MISSISSIPPI STATE 1177 FOOTBALL School-Record 8 Straight Bowl Games • 21 All-Time Bowl Games • 49 All-Time All-Americans • 4 All-Time NFF National Scholars December 30, 2017 @TAXSLAYERBOWL 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT • ESPN Mississippi State Bulldogs Louisville Cardinals Jacksonville, Fla. Record 8-4 (4-4 SEC, t4th in SEC West) Record 8-4 (4-4 ACC, t3rd ACC Atlantic) EverBank Field (67,164) Streak L1 Streak W3 SCHEDULE (8-4, 4-4 SEC) Ranking No. 23 CFB Playoff Ranking NR CFB Playoff No. 24 Associated Press RV Associated Press DATE OPPONENT TV RESULT No. 23 Amway Coaches RV Amway Coaches SEPTEMBER (3-2) Interim Coach Greg Knox Head Coach Bobby Petrino 2 Charleston Southern SECN W, 49-0 Career Record 0-0 (.000)/ninth year on staff Career Record 117-47/13th year 9 at Louisiana Tech CBSN W, 57-21 MSU Record same UL Record 75-26/eighth year 16 #12/11 LSU * ESPN W, 37-7 23 at #11/12 Georgia * ESPN L, 3-31 Knox vs. UL first meeting Petrino vs. MSU 3-1 30 at #13/15 Auburn * ESPN L, 10-49 STORYLINES OCTOBER (3-0) 14 BYU SECN W, 35-10 No. 23 MSU To Play in Eighth-Straight Bowl Game in TaxSlayer Bowl 21 Kentucky * SECN W, 45-7 For a school-record eighth straight season, No. 23 MSU will be playing in a bowl game as the Bulldogs battle 28 at RV/#24 Texas A&M * ESPN W, 35-14 Louisville in the 2017 TaxSlayer Bowl on December 30 in EverBank Field, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. NOVEMBER (2-2) Greg Knox is serving as MSU's interim head coach of the TaxSlayer Bowl following the departure of Dan 4 UMass SECN W, 34-23 Mullen to Florida last month. Knox, who serves as the running backs coach and special teams coordinator, is 11 #2/1/1 Alabama * ESPN L, 24-31 in his ninth season at State. He has over 20 years of SEC coaching experience and is coaching in his 16th bowl 18 at Arkansas * CBS W, 28-21 game. Knox is the first MSU coach to coach in a game with interim status since at least World War II. 23 Ole Miss * ESPN L, 28-31 Joe Moorhead was named MSU's 33rd head coach on Nov. 29, just three days aft er Dan Mullen announced DECEMBER (0-0) his depature to Florida. Moorhead was the 2016 and 2017 National Off ensive Coordinator of the Year aft er 30 TaxSlayer Bowl turning Penn State into an off ensive juggernaut the past two seasons. Neither Moorhead or his hires will coach vs. Louisville ESPN 12 p.m. ET in the bowl game. In August 2017, Moorhead was selected as the No. 1 Rising Assistant in College Football. COACHING STAFF Th is is State's 21st all-time bowl appearance. Th e Bulldogs are 12-8 all-time in bowl games. MSU is vying for its third nine-win season in the past four years and just the ninth nine-win season in the On the Sideline (Year at MSU) 118-year history of the program. The 2017 senior class will take the field for the final time. The group has won Greg Knox, interim head coach (9th total) 33 games, which is one shy of tying the school record of 34 set by the 2015 and 1942 senior classes. Brian Baker, defensive line (2nd) MSU is one of five SEC teams who have been to a bowl every season this decade (Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Bret Beachner, interim wide receivers (3rd) Texas A&M the others). MSU's streak of eight straight bowls is currently the fifth-longest in the SEC. Terrell Buckley, cornerbacks (2nd) Th is is MSU’s seventh all-time bowl appearance in the state of Florida (3-3) and fourth bowl in the Sunshine Ron English, interim def. coordinator/safeties (1st) State in the past fi ve years. Th e Bulldogs blocked a fi eld goal attempt with fi ve seconds remaining last season to John Haneline, interim linebackers (3rd) prevail 17-16 in the 2016 St. Petersburg Bowl against Miami (Ohio) last season at Tropicana Field. D.J. Looney, offensive line/tight ends (1st) MSU is making its third TaxSlayer (Gator) Bowl appearance. The Bulldogs defeated Michigan, 52-14, in the 2011 Christian Robinson, linebackers (1st) game. They dropped a 34-20 contest to Northwestern in the 2013 game. Both were played on New Year's Day. John White, running backs (2nd) MSU and Louisville are meeting for the fi ft h time and fi rst time since Sept. 18, 1976. Th e series is tied at In Th e Booth (Year at MSU) 2-2. Th e Bulldogs won all four previous meetings on the fi eld but had to vacate wins in 1975 and 1976. True freshman QB Keytaon Thompson will make his first career start in place of injured QB Nick Fitzgerald, Brett Elliott, interim off. coordinator/QBs (1st) who broke his right ankle in the first quarter of the Egg Bowl last month. Fitzgerald was second in the FBS behind STATISTICAL LEADERS Louisville's Lamar Jackson in games with 100 yards passing and 100 yards rushing this season (6). Fitzgerald, Jackson Passing: N. Fitzgerald (159-286, 1782 yds, 15 TD, 11 INT) and USF's Quinton Flowers were the only QBs nationally to throw for over 1,700 yards and rush for over 900 yards. Rushing: Aeris Williams (224 att, 1019 yds, 14 TD) MSU's defense ranked in the Top 25 nationally in six categories: total defense (10th - 302.0), passing defense Receiving: Jesse Jackson (24 rec, 238 yds, 0 TD) (13th - 175.0), rushing defense (24th- 127.0), scoring defense (24th- 20.4), third down conversion (12th- 31.0) and Tackles: Mark McLaurin (68 total, 3 TFL, 3 INT) first down defense (1st - 12.9). They forced 21 turnovers and produced an SEC-leading four defensive touchdowns. Tackles for Loss: Montez Sweat (12.5, 9.5 sacks) BY THE NUMBERS AIRWAVES 9.5 249.6 MSU Sports Radio Network Sacks by first-team All-SEC DE Montez Sweat, which Rushing yards per game by MSU, which is 14th Neil Price, play-by-play led the SEC and ranked ninth nationally (first MSU nationally and third in the SEC (best ypg at MSU Matt Wyatt, analyst player to lead SEC in sacks since Willie Evans in 2005) since school-record 280.5 in 1980) Bart Gregory, sideline Satellite Radio 11 3 Sirius Channel 81, XM Channel 81 Sacks allowed by MSU, the fewest by a Power 5 team Blocked kicks by first-team All-SEC DT Jeffery this season and the sixth-fewest in the FBS (fewest Simmons, which leads the nation ESPN by an MSU team since 10 in 1988) Tom Hart, play-by-play 7 Jordan Rodgers, analyst 84.9 MSU players who will wear the SEC graduate patch Cole Cubelic, sideline Rushing ypg by RB Aeris Williams, which is fifth in SEC in the TaxSlayer Bowl Facebook.com/HailStateFB @HailStateFB HAILSTATE.COM @HailStateFB Hail State Snap TAXSLAYER BOWL DEPTH CHART OFFENSE Ht. Wt. Cl.-Exp. Notable WR (X) 20 Reggie Todd 6-4 204 RFr.-RS Four straight starts and combined 7 catches in those games ... 2017: 12 rec, 128 yds, 1 TD at Ark. 17 Jamal Couch 6-4 227 So.-1L Tied season-high w/ 2 rec, 37 yds last game ... 2017: 8 rec, 163 yds, 2 TD (vs. CSU, BYU) WR (H) 23 Keith Mixon 5-8 187 So.-1L DNP last 2 games (ankle injury vs. Alabama) ... team leader in receiving yards (275) ... 1 TD 18 Deddrick Thomas 5-9 187 So.-1L Caught game-winning pass with 0:17 left at Arkansas ... Team leader in rec. TDs (4), third in rec. (20) WR (Z) 5 Gabe Myles 6-0 195 Sr.-3L Missed 7 games due to foot injury - LSU, UGA, AU, A&M, UMass, Bama, Ark (foot) ... Returned in Egg Bowl 86 Jesse Jackson 6-2 210 Jr.-2L Tied for team lead in rec. (24) ... Seeking first career TD ... Season-high 45 yds receiving last game Egg Bowl LT 55 Martinas Rankin 6-5 315 Sr.-1L 2017 First-Team All-SEC ... Kent Hull Trophy Winner ... Senior Bowl invitee ... 18 career starts, final game 58 Greg Eiland 6-8 330 RFr.-RS Started at LT for four games due to Rankin injury (BYU, UK, A&M, UMass) LG 73 Darryl Williams 6-2 305 So.-SQ Played in 19 career games with 12 starts ... SEC Offensive Lineman of Week vs. LSU (99% grade, 3 KDs) 56 Dareuan Parker 6-4 320 RFr.-RS Played in all 12 games mostly on FG/PAT units C 74 Elgton Jenkins 6-4 313 Jr.-2L Owns starts at C (12), LT (5), LG (2), RT (1) ... 35 games played ... Will be one of top C in SEC next year 55 Martinas Rankin 6-5 315 Sr.-1L Worked at center during the spring and during fall camp at times RG 61 Deion Calhoun 6-3 315 Jr.-2L SEC Off. Lineman of Week vs. UK ... 22 career starts (most OL starts on team) ... A top G prospect in '18 67 Michael Story 6-4 305 So.-1L Played in 14 career games with two starts ... Played in six games this season, including Egg Bowl RT 51 Stewart Reese 6-5 333 RFr.-RS Started all 12 games at RT after redshirting last season ... Nickname "Big Stew" ... Wants to be a doctor 79 Evans Wilkerson 6-5 315 So.-SQ Walk-on offensive lineman who is in third season ..