveze Calhoun S	Morton, Mississippi	Morton High School	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)	180 lb (82 kg)	–	Jan 30, 2011
Taveze Calhoun S	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 45
Justin Cox CB	West Point, Mississippi	West Point High School	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)	174 lb (79 kg)	4.41	Jul 24, 2010
Justin Cox CB	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 74
Devin Fosselman WR	Woodville, Mississippi	Wilkinson County High School	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)	192 lb (87 kg)	–	Jun 20, 2010
Devin Fosselman WR	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 75
John Harris DE	Boynton Beach, Florida	Boynton Beach Community High School	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)	220 lb (100 kg)	–	Nov 05, 2010
John Harris DE	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 77
Zachary Jackson S	Heidelberg, Mississippi	Heidelberg High School	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)	203 lb (92 kg)	4.53	Feb 16, 2010
Zachary Jackson S	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 76
P.J. Jones DT	Tupelo, Mississippi	Tupelo High School	6 ft 3.5 in (191.8 cm)	265 lb (120 kg)	–	Jan 21, 2011
P.J. Jones DT	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 77
Daniel Knox TE	Collinsville, Mississippi	West Lauderdale High School	6 ft 5 in (196 cm)	251 lb (114 kg)	–	Jul 23, 2010
Daniel Knox TE	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 77
James Maiden OT	Woodville, Mississippi	Wilkinson County High School	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)	265 lb (120 kg)	–	Jul 23, 2010
James Maiden OT	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 77
Justin Malone OT	Madison, Mississippi	Madison-Ridgeland Academy	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)	306 lb (139 kg)	–	Nov 03, 2010
Justin Malone OT	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 76
Kendrick Market S	Batesville, Mississippi	South Panola High School	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)	179 lb (81 kg)	–	Oct 17, 2010
Kendrick Market S	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 72
Benardrick McKinney OLB	Tunica, Mississippi	Rosa Fort High School	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)	200 lb (91 kg)	–	Sep 16, 2010
Benardrick McKinney OLB	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 73
Derek Milton RB	Chatham, Virginia	Hargrave Military Academy	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)	205 lb (93 kg)	–	Jan 24, 2011
Derek Milton RB	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 75
Joe Morrow WR	Ocean Springs, Mississippi	Ocean Springs High School	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)	195 lb (88 kg)	4.60	Jul 23, 2010
Joe Morrow WR	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 79
Shaquille Perry RB	Walnut, Mississippi	Walnut Attendance Center	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)	210 lb (95 kg)	–	Jan 19, 2011
Shaquille Perry RB	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 72
Dak Prescott QB	Haughton, Louisiana	Haughton High School	6 ft 3 in (191 cm)	225 lb (102 kg)	4.70	Jul 23, 2010
Dak Prescott QB	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 77
Nick Redmond OT	Gulfport, Mississippi	Harrison Central High School	6 ft 5 in (196 cm)	292 lb (132 kg)	–	Sep 26, 2009
Nick Redmond OT	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 77
Josh Robinson RB	Franklinton, Louisiana	Franklinton High School	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.50	Jul 23, 2010
Josh Robinson RB	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 68
Darius Slay CB	Fulton, Mississippi	Itawamba Community College	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)	190 lb (86 kg)	–	Jul 29, 2010
Darius Slay CB	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: –
Preston Smith DE	Stone Mountain, Georgia	Stephenson High School	6 ft 5 in (196 cm)	215 lb (98 kg)	–	Sep 29, 2010
Preston Smith DE	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 75
Joey Trapp OT	Wilmington, California	Los Angeles Harbor College	6 ft 5 in (196 cm)	285 lb (129 kg)	4.89	Dec 12, 2010
Joey Trapp OT	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: –
Rufus Warren TE	Indianola, Mississippi	Gentry High School	6 ft 5 in (196 cm)	238 lb (108 kg)	–	Jun 15, 2010
Rufus Warren TE	Scout: Rivals:N/A ESPN grade: 76
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 44 Rivals: 44 ESPN: NR
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout and Rivals may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, an average of the two was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Mississippi State". Scout.com. http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=9&c=8&yr=2011. Retrieved 2/12/2011. "2011 Player Signees- Mississippi State". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/college-football/recruiting/school/_/id/344/class/2011. Retrieved 2/12/2011. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=9&c=14&yr=2011. Retrieved 2/12/2011. "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. http://www.rivals.com/TeamRank.asp?type=0&sort=0&year=2011. Retrieved 2/12/2011.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	7:00 PM	at Memphis*	#20	Liberty Bowl Stadium • Memphis, TN	FS South	W 59–14	33,990^[6]
September 10	11:21 AM	at Auburn	#16	Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL	SEC Network	L 34–41	87,451^[7]
September 15	7:00 PM	#3 LSU	#25	Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS	ESPN	L 6–19	56,924^[8]
September 24	6:00 PM	Louisiana Tech*		Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS	ESPNU	W 26–20 ^OT	55,116^[9]
October 1	11:00 AM	at Georgia		Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA	FS South	L 10–24	92,746^[10]
October 8	11:00 AM	at UAB*		Legion Field • Birmingham, AL	FS South	W 21–3	28,351^[11]
October 15	11:21 AM	#15 South Carolina		Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS	SEC Network	L 12–14	55,418^[12]
October 29	6:00 PM	at Kentucky		Commonwealth Stadium • Lexington, KY	FS South	W 28–16	57,891^[13]
November 5	6:30 PM	UT Martin*		Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS	CSS	W 55–17	55,096^[14]
November 12	6:45 PM	#4 Alabama		Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS (Rivalry)	ESPN	L 7–24	57,871^[15]
November 19	2:30 PM	at #6 Arkansas		War Memorial Stadium • Little Rock, AR	CBS	L 17–44	55,761^[16]
November 26	6:00 PM	Ole Miss		Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS (Egg Bowl)	ESPNU	W 31–3	55,270^[17]
December 30	5:40 PM	vs. Wake Forest*		LP Field • Nashville, TN (Music City Bowl)	ESPN	W 23–17	55,208
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Central Time.

Schedule Source:^[18]

Rankings

Ranking Movement
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	20	16	25	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR
Coaches	20	17	25	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR
Harris	Not released						NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR
BCS	Not released							NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR

References

^ "Manny Diaz takes job at Texas". Associated Press. ESPN.com. January 5, 2011. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5992859. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Wilson Promoted to Defensive Coordinator; Mirando named WRs Coach". Mississippi State University Athletics. MStateathletics.com. January 10, 2011. http://www.mstateathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=90889&SPID=10997&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=16800&ATCLID=205072662. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
^ "Mark Hudspeth hired at La.-Lafayette". Associated Press. ESPN.com. December 12, 2010. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5912732. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
^ Marcello, Brandon (January 12, 2011). "Collins hired as MSU linebackers coach, co-defensive coordinator". The Clarion-Ledger. http://blogs.clarionledger.com/msu/2011/01/12/collins-hired-as-msu-linebackers-coach-co-defensive-coordinator/. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
^ "Football Coaching Staff". Mississippi State University Athletics. http://www.mstateathletics.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=90894&SPID=10997&DB_OEM_ID=16800&Q_SEASON=2010. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
^ "Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Memphis Tigers Box Score". ESPN.com. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312440235. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
^ "Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Auburn Tigers Box Score". ESPN.com. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312530002. Retrieved 2011-09-10.
^ "LSU Tigers vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs Box Score". ESPN.com. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312580344. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
^ "Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs Box Score". ESPN.com. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312670344. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
^ "Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Georgia Bulldogs Box Score". http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312740061&confId=8. Retrieved 2011-10-01.
^ "Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. UAB Blazers Box Score". ESPN.com. October 8, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312810005.
^ "South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs Box Score". ESPN.com. October 15, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=312880344.
^ "Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Kentucky Wildcats Box Score". ESPN.com. October 31, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=313020096.
^ "Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs Box Score". ESPN.com. November 5, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=313090344.
^ "Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs Box Score". ESPN.com. November 12, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=313160344.
^ "Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Arkansas Razorbacks Box Score". ESPN.com. November 19, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=313230008.
^ "Ole Miss Rebels vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs Box Score". ESPN.com. November 26, 2011. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=313300344.
^ "2011 Football Schedule". Mississippi State University Athletics. http://www.mstateathletics.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=16800&KEY=&SPID=10997&SPSID=90890. Retrieved February 12, 2011.

Mississippi State Bulldogs football

Venues	Davis Wade Stadium (1914–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Alabama Egg Bowl (Ole Miss) Kentucky

Culture & lore	Bully "Hail State" Famous Maroon Band

People	Head coaches

Seasons	1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

2011 Southeastern Conference football season

Eastern Division	Florida Gators Georgia Bulldogs Kentucky Wildcats South Carolina Gamecocks Tennessee Volunteers Vanderbilt Commodores

Western Division	Alabama Crimson Tide Arkansas Razorbacks Auburn Tigers LSU Tigers Mississippi State Bulldogs Ole Miss Rebels

Championship	2011 SEC Championship Game

2011–12 bowl games	Music City Bowl • Liberty Bowl • Chick-fil-A Bowl • Gator Bowl • Outback Bowl • Capital One Bowl • Cotton Bowl Classic • BCS BCS National Championship Game