It didn’t happen. Joe Moorhead, who replaced long-time coach Dan Mullen, came in with a fancy offensive pedigree.
However, injuries hurt and the Bulldogs’ offense and it stumbled, averaging 28.5 points per game. It wasn’t terrible but ranked State in the middle of the nation as far as offenses go. The defense had a solid year though and helped Mississippi State to an 8-5 record with big wins against both Auburn and Texas A&M.
The Bulldogs lost several key players on the defense and the offense, and Moorhead has brought in five new assistant coaches to help. Perhaps the biggest question is who replaces Nick Fitzgerald at quarterback. Although Fitzgerald had some injuries and didn’t have a great senior campaign, he still helped carry the offensive load for the Bulldogs.
2019 Schedule:
August 31 vs. Louisiana (New Orleans, LA)
September 7 vs. Southern Mississippi
September 14 vs. Kansas State
September 21 vs. Kentucky
September 28 at Auburn
October 12 at Tennessee
October 19 vs. LSU
October 26 at Texas A&M
November 2 at Arkansas
November 16 vs. Alabama
November 23 vs. Abilene Christian
November 28 vs. Ole Miss
Junior Kenton Thompson finished spring as the likely number one quarterback with redshirt freshman, Jalen Mayden, still in the competition for the starting role. The Bulldogs will have to shuffle the offensive line as well as find some playmakers.
On defense, the Bulldogs suffered heavy losses on the defensive front but have a solid group of linebackers and several good cornerbacks, although the depth chart is thin in the secondary.
If the Bulldogs can get things going early, they could rack up some wins. The telling games for the Bulldogs could come in late September at Auburn and in early October at Tennessee. If they can win one or both of those games, they should be able to get into a bowl game. Lose both, and it might be a struggle for the Bulldogs to do better than 6-6.
