# 2024 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

The 2024 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs were led by first-year head coach Jeff Lebby. The team played its home games at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville.

## Schedule

Mississippi State and the SEC announced the 2024 football schedule on December 13, 2023. The 2024 Bulldogs' schedule consisted of 7 home games and 5 away games for the regular season. Mississippi State hosted four SEC conference opponents Arkansas, Florida, Missouri and Texas A&M at home and travelled to four SEC opponents, Georgia, Ole Miss (Egg Bowl), Tennessee and Texas to close out the SEC regular season on the road. The Bulldogs’ bye weeks came in week 6 and 12 (October 5 and November 16, respectively).
As Texas was one of two new members of the SEC that joined in July 2024, the Bulldogs played the Longhorns for the first time since the 1998 season at the 1999 Cotton Bowl Classic. Mississippi State travelled to Austin, Texas for the first time since the 1992 season, which the Bulldogs won 28–10. Texas won the 2024 rematch 35-13.
With the two new teams to the SEC (Oklahoma and Texas) and the conference dropping divisions in a new scheduling format, Mississippi State in 2024 did not play notable SEC rivals for the first time in years; Alabama (1947), Auburn (1954), Kentucky (1989) and LSU (1943).
The 2024 season's out-of-conference opponents represented the Big 12, MAC and the United Athletic (UAC) conferences, along with an FBS independent team. The Bulldogs hosted three of their four non–conference games against FCS opponent Eastern Kentucky, Toledo from the MAC, and UMass, who was an FBS independent. The Bulldogs travelled to Arizona State for the first time in program history on September 7, 2024. The three other non-conference teams that Mississippi State faced in 2024 were also the first ever meetings in program history.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 5:00 p.m. | Eastern Kentucky* | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN+/ESPN+ | W 56–7 | 48,724 |
| September 7 | 9:30 p.m. | at Arizona State* | Mountain America StadiumTempe, AZ | ESPN | L 23–30 | 45,504 |
| September 14 | 6:30 p.m. | Toledo* | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | ESPNU | L 17–41 | 47,412 |
| September 21 | 11:00 a.m. | Florida | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | ESPN | L 28–45 | 49,655 |
| September 28 | 3:15 p.m. | at No. 1 Texas | Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial StadiumAustin, TX | SECN | L 13–35 | 101,388 |
| October 12 | 3:15 p.m. | at No. 5 Georgia | Sanford StadiumAthens, GA | SECN | L 31–41 | 93,033 |
| October 19 | 3:15 p.m. | No. 14 Texas A&M | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN | L 24–34 | 50,127 |
| October 26 | 11:45 a.m. | Arkansas | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN | L 25–58 | 49,303 |
| November 2 | 3:15 p.m. | UMass* | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN | W 45–20 | 48,617 |
| November 9 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 7 Tennessee | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | ESPN | L 14–33 | 101,915 |
| November 23 | 3:15 p.m. | No. 23 Missouri | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN | L 20–39 | 47,824 |
| November 29 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 14 Ole Miss | Vaught–Hemingway StadiumOxford, MS (Egg Bowl) | ABC | L 14–26 | 67,896 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 1) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Eastern Kentucky (FCS)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colonels (FCS) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Bulldogs | 14 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 56 |
at Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, Mississippi
* Date: August 31
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 84 °F (29 °C)
* Game attendance: 48,724
* Referee: Wayne Winker
* TV announcers (SECN+/ESPN+): Kevin Fitzgerald (play-by-play) and Charlie Strong (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | EKU | MSST |
| First downs | 16 | 19 |
| Total yards | 295 | 450 |
| Rushing yards | 126 | 203 |
| Passing yards | 169 | 247 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 22–38–1 | 15–22–0 |
| Time of possession | 38:06 | 21:54 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Eastern Kentucky | Passing | Matt Morrissey | 22/38, 169 yards, TD, INT |
| Eastern Kentucky | Rushing | Joshua Carter | 19 rushes, 75 yards |
| Eastern Kentucky | Receiving | Marcus Calwise Jr. | 4 receptions, 45 yards |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Blake Shapen | 15/20, 247 yards, 3 TD |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Blake Shapen | 7 rushes, 44 yards, TD |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Jordan Mosley | 5 receptions, 104 yards, TD |

### at Arizona State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 23 |
| Sun Devils | 10 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 30 |
at Mountain America Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
* Date: September 7
* Game time: 9:30 p.m. CDT/7:30 p.m. MST
* Game weather: Sunny, 101 °F (38 °C)
* Game attendance: 45,504
* Referee: Steve Marlowe
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mark Jones, Roddy Jones and Quint Kessenich
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | MSST | ASU |
| First downs | 18 | 26 |
| Total yards | 292 | 415 |
| Rushing yards | 24 | 346 |
| Passing yards | 268 | 69 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 18–28–0 | 10–20–0 |
| Time of possession | 19:47 | 40:13 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Blake Shapen | 18/28, 268 yards, 2 TD |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Keyvone Lee | 9 rushes, 35 yards, TD |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Kevin Coleman Jr. | 4 receptions, 103 yards, TD |
| Arizona State | Passing | Sam Leavitt | 10/20, 69 yards |
| Arizona State | Rushing | Cam Skattebo | 33 rushes, 262 yards |
| Arizona State | Receiving | Cam Skattebo | 3 receptions, 35 yards |

### Toledo

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rockets | 7 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 41 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
at Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, Mississippi
* Date: September 14
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 75 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 47,412
* Referee: Daniel Gautreaux
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Jay Alter and Rocky Boiman
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TOL | MSST |
| First downs | 26 | 21 |
| Total yards | 454 | 385 |
| Rushing yards | 169 | 66 |
| Passing yards | 285 | 319 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 23–28–0 | 28–39–1 |
| Time of possession | 37:04 | 22:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Toledo | Passing | Tucker Gleason | 23/28, 285 yards, 3 TD |
| Toledo | Rushing | Willie Shaw III | 16 rushes, 62 yards, TD |
| Toledo | Receiving | Junior Vanderos III | 7 receptions, 73 yards, TD |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Blake Shapen | 28/39, 319 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Johnnie Daniels | 10 rushes, 59 yards |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Kevin Coleman Jr. | 7 receptions, 77 yards, TD |

### Florida

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Gators | 7 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 45 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, Mississippi
* Date: September 21
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 89 °F (32 °C)
* Game attendance: 49,655
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, and Taylor McGregor
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | UF | MSST |
| First downs | 27 | 31 |
| Total yards | 503 | 480 |
| Rushing yards | 226 | 240 |
| Passing yards | 277 | 240 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 26–28–0 | 20–34–0 |
| Time of possession | 27:36 | 32:24 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Florida | Passing | Graham Mertz | 19/21, 201 yards, 3 TD |
| Florida | Rushing | Montrell Johnson Jr. | 15 rushes, 68 yards |
| Florida | Receiving | Elijhah Badger | 3 receptions, 45 yards |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Blake Shapen | 13/21, 140 yards, TD |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Johnnie Daniels | 14 rushes, 77 yards, TD |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Mario Craver | 3 receptions, 62 yards |

### at No. 1 Texas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| No. 1 Longhorns | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
* Date: September 28
* Game time: 3:15 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 93 °F (34 °C)
* Game attendance: 101,388
* Referee: Ken Williamson
* TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart, Cole Cubelic, and Alyssa Lang
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | MSST | TEX |
| First downs | 19 | 21 |
| Total yards | 294 | 522 |
| Rushing yards | 150 | 198 |
| Passing yards | 144 | 324 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 12–23–0 | 26–31–0 |
| Time of possession | 34:57 | 25:03 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Michael Van Buren | 12/23, 144 yards |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Johnnie Daniels | 15 rushes, 75 yards |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Kevin Coleman Jr. | 6 receptions, 57 yards |
| Texas | Passing | Arch Manning | 26/31, 324 yards, 2 TD |
| Texas | Rushing | Quintrevion Wisner | 13 rushes, 88 yards |
| Texas | Receiving | DeAndre Moore Jr. | 4 receptions, 103 yards, 2 TD |

### at No. 5 Georgia

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mississippi State | 3 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
| No. 5 Georgia | 10 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 41 |
at Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia
* Date: October 12
* Game time: 3:15 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 77 °F (25 °C)
* Game attendance: 93,033
* Referee: Kyle Olson
* TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, and Alyssa Lang
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | MSST | UGA |
| First downs | 17 | 28 |
| Total yards | 385 | 605 |
| Rushing yards | 79 | 146 |
| Passing yards | 306 | 459 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 20–37–1 | 36–48–2 |
| Time of possession | 26:22 | 33:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Michael Van Buren Jr. | 20/37, 306 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Davon Booth | 10 rushes, 32 yards |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Kevin Coleman Jr. | 8 receptions, 103 yards |
| Georgia | Passing | Carson Beck | 36/48, 459 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Georgia | Rushing | Anthony Evans III | 1 rush, 52 yards |
| Georgia | Receiving | Arian Smith | 5 receptions, 134 yards, TD |

### No. 14 Texas A&M

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 14 Aggies | 7 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 34 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
at Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, Mississippi
* Date: October 19
* Game time: 3:15 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 74 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 50,127
* Referee: Jason Autrey
* TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, and Ashley Stroehlein
| Statistics | TAMU | MSST |
| First downs | 17 | 22 |
| Total yards | 353 | 367 |
| Rushing yards | 136 | 125 |
| Passing yards | 217 | 242 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 15–25–2 | 22–41–1 |
| Time of possession | 30:08 | 29:52 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Texas A&M | Passing | Conner Weigman | 15/25, 217 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Texas A&M | Rushing | Le'Veon Moss | 17 carries, 65 yards, 2 TD |
| Texas A&M | Receiving | Jabre Barber | 6 receptions, 92 yards |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Michael Van Buren Jr. | 22/41, 242 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Davon Booth | 12 carries, 79 yards |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Kevin Coleman Jr. | 8 receptions, 89 yards, TD |

### Arkansas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Razorbacks | 17 | 14 | 10 | 17 | 58 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 3 | 15 | 0 | 25 |
at Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, Mississippi
* Date: October 26
* Game time: 11:45 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 80 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 49,303
* Referee: Lee Headrick
* TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal, Aaron Murray, and Ashley ShahAhmadi
| Statistics | ARK | MSST |
| First downs | 29 | 24 |
| Total yards | 673 | 471 |
| Rushing yards | 359 | 162 |
| Passing yards | 314 | 309 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 23–29–1 | 22–31–2 |
| Time of possession | 31:15 | 28:45 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Arkansas | Passing | Taylen Green | 23/29, 314 yards, 5 TD, INT |
| Arkansas | Rushing | Braylen Russell | 16 rushes, 175 yards |
| Arkansas | Receiving | Andrew Armstrong | 4 receptions, 76 yards |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Michael Van Buren Jr. | 22/31, 309 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Davon Booth | 17 rushes, 93 yards |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Kevin Coleman Jr. | 8 receptions, 100 yards, TD |

### UMass

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Minutemen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, Mississippi
* Date: November 2
* Game time: 3:15 p.m. CDT
* TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal, Aaron Murray and Ashley ShahAhmadi
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| UMass | Passing |
| UMass | Rushing |
| UMass | Receiving |
| Mississippi State | Passing |
| Mississippi State | Rushing |
| Mississippi State | Receiving |

### at No. 7 Tennessee

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| No. 7 Volunteers | 7 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 33 |
at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee
* Date: November 9
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 64 °F (18 °C) • Wind: E 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h)
* Game attendance: 101,915
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, and Taylor McGregor
| Statistics | MSST | TENN |
| First downs | 15 | 25 |
| Total yards | 271 | 452 |
| Rushing yards | 179 | 240 |
| Passing yards | 92 | 212 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 10–26–1 | 13–21–0 |
| Time of possession | 25:42 | 34:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Michael Van Buren Jr. | 10/26, 92 yards, INT |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Davon Booth | 20 carries, 125 yards, TD |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Kevin Coleman Jr. | 5 receptions, 68 yards |
| Tennessee | Passing | Nico Iamaleava | 8/13, 174 yards, 2 TD |
| Tennessee | Rushing | Dylan Sampson | 30 carries, 149 yards, TD |
| Tennessee | Receiving | Dont'e Thornton Jr. | 3 receptions, 104 yards, TD |

### No. 23 Missouri

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 23 Tigers | 14 | 14 | 3 | 8 | 39 |
| Bulldogs | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
at Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, Mississippi
* Date: November 23
* Game time: 3:15 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 59 °F (15 °C) • Wind: N 2 miles per hour (3.2 km/h)
* Game attendance: 47,824
* Referee: David Smith
* TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, and Alyssa Lang
* Pregame line: MIZ −9.5 Over/Under: 57.5
| Statistics | MIZZ | MSST |
| First downs | 24 | 16 |
| Total yards | 472 | 338 |
| Rushing yards | 204 | 147 |
| Passing yards | 268 | 191 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 15–20–0 | 16–28–0 |
| Time of possession | 41:51 | 18:09 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Missouri | Passing | Brady Cook | 15/20, 268 yards, TD |
| Missouri | Rushing | Nate Noel | 25 carries, 95 yards |
| Missouri | Receiving | Luther Burden III | 7 receptions, 91 yards, TD |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Michael Van Buren Jr. | 16/28, 191 yards, TD |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Davon Booth | 12 carries, 124 yards, TD |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Kelly Akharaiyi | 3 receptions, 64 yards |

### at No. 14 Ole Miss (Egg Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| No. 14 Rebels | 10 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 26 |
at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, Mississippi
* Date: November 29
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 47 °F (8 °C)
* Game attendance: 67,896
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (ABC): Tom Hart, Louis Riddick, and Kris Budden
* Pregame line: Ole Miss –26.5 • O/U: 63.5
| Statistics | MSST | MISS |
| First downs | 16 | 21 |
| Total yards | 63–330 | 75–397 |
| Rushing yards | 30–39 | 51–254 |
| Passing yards | 291 | 143 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 18–33–2 | 14–24–0 |
| Time of possession | 28:17 | 31:43 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Michael Van Buren, Jr. | 17/32, 280 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Mississippi State | Rushing | Davon Booth | 16 carries, 38 yards |
| Mississippi State | Receiving | Kevin Coleman, Jr. | 6 receptions, 118 yards, TD |
| Ole Miss | Passing | Jaxson Dart | 14/24, 143 yards, TD |
| Ole Miss | Rushing | Ulysses Bentley IV | 20 carries, 136 yards, TD |
| Ole Miss | Receiving | Caden Prieskorn | 4 receptions, 53 yards, TD |