2022 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
ReliaQuest Bowl champion
ReliaQuest Bowl, W 19–10 vs. Illinois
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionWestern Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 19
APNo. 20
Record9–4 (4–4 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive schemeAir Raid
Defensive coordinatorZach Arnett (3rd season)
Base defense3–3–5
Home stadiumDavis Wade Stadium
2022 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
East Division
No. 1 Georgia xy$#^  8 –0   15 –0  
No. 6 Tennessee  6 –2   11 –2  
No. 23 South Carolina  4 –4   8 –5  
Kentucky  3 –5   7 –6  
Florida  3 –5   6 –7  
Missouri  3 –5   6 –7  
Vanderbilt  2 –6   5 –7  
West Division
No. 16 LSU xy  6 –2   10 –4  
No. 5 Alabama x  6 –2   11 –2  
No. 20 Mississippi State  4 –4   9 –4  
Ole Miss  4 –4   8 –5  
Arkansas  3 –5   7 –6  
Auburn  2 –6   5 –7  
Texas A&M  2 –6   5 –7  
Championship: Georgia 50, LSU 30
  • # – College Football Playoff champion
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2022 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs played their home games at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi, and compete in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by third-year head coach Mike Leach through the regular season, with Zach Arnett taking over for the team’s bowl appearance after Leach's death in December 2022.

In October 2022, 19-year-old freshman offensive lineman Samuel Westmoreland, from Tupelo, Mississippi, committed suicide.[1] Mississippi State honored Westmoreland with helmet stickers and by painting his initials and number on Scott Field.[2]

On December 11, 2022, Leach was hospitalized in critical condition, which resulted in Zach Arnett being elevated to interim head coach of the football program.[3][4] Practice for the Bulldogs ahead of the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl and recruiting, was scheduled to continue as normal.[5] Leach died in the evening on December 12, 2022, with Mississippi State announcing the news in a statement the following morning.[6][7] Following the death of Coach Leach, Zach Arnett was made the permanent head coach.[8]

Schedule

Mississippi State and the SEC announced the 2022 football schedule on September 21, 2021.[9][10]

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 36:30 p.m.Memphis*
ESPNUW 49–2354,360
September 1010:00 p.m.at Arizona*
FS1W 39–1746,275
September 175:00 p.m.at LSU
ESPNL 16–3198,520
September 2411:00 a.m.Bowling Green*
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS
SECNW 45–1448,376
October 13:00 p.m.No. 17 Texas A&M
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS
SECNW 42–2451,930
October 811:00 a.m.ArkansasdaggerNo. 23
SECNW 40–1757,849
October 156:30 p.m.at No. 22 KentuckyNo. 16
SECNL 17–2761,451
October 226:00 p.m.at No. 6 AlabamaNo. 24
ESPNL 6–30100,077
November 56:30 p.m.Auburn
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS
ESPN2W 39–33 OT57,769
November 126:00 p.m.No. 1 Georgia
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS
ESPNL 19–4560,352
November 1911:00 a.m.East Tennessee State*
  • Davis Wade Stadium
  • Starkville, MS
ESPN+/SECN+W 56–749,117
November 246:00 p.m.at No. 20 Ole Miss
ESPNW 24–2262,487
January 2, 202311:00 a.m.vs. Illinois*No. 22
ESPN2W 19–1035,797

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. RV = Received votes.
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
APRVRVRV——231624RVRVRV—RV252420
CoachesRVRVRVRVRV231724RVRVRV—RV252319
CFPNot released————2422Not released

Coaching staff

NamePosition
Mike LeachHead coach (regular season)
Tony HughesAssociate head coach & nickelbacks coach
Zach ArnettHead Coach (bowl game), defensive coordinator & linebackers coach
Matt BrockSpecial teams coordinator & outside linebackers coach
Darcel McBathCornerbacks coach
Eric MeleRunning backs coach
Mason MillerOffensive line coach
Dave NicholInside receivers coach
Jeff PhelpsDefensive line coach
Steve Spurrier Jr.Outside receivers coach
Jason WashingtonSafeties coach
Tyson BrownHead strength and conditioning coach

Players drafted into the NFL

Round Pick Player Position NFL Club
116Emmanuel ForbesCBWashington Commanders
4123Cameron YoungDTSeattle Seahawks

References

  1. ↑ "Live like Sam Westmoreland: Family recounts legacy of Mississippi State football player". The Clarion-Ledger.
  2. ↑ "Mississippi State to honor deceased OL Sam Westmoreland with number painted on field". Saturday Down South.
  3. ↑ Sallee, Barrett (December 12, 2022). "Mississippi State coach Mike Leach hospitalized in 'critical condition' with 'personal health issue'". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach still in critical condition". ESPN. December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  5. ↑ Smith, Danny (December 11, 2022). "MSU head football coach Leach taken to hospital". Starkville Daily News. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  6. ↑ "MSU Bulldog family, college football community mourns the death of Coach Mike Leach".
  7. ↑ "Mississippi State coach Mike Leach dies after hospitalization". ESPN. December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Zach Arnett promoted to Bulldog head coach (Updated)".
  9. ↑ Andy Kostka (September 21, 2021). "Here's Mississippi State football's 2022 schedule, from opener to Egg Bowl". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  10. ↑ Theo DeRosa (September 21, 2021). "2022 Mississippi State football schedule released". The Commercial Dispatch. Retrieved December 6, 2021.


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