# 2011 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

The 2011 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Dan Mullen, who was in his third season with Mississippi State. The Bulldogs played their home games at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville, Mississippi and compete in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They finished the 2011 season with a 7–6 overall play, 2–6 in SEC play, placing fifth in West Division, and were invited for Music City Bowl, where they defeated Wake Forest.

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

In the week following the Gator Bowl victory, several changes were made to the Mississippi State coaching staff. Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Manny Diaz resigned his position to serve in the same position for Texas as the replacement for Will Muschamp. Co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Chris Wilson was promoted to defensive coordinator to replace Diaz on January 10. At that time, Angelo Mirando was promoted from graduate assistant to wide receivers coach to replace Mark Hudspeth who had resigned earlier to accept the head coaching position at UL Lafayette. Geoff Collins was hired on January 12 to serve as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach to fill the vacant position made when Wilson was promoted.
| Name | Position | Seasons at Mississippi State | Alma Mater |
| Dan Mullen | Head coach | 3 | Ursinus (1994) |
| Geoff Collins | Defensive Coordinator, Linebackers | 1 | Western Carolina (1992) |
| John Hevesy | Offensive line, Running Game Coordinator | 3 | Maine (1994) |
| Tony Hughes | Safeties, Recruiting Coordinator | 3 | Southern Miss (1980) |
| Greg Knox | Running Backs | 3 | Northeastern State (1986) |
| Les Koenning | Offensive coordinator, Quarterbacks | 2 | Texas (1981) |
| Angelo Mirando | Wide Receivers | 1 | Case Western Reserve (2008) |
| Scott Sallach | Tight Ends | 3 | Ursinus (1994) |
| Melvin Smith | Cornerbacks, Nickelbacks | 1 | Millsaps College (Unknown) |
| Chris Wilson | Defensive line | 1 | University of Oklahoma (1985) |
| Mark Ouimet | Coordinator of Recruiting Operations | 2 | Siena Heights University (1995) |
| Will Windham | Graduate assistant | 1 | Mississippi State University (2007) |
| Reference: ||||

### Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2011 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Dee Arrington S | Wiggins, Mississippi | Stone High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 4.62 | Jul 24, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Taveze Calhoun S | Morton, Mississippi | Morton High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | – | Jan 30, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 45 |||||||
| Justin Cox CB | West Point, Mississippi | West Point High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 174 lb (79 kg) | 4.41 | Jul 24, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Devin Fosselman WR | Woodville, Mississippi | Wilkinson County High School | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | – | Jun 20, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| John Harris DE | Boynton Beach, Florida | Boynton Beach Community High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | – | Nov 5, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Zachary Jackson S | Heidelberg, Mississippi | Heidelberg High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | 4.53 | Feb 16, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| P.J. Jones DT | Tupelo, Mississippi | Tupelo High School | 6 ft 3.5 in (1.92 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | – | Jan 21, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Daniel Knox TE | Collinsville, Mississippi | West Lauderdale High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 251 lb (114 kg) | – | Jul 23, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| James Maiden OT | Woodville, Mississippi | Wilkinson County High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | – | Jul 23, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Justin Malone OT | Madison, Mississippi | Madison-Ridgeland Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 306 lb (139 kg) | – | Nov 3, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Kendrick Market S | Batesville, Mississippi | South Panola High School | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 179 lb (81 kg) | – | Oct 17, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 72 |||||||
| Benardrick McKinney OLB | Tunica, Mississippi | Rosa Fort High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | – | Sep 16, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Derek Milton RB | Chatham, Virginia | Hargrave Military Academy | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | – | Jan 24, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Joe Morrow WR | Ocean Springs, Mississippi | Ocean Springs High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 4.60 | Jul 23, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Shaquille Perry RB | Walnut, Mississippi | Walnut Attendance Center | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | – | Jan 19, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 72 |||||||
| Dak Prescott QB | Haughton, Louisiana | Haughton High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 4.70 | Jul 23, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Nick Redmond OT | Gulfport, Mississippi | Harrison Central High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 292 lb (132 kg) | – | Sep 26, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Josh Robinson RB | Franklinton, Louisiana | Franklinton High School | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 4.50 | Jul 23, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 68 |||||||
| Darius Slay CB | Fulton, Mississippi | Itawamba Community College | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | – | Jul 29, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: – |||||||
| Preston Smith DE | Stone Mountain, Georgia | Stephenson High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | – | Sep 29, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Joey Trapp OT | Wilmington, California | Los Angeles Harbor College | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 285 lb (129 kg) | 4.89 | Dec 12, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: – |||||||
| Rufus Warren TE | Indianola, Mississippi | Gentry High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 238 lb (108 kg) | – | Jun 15, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 44 Rivals: 44 ESPN: NR |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Mississippi State". Scout.com. Retrieved February 12, 2011. "2011 Player Signees- Mississippi State". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 12, 2011. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 12, 2011. "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 12, 2011. |||||||

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 7:00 pm | at Memphis* | No. 20 | Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN | SECRN | W 59–14 | 33,990 |
| September 10 | 11:21 am | at Auburn | No. 16 | Jordan–Hare StadiumAuburn, AL | SECN | L 34–41 | 87,451 |
| September 15 | 7:00 pm | No. 3 LSU | No. 25 | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS (rivalry) | ESPN | L 6–19 | 56,924 |
| September 24 | 6:00 pm | Louisiana Tech* | | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | ESPNU | W 26–20 $^{OT}$ | 55,116 |
| October 1 | 11:00 am | at Georgia | | Sanford StadiumAthens, GA | SECRN | L 10–24 | 92,746 |
| October 8 | 11:00 am | at UAB* | | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL | SECRN | W 21–3 | 28,351 |
| October 15 | 11:21 am | No. 15 South Carolina | | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN | L 12–14 | 55,418 |
| October 29 | 6:00 pm | at Kentucky | | Commonwealth StadiumLexington, KY | SECRN | W 28–16 | 57,891 |
| November 5 | 6:30 pm | Tennessee–Martin* | | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | CSS | W 55–17 | 55,096 |
| November 12 | 6:45 pm | No. 4 Alabama | | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS (rivalry) | ESPN | L 7–24 | 57,871 |
| November 19 | 2:30 pm | at No. 6 Arkansas | | War Memorial StadiumLittle Rock, AR | CBS | L 17–44 | 55,761 |
| November 26 | 6:00 pm | Ole Miss | | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS (Egg Bowl) | ESPNU | W 31–3 | 55,270 |
| December 30 | 5:40 pm | vs. Wake Forest* | | LP FieldNashville, TN (Music City Bowl) | ESPN | W 23–17 | 55,208 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||
    Schedule Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 20 | 16 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | 20 | 17 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |

## Game summaries
### 2011 Egg Bowl

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ole Miss | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| • Mississippi State | 14 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
Mississippi State wore new uniforms for the game that featured gold numbers, gold shoes and "Hail State" replacing each of the player's last names on the back of the jersey.