2018 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

2018 Southeastern Conference football standings
	East Division
	West Division
	Championship: Alabama 35, Georgia 28
	^ – College Football Playoff participant; $ – Conference champion; x – Division champion/co-champions; * Mississippi State vacated four conference and eight total wins due to NCAA violations.; Rankings from AP Poll

2018 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
2018 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Outback Bowl, L 22–27 vs. Iowa
Conference	Southeastern Conference
	Western Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 25
Record	0–5, 8 wins vacated (0–4 SEC, 4 wins vacated)
Head coach	Joe Moorhead (1st season);
Offensive coordinator	Luke Getsy (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Bob Shoop (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Davis Wade Stadium (Capacity: 61,337)
	Seasons ← 2017 2019 →

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.^[1]^[2]

Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2017 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 last 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.

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award	Player	Position	Year
Lott Trophy^[3]	Jeffery Simmons	DT	JR
Rimington Trophy^[4]	Elgton Jenkins	C	SR
Chuck Bednarik Award^[5]	Montez Sweat	DE	SR
Chuck Bednarik Award^[5]	Jeffery Simmons	DT	JR
Maxwell Award^[6]	Nick Fitzgerald	QB	SR
Davey O'Brien Award^[7]	Nick Fitzgerald	QB	SR
Doak Walker Award^[8]	Aeris Williams	RB	SR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy^[9]	Jeffery Simmons	DT	JR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy^[9]	Montez Sweat	DE	SR
Outland Trophy^[10]	Jeffery Simmons	DT	JR
Lou Groza Award^[11]	Jace Christmann	K	SO
Paul Hornung Award^[12]	Deddrick Thomas	WR/KR	JR
Wuerffel Trophy^[13]	Gerri Green	LB	SR
Ted Hendricks Award^[14]	Montez Sweat	DE	SR
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award^[15]	Nick Fitzgerald	QB	SR
Manning Award^[16]	Nick Fitzgerald	QB	SR

SEC media poll

The SEC media poll was released on July 20, 2018 with the Bulldogs predicted to finish in third place in the West Division.^[17]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Media poll (West)
1	Alabama	1,971 (263)
2	Auburn	1,664 (19)
3	Mississippi State	1,239 (2)
4	Texas A&M	1,091
5	LSU	1,025
6	Ole Miss	578
7	Arkansas	412

Preseason All-SEC teams

The Bulldogs had five players selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

Offense

3rd team

Nick Fitzgerald – QB

Aeris Williams – RB

Defense

1st team

Montez Sweat – DL

Jeffery Simmons – DL

3rd team

Mark McLaurin – DB

Schedule

All eight victories were subsequently vacated as part of NCAA sanctions due to academic misconduct involving a tutor and online coursework.^[1]^[2]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	6:30 p.m.	Stephen F. Austin*	No. 18	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	ESPNU	W 63–6	54,289
September 8	11:00 a.m.	at Kansas State*	No. 18	Bill Snyder Family Stadium Manhattan, KS	ESPN	W 31–10	49,784
September 15	6:30 p.m.	Louisiana*	No. 16	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	ESPN2	W 56–10	56,505
September 22	6:00 p.m.	at Kentucky	No. 14	Kroger Field Lexington, KY	ESPN2	L 7–28	60,037
September 29	5:00 p.m.	Florida	No. 23	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS (SEC Nation)	ESPN	L 6–13	61,406
October 6	6:30 p.m.	No. 8 Auburn		Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	ESPN2	W 23–9	60,635
October 20	6:00 p.m.	at No. 5 LSU	No. 22	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	ESPN	L 3–19	101,340
October 27	6:00 p.m.	No. 16 Texas A&M		Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	ESPN	W 28–13	57,085
November 3	6:30 p.m.	Louisiana Tech*	No. 18	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	SECN	W 45–3	58,709
November 10	2:30 p.m.	at No. 1 Alabama	No. 16	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	CBS	L 0–24	101,821
November 17	11:00 a.m.	Arkansas	No. 21	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	ESPN	W 52–6	57,772
November 22	6:30 p.m.	at Ole Miss	No. 18	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS (Egg Bowl)	ESPN	W 35–3	56,561
January 1	11:00 a.m.	vs. Iowa*	No. 18	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL (Outback Bowl)	ESPN2	L 22–27	40,518
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after October 30 released prior to game All times are in Central time

Schedule Source:^[18]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
RV = Received votes.
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	18	18	16	14	23	RV	24	22	RV	21	18	25	22	20	18	RV
Coaches	18	18	16	14	19	RV	RV	RV	RV	21	15	23	20	19	18	25
CFP	Not released									18	16	21	18	18	18	Not released

Game summaries

Stephen F. Austin

	1	2	3	4	Total
Lumberjacks	0	3	3	0	6
No. 18 Bulldogs	21	14	14	14	63

at Kansas State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 18 Bulldogs	3	14	7	7	31
Wildcats	3	0	7	0	10

Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald made his first appearance on the football fields since November 2017, when a foot injury sidelined him for the season and a 1-game suspension kept him out of the season opener. Fitzgerald threw for 154 yards with two touchdowns and ran for another 159 yards. Mississippi State compiled a total of 538 yards of total offense where Kansas State only managed 213.

Kansas State continued with its two-quarterback system, switching snaps between Skylar Thompson and Alex Delton. Kansas State running back Alex Barnes managed 75 yards rushing, but the Wildcats fell short to lose the game 31-10.^[19]

Louisiana

	1	2	3	4	Total
Ragin' Cajuns	3	0	0	7	10
No. 16 Bulldogs	14	21	14	7	56

at Kentucky

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 14 Bulldogs	0	7	0	0	7
Wildcats	0	7	7	14	28

Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
Gators	0	3	7	3	13
No. 23 Bulldogs	3	3	0	0	6

Auburn

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 8 Tigers	3	0	3	3	9
Bulldogs	3	10	3	7	23

at LSU

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 22 Bulldogs	3	0	0	0	3
No. 5 Tigers	7	3	6	3	19

Texas A&M

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 16 Aggies	0	10	3	0	13
Bulldogs	7	0	7	14	28

Louisiana Tech

	1	2	3	4	Total
LT Bulldogs	3	0	0	0	3
No. 21 MSU Bulldogs	21	10	7	7	45

at Alabama

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 18 Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0
No. 1 Crimson Tide	14	7	0	3	24

Arkansas

	1	2	3	4	Total
Razorbacks	0	3	3	0	6
No. 25 Bulldogs	3	14	21	14	52

at Ole Miss

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 22 Bulldogs	7	14	7	7	35
Rebels	0	3	0	0	3

vs. Iowa (Outback Bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hawkeyes	0	17	7	3	27
No. 18 Bulldogs	6	0	13	3	22

Players drafted into the NFL

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
1	19	Jeffery Simmons	DT	Tennessee Titans
1	26	Montez Sweat	DE	Washington Redskins
1	27	Johnathan Abram	S	Oakland Raiders
2	44	Elgton Jenkins	C	Green Bay Packers
6	199	Gerri Green	LB	Indianapolis Colts

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Journal, Logan Lowery Daily. "MSU fires Moorhead after two seasons". Daily Journal. All eight of Moorhead's victories in 2018 had to be vacated after 10 football players were reprimanded by the NCAA for academic misconduct involving a former part-time tutor and an online chemistry class.
^ ^a ^b "Mississippi State placed on 3 years probation by NCAA". WTVA News. Associated Press. Mississippi State has received three years' probation from the NCAA after an investigation determined a part-time student tutor completed coursework for 10 football players and one men's basketball player in an online class.
^ "2018 Watch List | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Honoring College Football's Defensive Best". lottimpacttrophy.org. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
^ "Rimington Trophy Press Release". May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
^ "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
^ "2018 Maxwell Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
^ "Davey O'Brien Award Watch List includes 26 players". July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
^ "2018 Doak Walker Award Candidates". July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
^ "2018 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
^ "22018 OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LIST UNVEILED". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
^ "Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Announces 2018 Preseason Watch List". July 25, 2018. Archived from the original on August 17, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
^ "43 PLAYERS NAMED TO 2018 PAUL HORNUNG AWARD WATCH LIST". July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
^ "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
^ "Preseason Watch List - 2018 edition of the Ted Hendricks Award" (PDF). August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
^ "Watch List for 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award ® Presented by A. O. Smith Announced". August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
^ "Manning Award: See which quarterbacks made the preseason watch list for 2018". August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
^ "Media predicts Alabama to win 2018 SEC Championship". www.secsports.com.
^ "2018 Mississippi State Bulldogs Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
^ "Fitzgerald leads No. 18 Miss St to 31-10 rout of K-State". ESPN. September 15, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.

[vacated2-1] Journal, Logan Lowery Daily. "MSU fires Moorhead after two seasons". Daily Journal. All eight of Moorhead's victories in 2018 had to be vacated after 10 football players were reprimanded by the NCAA for academic misconduct involving a former part-time tutor and an online chemistry class.

[vacated1-2] "Mississippi State placed on 3 years probation by NCAA". WTVA News. Associated Press. Mississippi State has received three years' probation from the NCAA after an investigation determined a part-time student tutor completed coursework for 10 football players and one men's basketball player in an online class.

[3] "2018 Watch List | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Honoring College Football's Defensive Best". lottimpacttrophy.org. Retrieved 2018-07-17.

[4] "Rimington Trophy Press Release". May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.

[5] "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.

[6] "2018 Maxwell Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.

[7] "Davey O'Brien Award Watch List includes 26 players". July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.

[8] "2018 Doak Walker Award Candidates". July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.

[9] "2018 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.

[10] "22018 OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LIST UNVEILED". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.

[11] "Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Announces 2018 Preseason Watch List". July 25, 2018. Archived from the original on August 17, 2009. Retrieved July 25, 2018.

[12] "43 PLAYERS NAMED TO 2018 PAUL HORNUNG AWARD WATCH LIST". July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.

[13] "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.

[14] "Preseason Watch List - 2018 edition of the Ted Hendricks Award" (PDF). August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 16, 2018.

[15] "Watch List for 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award ® Presented by A. O. Smith Announced". August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.

[16] "Manning Award: See which quarterbacks made the preseason watch list for 2018". August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.

[17] "Media predicts Alabama to win 2018 SEC Championship". www.secsports.com.

[18] "2018 Mississippi State Bulldogs Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved October 18, 2016.

[19] "Fitzgerald leads No. 18 Miss St to 31-10 rout of K-State". ESPN. September 15, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.

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v t e Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Venues	Davis Wade Stadium (1914–present) Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium (alternate, 1953–1991)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Alabama LSU Ole Miss: Egg Bowl
Culture & lore	Bully "Hail State" Famous Maroon Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
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