MSU Football Earns Highest Poll Finish Since 1940

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI/MSU Athletics) – Mississippi State earned its highest Associated Press poll finish since 1940 when the final Top 25 rankings tabbed the Bulldogs No. 11 Tuesday morning.

MSU (10-3) also tied its highest finish ever in the USA Today Amway Coaches poll with a No. 12 ranking. The AP ranking is the second-highest to finish a season in school history, behind only 1940’s No. 9 ranking. The Bulldogs completed the 1999 campaign ranked No. 12 in the Coaches poll.

It’s the 13th time in school history that MSU finished a season ranked in the final Associated Press Top 25. It was a season of firsts for the program, which spent five consecutive weeks atop the polls and closed the year in the top 15 of the rankings for the final 13 weeks. The Bulldogs entered the polls on Sept. 21 following a signature victory at LSU.

(AP Photo)

MSU claimed 10 regular season wins for the first time in school history and reached its first Orange Bowl since 1941. In the process, the Bulldogs shattered 29 individual and team single-season records with the most prolific offense in school history. MSU has broken 66 team or individual single-season and career records in the Dan Mullen era (2009-present).

First-team All-Southeastern Conference quarterback Dak Prescott broke 12 single-season records in 2014. MSU led the SEC in total offense for the first time since 1982, putting up a school-record 513.8 yards per game. That figure ranked eighth nationally. Auburn was the next closest with 485.0 yards per contest.

Prescott finished sixth nationally in total offense per game, racking up 341.2. He also led the nation in third-down touchdowns responsible for with 17 (10 passing, seven rushing).

The Bulldogs’ red zone defense went down as the nation’s best, allowing only 63.6 percent scores. Opponents managed only 19 touchdowns in 44 attempts in the red area.

Final Associated Press Top 25
Rank. Team (First-Place Votes), Record, Points
1. Ohio State (59), 14-1, 1475
2. Oregon, 13-2, 1402
3. TCU, 12-1, 1349
4. Alabama, 12-2, 1297
5. Michigan State, 11-2, 1212
5. Florida State, 13-1, 1212
7. Baylor, 11-2, 1098
8. Georgia Tech, 11-3, 1071
9. Georgia, 10-3, 925
10. UCLA, 10-3, 908
11. Mississippi State, 10-3, 767
12. Arizona State, 10-3, 756
13. Wisconsin, 11-3, 724
14. Missouri, 11-3, 710
15. Clemson, 10-3, 683
16. Boise State, 12-2, 653
17. Ole Miss, 9-4, 543
18. Kansas State, 9-4, 509
19. Arizona, 10-4, 499
20. USC, 9-4, 315
21. Utah, 9-4, 302
22. Auburn, 8-5, 216
23. Marshall, 13-1, 161
24. Louisville, 9-4, 116
25. Memphis, 10-3, 94

Final USA Today Amway Coaches Poll
Rank. Team (First-Place Votes), Record, Points
1. Ohio State (62), 14-1, 1550
2. Oregon, 13-2, 1477
3. TCU, 12-1, 1408
4. Alabama, 12-2, 1363
5. Michigan State, 11-2, 1282
6. Florida State, 13-1, 1262
7. Georgia Tech, 11-3, 1136
8. Baylor, 11-2, 1135
9. Georgia, 10-3, 1018
10. UCLA, 10-3, 909
11. Missouri, 11-3, 907
12. Mississippi State, 10-3, 799
13. Wisconsin, 11-3, 765
14. Arizona State, 10-3, 750
15. Clemson, 10-3, 733
16. Boise State, 12-2, 627
17. Arizona, 10-4, 574
18. Kansas State, 9-4, 556
19. Ole Miss, 9-4, 444
20. Utah, 9-4, 331
21. USC, 9-4, 297
22. Marshall, 13-1, 178
23. Auburn, 8-5, 167
24. Louisville, 9-4, 113
25. Memphis, 10-3, 93

Team Records Broken In 2014 (15)
Total Offensive Yards – 6,679
Total Plays – 1,001
Yards Per Play – 6.7
Per Game Offense – 513.8
Points Scored – 480
Points Per Game – 36.9
Most Offensive Touchdowns – 60
Total First Downs – 334
Passing Yardage – 3,649
Passing Yards Per Game – 280.7
Completion Percentage – .617
Completions – 261
Passing Touchdowns – 31
Blocked Kicks – 4
Most PAT Kicks Made – 60

Individual Records Broken In 2014 (14)
Rushing Yards by a QB – Dak Prescott; 986
Total Offense – Dak Prescott; 4,435
Total Offense Yards Per Game – Dak Prescott; 341.2
Touchdowns Responsible For – Dak Prescott; 41
Passing Attempts – Dak Prescott; 396
Passing Completions – Dak Prescott; 244
Completion Percentage – Dak Prescott; .616
Passing Yards – Dak Prescott; 3,449
Passing Yards Per Game – Dak Prescott; 265.3
200-Yard Passing Games – Dak Prescott; 12
Passing Touchdowns – Dak Prescott; 27
Passing Efficiency – Dak Prescott; 151.7
PAT Kicks Attempted – Evan Sobiesk, 59
PAT Kicks Made – Evan Sobiesk; 56