# 2009 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

The 2009 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Mississippi State has been a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) since the league's inception in 1932, and has participated in that conference's Western Division since 1992. The Bulldogs played their home games in 2009 at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field in Starkville, Mississippi, which has been MSU football's home stadium since 1914.
Head coach Sylvester Croom resigned at the end of the 2008 season. The position was filled by former Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen, making this Mullen's first stint as a head coach. The Bulldogs finished the season 5–7 (3–5 SEC). The NCAA rated MSU's 2009 schedule as the toughest in the country and the 2nd toughest in the past 10 years.
On November 30, 2009, Mississippi State running back Anthony Dixon was awarded the Conerly Trophy as the best college football player in the State of Mississippi. He joined previous MSU Conerly Trophy winners J.J. Johnson and Jerious Norwood.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 5 | 2:30 p.m. | Jackson State* | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | ESPNU | W 45–7 | 54,232 |
| September 12 | 6:00 p.m. | at Auburn | Jordan-Hare StadiumAuburn, AL | SECRN | L 24–49 | 85,269 |
| September 19 | 6:00 p.m. | at Vanderbilt | Vanderbilt StadiumNashville, TN | SECRN | W 15–3 | 31,840 |
| September 26 | 11:21 a.m. | No. 7 LSU | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS (rivalry) | SECN | L 26–30 | 53,612 |
| October 3 | 6:30 p.m. | No. 25 Georgia Tech* | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | CSS | L 31–42 | 50,035 |
| October 10 | 11:30 a.m. | Houston* | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | ESPNU | L 24–31 | 48,019 |
| October 17 | 11:30 a.m. | at Middle Tennessee* | Johnny "Red" Floyd StadiumMurfreesboro, TN | ESPNU | W 27–6 | 23,882 |
| October 24 | 6:30 p.m. | No. 1 Florida | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | ESPN | L 19–29 | 57,178 |
| October 31 | 6:00 p.m. | at Kentucky | Commonwealth StadiumLexington, KY | SECRN | W 31–24 | 67,953 |
| November 14 | 6:00 p.m. | No. 2 Alabama | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS (rivalry) | ESPN | L 3–31 | 58,103 |
| November 21 | 11:21 a.m. | at Arkansas | War Memorial StadiumLittle Rock, AR | SECN | L 21–42 | 55,634 |
| November 28 | 11:21 a.m. | No. 25 Ole Miss | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS (Egg Bowl) | SECN | W 41–27 | 55,365 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

* Dan Mullen, head coach
* Mark Hudspeth, passing game coordinator
* John Hevesy, run game coordinator/offensive line coach
* Tony Hughes, assistant head coach, defensive backs coach
* Greg Knox, running backs coach
* Les Koenning, offensive coordinator
* Melvin Smith
* Reed Stringer
* Carl Torbush, defensive coordinator
* David Turner
* Matt Balis, head strength coach
* Tom Kaufman, graduate assistant

### Depth chart

Defense :
* FS
* Johnthan Banks
* Wade Bonner
| WLB | MLB | SLB |
| ⋅ | Jamar Chaney | ⋅ |
| Karlin Brown | Brandon Wilson | ⋅ |
* SS
* Charles Mitchell
* Emmanuel Gatling
* CB
* Marcus Washington
* Corey Broomfield
| DE | DT | DT | DE |
| Brandon Cooper | Charles Burns | Kyle Love | Pernell McPhee |
| Nick Bell | Fletcher Cox | Josh Boyd | Sean Ferguson |
* CB
* Maurice Langston
* Damein Anderson
Offense :
* X
* Brandon McRae
* Leon Berry
* H
* Chad Bumphis
* Brandon Heavens
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| Derek Sherrod | Quentin Saulsberry | J.C. Brignone | Craig Jenkins | Addison Lawrence |
| Chris Spencer | Mark Melichar | D.J. Looney | Tobias Smith | Phillip Freeman |
* TE
* Marcus Green
* Kendrick Cook
* Z
* O'Neal Wilder
* Tay Bowser
* QB
* Tyson Lee
* Chris Relf
* Key reserves
* RB Arnil Stallworth
* RB Robert Elliot
* WR Chris Smith
* FB Patrick Hanrahan
* FS Zach Smith
* RB
* Anthony Dixon
* Christian Ducre'
* Special teams
* PK Derek DePasuale
* PK Sean Brauchle
* P Heath Hutchins
* KR Leon Berry
* PR Leon Berry
* LS Aaron Feld
* H Chris Cameron

## Statistics
### Team
#### Scores by quarter

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mississippi State | 21 | 30 | 31 | 28 | 110 |
| Opponents | 27 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 89 |