2021 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

2021 3–3–5
Home stadium	Davis Wade Stadium
Seasons ← 2020 2022  →

2021 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 1 Georgia x#^		8	–	0					14	–	1
No. 18 Kentucky		5	–	3					10	–	3
Tennessee		4	–	4					7	–	6
Missouri		3	–	5					6	–	7
South Carolina		3	–	5					7	–	6
Florida		2	–	6					6	–	7
Vanderbilt		0	–	8					2	–	10
West Division
No. 2 Alabama x$^		7	–	1					13	–	2
No. 11 Ole Miss		6	–	2					10	–	3
No. 21 Arkansas		4	–	4					9	–	4
Mississippi State		4	–	4					7	–	6
Texas A&M		4	–	4					8	–	4
Auburn		3	–	5					6	–	7
LSU		3	–	5					6	–	7
Championship: Alabama 41, Georgia 24
# – College Football Playoff champion ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2021 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 second-year head coach Mike Leach.

Coaching staff

Staff from 2021.^[1]

Name	Position
Mike Leach	Head coach
Tony Hughes	Associate head coach & Nickelbacks Coach
Zach Arnett	Defensive coordinator & Linebackers coach
Matt Brock	Special teams coordinator & Outside Linebackers Coach
Darcel McBath	Cornerbacks coach
Eric Mele	Running backs coach
Mason Miller	Offensive line coach
Dave Nichol	Inside receivers coach
Jeff Phelps	Defensive line coach
Steve Spurrier Jr.	Outside receivers coach
Jason Washington	Safeties coach
Tyson Brown	Head strength and conditioning coach

SEC Media Days

In the preseason media poll, Mississippi State was predicted to finish last in the West Division.^[2]

West

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Alabama	932 (130)
2	Texas A&M	760 (1)
3	LSU	633 (1)
4	Ole Miss	529 (1)
5	Auburn	440
6	Arkansas	241 (1)
7	Mississippi State	217

Regular season

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	3:00 p.m.	Louisiana Tech*		Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	ESPNU	W 35–34	44,669
September 11	6:00 p.m.	ESPN2	W 24–10	45,834
September 18	3:00 p.m.	at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN	ESPN2	L 29–31	43,461
September 25	11:00 a.m.	LSU		Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS (rivalry)	ESPN	L 25–28	50,298
October 2	6:00 p.m.	at No. 15 Texas A&M		Kyle Field College Station, TX	SECN	W 26–22	87,973
October 16	6:00 p.m.	No. 5 Alabama		Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS (rivalry)	ESPN	L 9–49	53,796
October 23	3:00 p.m.	at Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	SECN	W 45–6	22,036
October 30	6:00 p.m.	No. 12 Kentucky		Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	SECN	W 31–17	49,487
November 6	3:00 p.m.	at Arkansas	No. 17	Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR	SECN	L 28–31	68,818
November 13	11:00 a.m.	at No. 17 Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	ESPN	W 43–34	87,451
November 20	11:00 a.m.	Tennessee State*	No. 25	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	ESPN+/SECN+	W 55–10	46,770
November 25	6:30 p.m.	No. 9 ESPN	L 21–31	55,601
December 28	5:45 p.m.	vs. Texas Tech*		Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN (Liberty Bowl)	ESPN	L 7–34	48,615
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 2) - Released prior to game All times are in Central time

^[3]

Game summaries

Louisiana Tech

1 2 3 4 Total Louisiana Tech 7 14 10 3 34 • Mississippi State 14 0 0 21 35 Date: September 4 Location: Starkville, MS Game start: 3:02 p.m. Game attendance: 44,669 Game weather: 87, Sunny, Wind SE @ 3 mph Referee: James Carter TV announcers (ESPNU): John Schriffen (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (analyst) [4] Sources:[5]

Pregame line	Over/under
-20.5	53

Statistics	LA Tech	MSU
First downs	14	22
Total yards	369	436
Rushing yards	101	66
Passing yards	268	371
Turnovers	2	4
Time of possession	27:40	32:20

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Louisiana Tech	Passing	Austin Kendall	20/36, 269 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Austin Kendall	5 carries, 68 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Bub Means	2 receptions, 94 yards, 1 TD
Mississippi State	Passing	Will Rogers	39/47, 370 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jo'Quavious Marks	12 carries, 71 yards, 2 TD’S
	Receiving	Jamire Calvin	3 receptions, 67 yards, 1 TD

NC State

1 2 3 4 Total NC State 0 3 0 7 10 • Mississippi State 7 7 7 3 24 Date: September 11 Location: Starkville, MS Game start: 6:05 p.m. Game attendance: 45,834 Game weather: 83, Sunny, Wind SE @ 4 mph Referee: Jerry Magallanes TV announcers ( ESPN2): Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Mike Golic Jr. (analyst), and Taylor McGregor (sideline) [6] Sources: [7]

Scoring summary 1 14:47 MSSU Lideatrick Griffin 100 yard kickoff return (Brandon Ruiz kick) MSSU 7–0 2 12:46 NCSU Christopher Dunn 45 yard field goal (11 plays, 43 yards, 5:25) MSSU 7–3 1:09 MSSU Malik Heath 21 yard pass from Will Rogers (Brandon Ruiz kick) (13 plays, 83 yards, 4:30) MSSU 14–3 3 0:48 MSSU Jaden Walley 4 yard pass from Will Rogers (Nolan McCord kick) (7 plays, 54 yards, 4:12) MSSU 21–3 4 12:30 MSSU Nolan McCord 32 yard field goal (8 plays, 51 yards, 2:23) MSSU 24–3 1:06 NCSU Thayer Thomas 4 yard pass from Devin Leary (Christopher Dunn kick) (8 plays, 74 yards, 3:16) MSSU 24–10

Pregame line	Over/under
+1.5	56

Statistics	NC State	MSU
First downs	16	15
Total yards	335	316
Rushing yards	32	22
Passing yards	303	294
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	28:54	31:06

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
NC State	Passing	Devin Leary	30/49, 303 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Zonovan Knight	8 carries, 31 yards
	Receiving	Emeka Emezie	6 receptions, 92 yards
Mississippi State	Passing	Will Rogers	33/49, 294 yards, 2 TD's
	Rushing	Dillon Johnson	6 carries, 18 yards
	Receiving	Dillon Johnson	6 receptions, 70 yards

At Memphis

1 2 3 4 Total Mississippi State 3 14 0 12 29 • Memphis 7 0 7 17 31 Date: September 18 Location: Memphis, TN Game start: 3:05 p.m. Game attendance: 43,461 Game weather: 77, Cloudy, Wind NE @ 7 mph Referee: Marc Curles TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (analyst), and Dawn Davenport (field) [8] Sources: [9]

Scoring summary 1 12:02 MEM Sanchez Blake Jr. 49-yard fumble returned (Joe Doyle kick) (5 plays, 21 yards, 2:58) MEM 7–0 03:20 MSST Nolan McCord 39-yard field goal (17 plays, 54 yards, 8:42) MEM 7–3 2 09:58 MSST Dillon Johnson 3-yard rush (Nolan McCord kick) (10 plays, 75 yards, 4:28) MSST 10–7 05:07 MSST Jaden Walley 6-yard pass from Will Rogers (Nolan McCord kick) (9 plays, 81 yards, 3:41) MSST 17–7 3 06:20 MEM Calvin Austin III 21-yard pass from Seth Henigan (Joe Doyle kick) (12 plays, 98 yards, 4:59) MSST 17–14 4 07:48 MEM Calvin Austin III 25-yard pass from Seth Henigan (Joe Doyle kick) (4 plays, 36 yards, 1:18) MEM 21–17 05:36 MEM Calvin Austin III 94-yard punt return (Joe Doyle kick) (5 plays, 22 yards, 2:12) MEM 28–17 03:03 MSST Malik Heath 9-yard pass from Will Rogers (two-point pass conversion attempt failed) (6 plays, 57 yards, 2:33) MEM 28–23 02:02 MEM Joe Doyle 51-yard field goal (4 plays, 4 yards, 1:01) MEM 31–23 01:32 MSST Makai Polk 36-yard pass from Will Rogers (2 plays, 65 yards, 0:30) MEM 31–29

Pregame line	Over/under
-3.0	64

Statistics	MSU	Memphis
First downs	26	12
Total yards	468	246
Rushing yards	49	87
Passing yards	419	159
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	40:33	19:27

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mississippi State	Passing	Will Rogers	50/67, 419 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Dillon Johnson	7 carries, 49 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Makai Polk	11 receptions, 136 yards, 1 TD
Memphis	Passing	Seth Henigan	16/28, 159 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Brandon Thomas	16 carries, 86 yards
	Receiving	Calvin Austin	9 receptions, 105 yards, 2 TD

LSU

1 2 3 4 Total • LSU 7 0 14 7 28 Mississippi State 0 3 7 15 25 Date: September 25 Location: Starkville, MS Game start: 11:07 a.m. Game attendance: 50,298 Game weather: 74, Sunny, Wind NW @ 2 mph Referee: Alex Moore TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Dan Orlovsky (analyst), and Kris Budden (sideline reporter) [10] Sources: [11]

Pregame line	Over/under
+1.5	56

Statistics	LSU	MSU
First downs	15	29
Total yards	343	486
Rushing yards	63	115
Passing yards	280	371
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	24:52	35:08

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
LSU	Passing	Max Johnson	17/27, 280 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Tyrion Davis-Price	13 carries, 51 yards
	Receiving	Kayshon Boutte	4 receptions, 85 yards, 2 TD
Mississippi State	Passing	Will Rogers	47/62, 371 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Dillon Johnson	8 carries, 51 yards
	Receiving	Makai Polk	8 receptions, 78 yards, 1 TD

At No. 15 Texas A&M

1 2 3 4 Total • Mississippi State 10 7 7 2 26 No. 15 Texas A&M 7 6 6 3 22 Date: October 2 Location: College Station, TX Game start: 6:07 p.m. Game attendance: 87,973 Game weather: Sunny Referee: Lee Hedrick TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color) and Cole Cubelic (sideline) [12] Sources: [13]

Pregame line	Over/under
+7.0	47

Statistics	MSU	Texas A&M
First downs	27	15
Total yards	438	297
Rushing yards	30	162
Passing yards	408	135
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	35:06	24:54

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mississippi State	Passing	Will Rogers	46/59, 408 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Dillon Johnson	6 carries, 19 yards
	Receiving	Makai Polk	13 receptions, 126 yards, 2 TD
Texas A&M	Passing	Zach Calzada	12/20, 135 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Isaiah Spiller	16 carries, 100 yards
	Receiving	Jalen Preston	2 receptions, 49 yards

No. 5 Alabama

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 5 Alabama 14 7 14 14 49 Mississippi State 3 3 3 0 9 Date: October 16 Location: Starkville, MS Game start: 6:11 p.m. Game attendance: 53,796 Game weather: 63, Sunny, Wind N @ 7 mph Referee: Matt Loeffler TV announcers ( ESPN): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst) and Katie George (sideline) [14] Sources: [15]

Pregame line	Over/under
+17.0	58

Statistics	Alabama	MSU
First downs	22	24
Total yards	543	299
Rushing yards	195	-1
Passing yards	348	300
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	29:53	30:07

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alabama	Passing	Bryce Young	20/28, 348 yards, 4 TD
	Rushing	Roydell Williams	11 carries, 78 yards
	Receiving	John Metchie III	7 receptions, 117 yards, 1 TD
Mississippi State	Passing	Will Rogers	35/55, 300 yards, 3 INT
	Rushing	Dillon Johnson	7 carries, 24 yards
	Receiving	Jaden Walley	6 receptions, 64 yards

At Vanderbilt

1 2 3 4 Total • Mississippi State 10 14 7 14 45 Vanderbilt 0 3 3 0 6 Date: October 23 Location: Nashville, TN Game start: 3:01 p.m. Game attendance: 22,036 Game weather: Sunny Referee: Ken Williamson TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst) and Alyssa Lang (sideline reporter) [16] Sources: [17]

Pregame line	Over/under
-20.5	53

Statistics	MSU	Vanderbilt
First downs	29	5
Total yards	522	155
Rushing yards	61	9
Passing yards	461	146
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	39:02	20:58

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mississippi State	Passing	Will Rogers	41/57, 384 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Dillon Johnson	7 carries, 34 yards
	Receiving	Jaden Walley	5 receptions, 72 yards
Vanderbilt	Passing	Mike Wright	12/17, 122 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Rocko Griffin	7 carries, 12 yards
	Receiving	Devin Boddie Jr.	4 receptions, 69 yards

No. 12 Kentucky

1 2 3 4 Total No. 12 Kentucky 7 3 0 7 17 • Mississippi State 0 14 17 0 31 Date: October 30 Location: Starkville, MS Game start: 6:09 p.m. Game attendance: 49,487 Game weather: 55, Cloudy, Wind NW @ 5 mph Referee: Lee Hendrick TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), Cole Cubelic (sideline) [18] Sources: [19]

Pregame line	Over/under
-1.0	47

Statistics	Kentucky	MSU
First downs	14	27
Total yards	216	438
Rushing yards	66	94
Passing yards	150	344
Turnovers	4	0
Time of possession	18:50	41:10

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Kentucky	Passing	Will Levis	17/28, 150 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Chris Rodriguez Jr.	8 carries, 34 yards
	Receiving	Wan'Dale Robinson	9 receptions, 79 yards
Mississippi State	Passing	Will Rogers	36/39, 344 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Jo’Quavious Marks	20 carries, 58 yards , 1 TD
	Receiving	Jaden Walley	6 receptions, 95 yards

At Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total No. 17 Mississippi State 0 7 7 14 28 • Arkansas 10 3 3 15 31 Date: November 6 Location: Fayetteville, AR Game start: 3:01 p.m. Game attendance: 68,818 Game weather: 62, Sunny, Wind SW @ 4 mph Referee: Jason Autrey TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), Cole Cubelic (sideline) [20] Sources: [21]

Pregame line	Over/under
+4.0	54

Statistics	MSU	Arkansas
First downs	28	23
Total yards	486	393
Rushing yards	69	202
Passing yards	417	191
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	32:14	27:46

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mississippi State	Passing	Will Rogers	36/48, 417 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jo'Quavious Marks	11 carries, 40 yards
	Receiving	Makai Polk	8 receptions, 117 yards
Arkansas	Passing	KJ Jefferson	19/23, 191 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Dominique Johnson	17 carries, 107 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Treylon Burks	6 receptions, 82 yards, 1 TD

At No. 17 Auburn

1 2 3 4 Total • Mississippi State 3 7 13 20 43 No. 17 Auburn 14 14 0 6 34 Date: November 13 Location: Auburn, AL Game start: 11:07 a.m. Game attendance: 87,451 Game weather: 55, Sunny, Wind NW @ 10 mph Referee: Steve Marlowe TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), Kris Budden (sideline reporter) [22] Sources: [23]

Pregame line	Over/under
+5.5	51

Statistics	MSU	Auburn
First downs	31	22
Total yards	487	483
Rushing yards	72	106
Passing yards	415	377
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	35:01	24:59

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mississippi State	Passing	Will Rogers	44/55, 415 yards, 6 TD
	Rushing	Dillon Johnson	8 carries, 62 yards
	Receiving	Jaden Walley	7 receptions, 87 yards
Auburn	Passing	Bo Nix	27/41, 377 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Ja'Varrius Johnson	1 carries, 57 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Kobe Hudson	8 receptions, 107 yards, 1 TD

Tennessee State

1 2 3 4 Total Tennessee State 0 0 0 10 10 • No. 25 Mississippi State 21 14 14 6 55 Date: November 20 Location: Starkville, MS Game start: 11:02 a.m. Game attendance: 46,770 Game weather: 55, Sunny, Wind SE @ 8 mph Referee: Daniel Gautreaux TV announcers (ESPN+/SECN+): Mike Couzens (play-by-play), Dustin Fox (analyst) [24] Sources: [25]

Pregame line	Over/under
-44.0	56

Statistics	Tenn State	MSU
First downs	14	23
Total yards	205	600
Rushing yards	35	107
Passing yards	170	493
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	35:20	24:40

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee State	Passing	Deveon Bryant	9/11, 128 yards
	Rushing	Devon Starling	11 carries, 33 yards
	Receiving	Cam Wyche	4 receptions, 88 yards
Mississippi State	Passing	Will Rogers	28/34, 391 yards, 5 TD
	Rushing	Dillon Johnson	5 carries, 56 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Makai Polk	9 receptions, 110 yards, 1 TD

No. 9 Ole Miss

Egg Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total • No. 9 Ole Miss 3 7 7 14 31 Mississippi State 6 0 0 15 21 Date: November 25 Location: Starkville, MS Game start: 6:33 p.m. Game attendance: 55,601 Game weather: Rain • Temperature: 55 °F (13 °C) Referee: Ken Williamson TV announcers ( ESPN ): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst) and Katie George (sideline) Sources:[26]

Pregame line	Over/under
-2.0	65

Statistics	Ole Miss	MSU
First downs	23	30
Total yards	388	420
Rushing yards	154	84
Passing yards	234	336
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	30:16	29:44

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Ole Miss	Passing	Matt Corral	26/34, 234 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jerrion Ealy	16 carries, 60 yards
	Receiving	Dontario Drummond	14 receptions, 138 yards
Mississippi State	Passing	Will Rogers	38/58, 336 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Jo'Quavious Marks	8 carries, 45 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Makai Polk	10 receptions, 98 yards

Vs. Texas Tech

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

1 2 3 4 Total • Texas Tech 10 3 14 7 34 Mississippi State 0 7 0 0 7 Date: December 28 Location: Memphis, TN Game start: 5:45 pm CST Game attendance: 48,615 Game weather: Temperature: 69 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: S 10 MPH Referee: Riley Jefferson TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Deuce McAllister (analyst), Andraya Carter (sideline) Sources:[27]

Pregame line	Over/under
-10.0	58

Statistics	TTU	MSU
First downs	24	21
Total yards	512	344
Rushing yards	260	54
Passing yards	252	290
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	30:57	28:41

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Texas Tech	Passing	Donovan Smith	15/28, 252 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Tahj Brooks	16 rushes, 107 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Myles Price	3 receptions, 72 yards
Mississippi State	Passing	Will Rogers	32/53, 290 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Dillon Johnson	9 rushes, 62 yards
	Receiving	Austin Williams	5 receptions, 74 yards

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV	—	—	RV	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	—
Coaches	RV	—	RV	—	—	RV	RV	—	—	RV	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	—
CFP	Not released									17	—	25	—	—	—	Not released

Statistics

Scoring

Scores by quarter (non-conference opponents)

1 2 3 4 Total All opponents 14 17 17 37 85 Mississippi State 45 35 21 42 143

Scores by quarter (SEC opponents)

1 2 3 4 Total SEC opponents 62 43 47 66 218 Mississippi State 32 55 61 80 228

Team statistics

Team Statistics
	Opponents	Mississippi State
Total Points	303	371
Points per game	25.6	30.9
Rushing Yards per game	101	64
Passing Yards per game	230.1	385.8

Players drafted into the NFL

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
1	9	Charles Cross	OT	Seattle Seahawks
3	68	Martin Emerson	CB	Cleveland Browns

References