2021 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

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.

2021 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Liberty Bowl, L 7–34 vs. Texas Tech
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionWestern Division
Record7–6 (4–4 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive schemeAir raid
Defensive coordinatorZach Arnett (2nd season)
Base defense3–3–5
Home stadiumDavis Wade Stadium
Seasons
← 2020
2022 →
2021 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Eastern 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  
Western 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
  • * – Kentucky vacated all wins due to NCAA violations.
Rankings from AP Poll

Coaching staff

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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

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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

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Schedule

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DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 43:00 p.m.Louisiana Tech*ESPNUW 35–3444,669
September 116:00 p.m.NC State*
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS
ESPN2W 24–1045,834
September 183:00 p.m.at Memphis*ESPN2L 29–3143,461
September 2511:00 a.m.LSU
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS (rivalry)
ESPNL 25–2850,298
October 26:00 p.m.at No. 15 Texas A&MSECNW 26–2287,973
October 166:00 p.m.No. 5 Alabama
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS (rivalry)
ESPNL 9–4953,796
October 233:00 p.m.at VanderbiltSECNW 45–622,036
October 306:00 p.m.No. 12 Kentucky 
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS
SECNW 31–1749,487
November 63:00 p.m.at ArkansasNo. 17SECNL 28–3168,818
November 1311:00 a.m.at No. 17 AuburnESPNW 43–3487,451
November 2011:00 a.m.Tennessee State*No. 25
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS
ESPN /SECN W 55–1046,770
November 256:30 p.m.No. 9 Ole Miss
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS (Egg Bowl)
ESPNL 21–3155,601
December 285:45 p.m.vs. Texas Tech*
ESPNL 7–3448,615

[3]

Game summaries

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Louisiana Tech

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1 234Total
Louisiana Tech 7 14103 34
Mississippi State 14 0021 35
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

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1 234Total
NC State 0 307 10
Mississippi State 7 773 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]
  


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

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1 234Total
Mississippi State 3 14012 29
Memphis 7 0717 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]
      


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
1 234Total
LSU 7 0147 28
Mississippi State 0 3715 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]
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

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1 234Total
Mississippi State 10 772 26
No. 15 Texas A&M 7 663 22
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

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1 234Total
No. 5 Alabama 14 71414 49
Mississippi State 3 330 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]
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

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1 234Total
Mississippi State 10 14714 45
Vanderbilt 0 330 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]
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

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1 234Total
No. 12 Kentucky 7 307 17
Mississippi State 0 14170 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]
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

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1 234Total
No. 17 Mississippi State 0 7714 28
Arkansas 10 3315 31
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

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1 234Total
Mississippi State 3 71320 43
No. 17 Auburn 14 1406 34
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

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1 234Total
Tennessee State 0 0010 10
No. 25 Mississippi State 21 14146 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]
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

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Egg Bowl
1 234Total
No. 9 Ole Miss 3 7714 31
Mississippi State 6 0015 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)
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

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AutoZone Liberty Bowl
1 234Total
Texas Tech 10 3147 34
Mississippi State 0 700 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)
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

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
APRVRVRVRVRVRVRV
CoachesRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRVRV
CFPNot released1725Not released

Statistics

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Scoring

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Scores by quarter (non-conference opponents)

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

Scores by quarter (SEC opponents)

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

Team statistics

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Players drafted into the NFL

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Mississippi State had two players selected in the 2022 NFL draft.[28]

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

References

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  1. ^ "Football Coaches". Mississippi State. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  2. ^ "Preseason SEC media poll, All-SEC Team announced". SECSports.com. Southeastern Conference. September 23, 2020.
  3. ^ "2021 Mississippi State Football Schedule". FBSchedule. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  4. ^ Molly Weisner (September 4, 2021). "How to watch Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Louisiana Tech football on TV, live stream". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  5. ^ R.J. Morgan (September 3, 2021). "Mississippi St. avoids La. Tech upset bid with 35-34 win". Yahoo! News. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  6. ^ Molly Weisner (September 10, 2021). "How to watch Mississippi State vs. NC State football on TV, live stream plus game time". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  7. ^ Theo Derosa (September 12, 2021). "Griffin's kick return leads Mississippi St. over NC St". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on September 12, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  8. ^ Molly Weisner (September 17, 2021). "How to watch Mississippi State vs. Memphis Tigers football on live stream, TV". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  9. ^ Frank Bonner II (September 18, 2021). "Tigers go down to the wire in thrilling win over Mississippi State". The Daily Memphian. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
  10. ^ Molly Weisner (September 23, 2021). "How to watch Mississippi State football vs. LSU Tigers on TV, live stream". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  11. ^ "Johnson has 4 TD passes, LSU outlasts Mississippi St. 28-25". WLOX. September 25, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  12. ^ Nick Gray (October 2, 2021). "How to watch Mississippi State football vs. Texas A&M Aggies on TV, live stream". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  13. ^ Zach Taylor (October 3, 2021). "No. 15 Aggie Football Upset by Mississippi State". WTAW (AM). Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  14. ^ Molly Weisner (October 15, 2021). "How to watch Mississippi State vs. Alabama football on TV, live stream plus game time". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  15. ^ David Cobb (October 16, 2021). "Alabama vs. Mississippi State score, takeaways: No. 5 Tide demolish Bulldogs in get-right game". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  16. ^ Molly Weisner (October 22, 2021). "How to watch Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Vanderbilt football on TV, live stream". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  17. ^ Aria Gerson (October 23, 2021). "Vanderbilt football crushed by Mississippi State, 45-6". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  18. ^ Molly Weisner (October 29, 2021). "How to watch Mississippi State vs. Kentucky football on TV and live stream". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  19. ^ Gabriel Stovall (October 30, 2021). "Kentucky vs. Mississippi State: The Wildcats fall to Bulldogs 31-17". Louisville Courier Journal. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  20. ^ Molly Weisner (November 5, 2021). "How to watch Mississippi State vs. Arkansas football on TV and live stream". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  21. ^ Eric W. Bolin (November 6, 2021). "Arkansas scores in final minute to beat Mississippi State". Associated Press. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  22. ^ Molly Weisner (November 11, 2021). "How to watch Mississippi State vs. Auburn football on TV, live stream". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  23. ^ Tom Green (November 13, 2021). "Auburn's defense surrenders 40 unanswered points in loss to Mississippi State". AL.com. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  24. ^ Molly Weisner (November 18, 2021). "How to watch Mississippi State vs. Tennessee State football on live stream". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  25. ^ "Mississippi State dominates Tennessee State 55-10". WLBT. November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  26. ^ "Ole Miss defeats Mississippi State in 94th Egg Bowl". WLBT. November 26, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  27. ^ "Box Score". ESPN. December 28, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  28. ^ "2022 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 23, 2024.