Davis Wade Stadium. (HailState.com)
Last season was a coming out party of sorts for Mississippi State football, as the Bulldogs finished 10-3 and beat three top 10 teams (No. 8 LSU, No. 6 Texas A&M and No. 2 Auburn) in a row. The Auburn victory catapulted the Bulldogs to the No. 1 ranking for the first time in program history.
As a result, Bulldogs fans are understandably excited for the 2015 season and are backing that passion with their money:
Granted, the record number of season ticket buyers is largely due to the renovations to Davis Wade Stadium, which consisted of $75 million worth of upgrades and more than 6,000 additional seats. In fact, Mississippi State shattered attendance records last season, including total attendance (427,892), single-game average attendance (61,127) and single-game attendance (62,945), according to HailState.com.
The Bulldogs went 7-0 at home and will carry an 8-game win streak into 2015. Yet, despite their impressive ’14 campaign, they enter the season unranked in the coaches poll.
Gone are three offensive line starters and running back Josh Robinson. On defense, coordinator Geoff Collins left for Florida, and All-American linebacker Benardrick McKinney skipped his senior season and was drafted by the Texans. So while there will be new challenges ahead for the Bulldogs, at least they’ll have the support of a packed house.
If Mississippi State can somehow build on last season despite the personnel turnover, it could give the UGA Bulldogs a run for their money as the conference’s top Bulldogs. Mississippi State matched Georgia’s 10-3 record last season and finished No. 12 behind Georgia (No. 9). However, top dog won’t be decided on the field this season, as the only SEC East teams that Mississippi State plays are Kentucky and Missouri.
Mississippi State opens its season Sept. 5 at Southern Miss, and the Bulldogs’ home opener is the following weekend against LSU.
