# 2023 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

The 2023 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs were led by Zach Arnett, who was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach in December 2022 following the death of Mike Leach, until his firing on November 13, 2023.
The Mississippi State football team played its home games at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi. This was also the final year for the West division as Texas and Oklahoma joined the SEC in 2024. The Mississippi State Bulldogs football team drew an average home attendance of 54,455 in 2023.

## Schedule

Mississippi State and the SEC announced the 2023 football schedule on September 20, 2022. The 2023 Bulldogs' schedule consists of 8 home games and 4 away games for the regular season. Mississippi State will host four SEC conference opponents Alabama (rivalry), Kentucky, LSU (rivalry) and Ole Miss (Egg Bowl) at home and will travel to four SEC opponents, Arkansas, Auburn, South Carolina and Texas A&M to close out the SEC regular season on the road. Mississippi State is not scheduled to play SEC East opponents Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee and Vanderbilt in the 2023 regular season. The Bulldogs' bye week comes during week 7 (on October 14, 2023).
Mississippi State out of conference opponents represent the MAC, Pac-12, SLC and the Sun Belt conferences. The Bulldogs will host all four non–conference games which are against Arizona from the Pac-12, Southeastern Louisiana from the SLC (FCS), Southern Miss from the Sunbelt and Western Michigan from the MAC.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 3:00 p.m. | No. 15 (FCS) Southeastern Louisiana* | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN | W 48–7 | 50,041 |
| September 9 | 6:30 p.m. | Arizona* | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN | W 31–24 $^{OT}$ | 51,648 |
| September 16 | 11:00 a.m. | No. 14 LSU | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS (rivalry / SEC Nation) | ESPN | L 14–41 | 60,084 |
| September 23 | 6:30 p.m. | at South Carolina | Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | SECN | L 30–37 | 78,311 |
| September 30 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 12 Alabama | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS (rivalry) | ESPN | L 17–40 | 60,111 |
| October 7 | 11:00 a.m. | Western Michigan* | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN | W 41–28 | 47,158 |
| October 21 | 11:00 a.m. | at Arkansas | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR | ESPN | W 7–3 | 71,505 |
| October 28 | 2:30 p.m. | at Auburn | Jordan–Hare StadiumAuburn, AL | SECN | L 13–27 | 88,043 |
| November 4 | 6:30 p.m. | Kentucky | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN | L 3–24 | 52,329 |
| November 11 | 6:30 p.m. | at Texas A&M | Kyle FieldCollege Station, TX | ESPN2 | L 10–51 | 103,266 |
| November 18 | 11:00 a.m. | Southern Miss* | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN+/ESPN+ | W 41–20 | 53,855 |
| November 23 | 6:30 p.m. | No. 12 Ole Miss | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS (Egg Bowl) | ESPN | L 7–17 | 60,412 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 1) – Released prior to gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### vs No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana (FCS) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Mississippi State | 3 | 17 | 7 | 21 | 48 |
at Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, Mississippi
* Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C) • Wind: SE 8 mph
* Game attendance: 50,041
* Referee: Steve Marlowe
* TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), Alyssa Lang (sideline)
| Statistics | SELA | MSST |
| First downs | 10 | 23 |
| Total yards | 54–208 | 68–525 |
| Rushing yards | 26–83 | 39–298 |
| Passing yards | 125 | 227 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 16–28–0 | 20–29–0 |
| Time of possession | 28:58 | 31:02 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Passing | Eli Sawyer | 11/19, 85 yards |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Rushing | Harlan Dixon | 8 carries, 51 yards |
| Southeastern Louisiana | Receiving | Harlan Dixon | 4 receptions, 42 yards |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Will Rogers | 20/29, 227 yards, 2 TD |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Jo'Quavious Marks | 19 carries, 127 yards, 2 TD |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Creed Whittemore | 4 receptions, 59 yards, TD |

### vs Arizona

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Arizona | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
| Mississippi State | 14 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 31 |
at Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS
* Date: Saturday, September 9, 2023
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 82 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 51,648
* Referee: John Love
* TV announcers (SEC Network): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), Cole Cubelic (sideline)
| Statistics | ARIZ | MSST |
| First downs | 23 | 16 |
| Total yards | 72–431 | 56–307 |
| Rushing yards | 25–91 | 38–145 |
| Passing yards | 340 | 162 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 33–47–4 | 13–17–0 |
| Time of possession | 32:22 | 27:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Arizona | Passing | Jayden de Laura | 32/46, 342 yards, 2 TD, 4 INT |
| Arizona | Rushing | Jayden de Laura | 8 carries, 44 yards, TD |
| Arizona | Receiving | Tetairoa McMillan | 8 receptions, 161 yards, TD |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Will Rogers | 13/17, 162 yards, 3 TD |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Jo'Quavious Marks | 24 carries, 123 yards, TD |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Lideatrick Griffin | 5 receptions, 83 yards, 2 TD |

### vs No. 14 LSU

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 14 LSU | 10 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 41 |
| Mississippi State | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS
* Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 81 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 60,084
* Referee: Jason Autrey
* TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (analyst), Katie George (sideline)
| Statistics | LSU | MSST |
| First downs | 26 | 10 |
| Total yards | 76–530 | 50–201 |
| Rushing yards | 39–163 | 21–94 |
| Passing yards | 367 | 107 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 31–37–0 | 12–29–0 |
| Time of possession | 38:39 | 21:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| LSU | Passing | Jayden Daniels | 30/34, 361 yards, 2 TD |
| LSU | Rushing | Jayden Daniels | 15 carries, 64 yards, 2 TD |
| LSU | Receiving | Malik Nabers | 13 receptions, 239 yards, 2 TD |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Will Rogers | 11/28, 103 yards |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Jo'Quavious Marks | 8 carries, 75 yards |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Zavion Thomas | 3 receptions, 52 yards |

### at South Carolina

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mississippi State | 0 | 17 | 10 | 3 | 30 |
| South Carolina | 7 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 37 |
at Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, South Carolina
* Date: Saturday, September 23, 2023
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny, 80 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 78,311
* Referee: Matt Loeffler
* TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), Cole Cubelic (sideline)
| Statistics | MSST | SC |
| First downs | 20 | 19 |
| Total yards | 71–519 | 67–432 |
| Rushing yards | 23–32 | 47–144 |
| Passing yards | 487 | 288 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 30–48–1 | 18–20–0 |
| Time of possession | 28:18 | 31:42 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Will Rogers | 30/48, 487 yards, TD, INT |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Jo'Quavious Marks | 12 carries, 27 yards, TD |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Lideatrick Griffin | 7 receptions, 256 yards, TD |
| South Carolina | Passing | Spencer Rattler | 18/20, 288 yards, 3 TD |
| South Carolina | Rushing | Mario Anderson | 26 carries, 88 yards, TD |
| South Carolina | Receiving | Xavier Legette | 5 receptions, 189 yards, 2 TD |

### vs No. 12 Alabama (rivalry)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 12 Alabama | 14 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 40 |
| Mississippi State | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS
* Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Clear, 74 °F (23 °C) Wind NE @ 1 mph
* Game attendance: 60,111
* Referee: Ken Williamson
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mark Jones (play-by-play), Rod Gilmore (analyst), Quint Kessenich (sideline)
| Statistics | ALA | MSST |
| First downs | 17 | 15 |
| Total yards | 56–357 | 62–261 |
| Rushing yards | 43–193 | 35–154 |
| Passing yards | 164 | 107 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 10–13–0 | 15–27–3 |
| Time of possession | 30:10 | 29:50 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Alabama | Passing | Jalen Milroe | 10/12, 164 yards |
| Alabama | Rushing | Jalen Milroe | 11 carries, 69 yards, 2 TD |
| Alabama | Receiving | Amari Niblack | 3 receptions, 61 yards |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Will Rogers | 15/27, 107 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Jo'Quavious Marks | 9 carries, 68 yards |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Jeffery Pittman | 2 receptions, 23 yards, TD |

### vs Western Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Western Michigan | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
| Mississippi State | 10 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 41 |
at Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS
* Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 62 °F (17 °C)
* Game attendance: 47,158
* Referee: Scott Walker
* TV announcers (SECN/ESPN+): Lowell Galindo (play-by-play), Derek Mason (analyst), Taylor Davis (sideline)
| Statistics | WMU | MSST |
| First downs | 21 | 25 |
| Total yards | 77–413 | 65–440 |
| Rushing yards | 32–116 | 33–194 |
| Passing yards | 297 | 246 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 33–45–1 | 23–32–0 |
| Time of possession | 28:46 | 31:14 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Michigan | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 27/35, 262 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Western Michigan | Rushing | Zahir Abdus-Salaam | 18 carries, 60 yards, TD |
| Western Michigan | Receiving | Kenneth Womack | 12 receptions, 113 yards |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Will Rogers | 16/22, 189 yards, 3 TD |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Seth Davis | 10 carries, 65 yards, TD |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Freddie Roberson | 5 receptions, 68 yards, TD |

### at Arkansas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mississippi State | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Arkansas | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, Arkansas
* Date: Saturday, October 21, 2023
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
* Game weather: –
* Game attendance: 71,505
* Referee: –
* TV announcers (ESPN): TBD
| Statistics | MSST | ARK |
| First downs | 10 | 12 |
| Total yards | 205 | 200 |
| Rushing yards | 120 | 103 |
| Passing yards | 85 | 97 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 8–12–1 | 19–31–1 |
| Time of possession | 28:35 | 31:25 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Mike Wright | 8/12, 85 yards, TD, INT |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Mike Wright | 11 carries, 60 yards |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Justin Robinson | 2 receptions, 40 yards |
| Arkansas | Passing | KJ Jefferson | 19/31, 97 yards, INT |
| Arkansas | Rushing | Rashod Dubinion | 14 carries, 47 yards |
| Arkansas | Receiving | Andrew Armstrong | 4 receptions, 35 yards |

### at Auburn

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mississippi State | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| Auburn | 14 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
at Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, Alabama
* Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023
* Game time: 2:35 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind: SE 5 mph
* Game attendance: 88,043
* Referee: Daniel Gautreaux
* TV announcers (SEC Network): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Derek Mason (analyst), Taylor Davis (sideline reporter)
| Statistics | MSST | AUB |
| First downs | 19 | 21 |
| Total yards | 345 | 416 |
| Rushing yards | 184 | 186 |
| Passing yards | 161 | 230 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 16–32–1 | 20–26–0 |
| Time of possession | 30:44 | 29:16 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Mike Wright | 16/32, 161 yards, TD, INT |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Mike Wright | 14 carries, 63 yards |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Zavion Thomas | 9 receptions, 112 yards, TD |
| Auburn | Passing | Payton Thorne | 20/26, 230 yards, 3 TD |
| Auburn | Rushing | Jarquez Hunter | 17 carries, 144 yards |
| Auburn | Receiving | Rivaldo Fairweather | 4 receptions, 31 yards |

### vs Kentucky

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Kentucky | 7 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
| Mississippi State | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS
* Date: Saturday, November 4, 2023
* Game time: 7:30 PM EST
* Game weather: –
* Game attendance: 52,329
* Referee: Scott Walker
* TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Cole Cubelic (color), Alyssa Lang (sideline)
| Statistics | UK | MSST |
| First downs | 13 | 15 |
| Total yards | 54–271 | 66–218 |
| Rushing yards | 29–110 | 31–73 |
| Passing yards | 161 | 145 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 15–25–0 | 17–35–1 |
| Time of possession | 30:38 | 29:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kentucky | Passing | Devin Leary | 13/22, 156 yards, 2 TD |
| Kentucky | Rushing | Ray Davis | 21 carries, 80 yards |
| Kentucky | Receiving | Tayvion Robinson | 5 receptions, 91 yards |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Mike Wright | 11/21, 78 yards, INT |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Seth Davis | 4 carries, 24 yards |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Zavion Thomas | 6 receptions, 44 yards |

### at Texas A&M

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mississippi State | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Texas A&M | 17 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 51 |
at Kyle Field • College Station, Texas
* Date: Saturday, November 11, 2023
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Cloudy, 57 °F (14 °C)
* Game attendance: 103,266
* Referee: Kyle Olson
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Brian Custer, Rod Gilmore, and Lauren Sisler
| Statistics | MSST | TXAM |
| First downs | 12 | 24 |
| Total yards | 237 | 396 |
| Rushing yards | 133 | 246 |
| Passing yards | 104 | 150 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 10–21–3 | 11–21–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:24 | 30:36 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Mike Wright | 5/9, 68 yards |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Seth Davis | 12 rushes, 79 yards |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Zavion Thomas | 4 receptions, 39 yards |
| Texas A&M | Passing | Jaylen Henderson | 11/19, 150 yards, 2 TD |
| Texas A&M | Rushing | Jaylen Henderson | 12 rushes, 60 yards, 2 TD |
| Texas A&M | Receiving | Ainias Smith | 4 receptions, 64 yards, TD |

### vs Southern Miss

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Southern Miss | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 20 |
| Mississippi State | 3 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 41 |
at Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS
* Date: Saturday, November 18, 2023
* Game time: 11:00 AM CST
* Game weather: –
* Game attendance: 53,855
* Referee: –
* TV announcers (SECN+/ESPN+): TBD
| Statistics | USM | MSST |
| First downs | 10 | 18 |
| Total yards | 246 | 382 |
| Rushing yards | 105 | 238 |
| Passing yards | 141 | 144 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 11–21–1 | 12–27–0 |
| Time of possession | 31:42 | 28:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Southern Miss | Passing | Billy Wiles | 9/16, 89 yards, TD, INT |
| Southern Miss | Rushing | Frank Gore Jr. | 22 carries, 66 yards |
| Southern Miss | Receiving | Jakarius Caston | 2 receptions, 88 yards, TD |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Will Rogers | 12/27, 144 yards, 2 TD |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Jeffery Pittman | 10 carries, 98 yards, TD |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Zavion Thomas | 3 receptions, 66 yards |

### vs No. 12 Ole Miss

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 12 Rebels | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
at Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS
* Date: Thursday, November 23, 2023
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 46 °F (8 °C)
* Game attendance: 60,412
* Referee: Steve Marlowe
* TV announcers (ESPN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), Cole Cubelic (sideline)
| Statistics | MISS | MSST |
| First downs | 22 | 16 |
| Total yards | 307 | 303 |
| Rushing yards | 211 | 96 |
| Passing yards | 96 | 207 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 14–26–0 | 25–39–0 |
| Time of possession | 31:57 | 28:03 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ole Miss | Passing | Jaxson Dart | 14/26, 96 yards, 1 TD |
| Ole Miss | Rushing | Quinshon Judkins | 28 carries, 119 yards, 1 TD |
| Ole Miss | Receiving | Caden Prieskorn | 4 receptions, 38 yards, 1 TD |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Will Rogers | 25/39, 207 yards |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Jo’Quavious Marks | 12 carries, 39 yards |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Zavion Thomas | 6 receptions, 88 yards |