STARKVILLE — Standing in the middle of the visitors’ locker room at LSU’s Tiger Stadium, Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen was a picture of confidence surrounded by his players seconds before taking the field.
It was a pregame speech like most pregame speeches, aimed at rallying his players before a game against a team that hadn’t lost to MSU in more than a decade.
But this one was different.
Pointing at the locker room door and gesturing beyond the walls and onto the playing field, Mullen said, “They don’t have any idea what’s about to take this field tonight.”
Mullen was right. His Bulldogs burst onto the national scene with a 34-29 win at then-No. 8 LSU. MSU has topped that landmark victory with wins against then-No. 6 Texas A&M and then-No. 2 Auburn to go from an unranked unknown to the nation’s No. 1 team in both major polls.
Like in Mullen’s pregame speech in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when he intimated LSU wasn’t prepared for MSU, the same sentiment can be applied nationally: No one saw MSU coming — except for the Bulldogs.
“It’s not a surprise to us,” said MSU defensive end Preston Smith, who was named Tuesday to the ESPN.com midseason All-America Team. “This was coach Mullen’s vision. This is what he sold us on when we all signed here.”
That vision has become reality. Less than a month after traveling to Baton Rouge unranked, the Bulldogs have completed the fastest rise to No. 1 in the 78-year history of The Associated Press Top 25. The Bulldogs did so by dismantling three consecutive top-10 teams by an average of more than 12 points per game.
But that doesn’t tell the story of MSU’s dominance, as the Bulldogs owned a lead of at least 21 points in all three games. The Bulldog led by 24 points at LSU, by 31 points in the fourth quarter against Texas A&M, and by 21 points early in the game against Auburn.
So how did it happen? How did MSU rise to the top of the college football world in 23 days? It reached the top with the best month in program history.
Sept. 20
MSU 34, then-No. 8 LSU 29
Although MSU was off to a 3-0 start thanks to blowout victories against Southern Mississippi, Alabama-Birmingham, and South Alabama, it headed to Baton Rouge — a place MSU hadn’t won since 1991 — without much national respect. MSU was receiving votes in The AP Top 25 but was barely even on the radar of the Amway Coaches Poll (USA Today), and remained behind Southeastern Conference counterparts South Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Georgia, and every SEC Western Division team except Arkansas.
That all changed in Baton Rouge.
Junior quarterback Dak Prescott, a native of Haughton, Louisiana, helped build a 31-10 lead against LSU after three quarters. He had a touchdown pass to De’Runnya Wilson in the first quarter to go with a pair of spectacular third-quarter touchdowns — a 56-yard run and a 74-yard pass to Jameon Lewis. That LSU eventually fought back and had a chance to win late was of little consequence: The Bulldogs had made a statement in Baton Rouge.
Afterward, Mullen offered little in the form of celebration.
“How big is it for our program? It just means we are 1-0 in the SEC,” Mullen said. “In this league, getting the first one is so hard. It’s a road win, and that means a lot, but, in the big picture, it just means we’ve got one win under our belt.”
The Bulldogs showed their resolve for the first time in the victory. Through three games, MSU was averaging 44 points per game and hadn’t been tested. Against LSU, MSU displayed a resiliency rarely seen in previous teams.
After Prescott and the defense helped build a 17-3 halftime lead, Prescott fumbled on MSU’s first play of the third quarter. LSU’s Danielle Hunter picked up the fumble and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown.
Suddenly, what was once a comfortable lead was down to seven points and a previously calm Tiger Stadium was chaotic.
But Prescott and the Bulldogs went nowhere. On MSU’s next seven offensive plays, Prescott accounted for 140 yards and two touchdowns to turn a tenuous lead into a 31-10 cushion.
“That’s just our guys. When things go wrong they don’t get down about it,” Mullen said. “They pick themselves up and move on to the next play. Dak doesn’t really get rattled by much.”
Although Mullen downplayed the win initially, the victory stirred interest in the Bulldogs nationwide. Voters took notice, vaulting MSU from unranked to No. 14 in The AP Top 25. After a bye week the following Saturday, the Bulldogs eased up two spots to No. 12, setting the stage for home games against Texas A&M and Auburn, a daunting task for any team.
For MSU, it provided the biggest opportunity in school history.
Oct. 4
No. 12 MSU 48, No. 6 Texas A&M 31
If the victory against LSU loaded the bases for MSU on the national scene, the victory against Texas A&M was the grand slam that led the way to unprecedented national prominence.
Facing a team that entered the game second in the nation in scoring, the Bulldogs gave up an early touchdown to trail 7-0. What happened next was a decimation of the No. 6 team, a 48-10 thumping for the next two-and-a-half quarters that left the Bulldogs watching time tick off the clock in the fourth quarter as the second-largest crowd in school history enjoyed one of the biggest victories in school history.
“When we got here six years ago, a lot of people had to come together and buy in,” Mullen said after the 17-point win. “We wanted this to not only be the premier football program in the state, but the premier university. This was a huge win for our university.”
The victory was a coming-out party. While the win at LSU let observers know MSU was good, the win against Texas A&M proved the Bulldogs were for real.
Prescott, who used the win over the Aggies’ to catapult to the top of Heisman Trophy lists everywhere, had 356 yards and five touchdowns.
“They are a very good team,” Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said, “and (Prescott) played like he always does, like one of the best players in America.”
Like in Baton Rouge, MSU’s defense also was a major part of the story, sacking quarterback Kenny Hill four times and turning the game in the first half with a pivotal fourth-down stop deep in MSU territory.
The Texas A&M game also gave MSU a chance to show a depth that hadn’t been seen. Senior wide receiver Jameon Lewis missed the game with an injury and senior center Dillon Day, the team’s most experienced player with 40 career starts, was suspended due to an earlier incident at LSU. But slot receivers like freshman Gabe Myles and senior guard Ben Beckwith stepped up.
The result spoke for itself.
“When one guy goes down, the next guy steps up,” said Beckwith, who was named the SEC’s Offensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts. “That’s the thing about this team, when one guy goes down, the next man can do the job. We all believe in each other.”
But the victory against Texas A&M wasn’t just about MSU’s football team. It was about the Bulldogs’ fans, about an image, about the creation of one of the most unique atmospheres in college football.
With a nation watching, MSU delivered from top to bottom. The SEC Network set up shop just outside of Davis Wade Stadium and its weekly college football lead-in show, SEC Nation, emanated from the heart of MSU’s tailgating area. Amidst a sea of maroon with the clanging of cowbells creating a din like no other, SEC Nation led into the 11 a.m. kickoff, which was broadcast nationally on ESPN, where the near-capacity crowd rang, yelled, shouted, and celebrated for nearly four hours.
The day turned out to be more than just a victory against Texas A&M. It became a day when MSU’s fans, administration, and football team stood up and said, “We belong on the national stage.”
Outside observers agreed.
Less than 24 hours later, MSU vaulted to No. 3 in The AP Top 25, a spot it shared with Ole Miss, which defeated then-No. 3 Alabama later that day.
It was the highest ranking in program history for MSU, and came on the heels of back-to-back wins against top-10 teams, another first.
But it was only the beginning.
Oct. 11
No. 3 MSU 38, No. 2 Auburn 23
Suddenly the Bulldogs were everywhere. Prescott went from dark-horse contender to Heisman Trophy favorite almost overnight, and he began making the requisite media appearances that come with that notoriety.
Mullen was instantly one of the hottest coaching names in America, appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter, the nationally syndicated Dan Patrick radio show, the Jim Rome radio show, and numerous other college football outlets. Then there was the Sports Illustrated cover that featured a picture of MSU wide receivers Jamoral Graham and Fred Brown celebrating a touchdown against Texas A&M, a cover shared with members of No. 3 Ole Miss under the headline “Mississippi Mayhem.”
In a flash, MSU had gone from under-the-radar to being one of the hottest entities in college football leading up to the visit from No. 2 Auburn, which became one of the biggest games in school history.
The Bulldogs were on a national stage, and they had proven they deserved to be there. Now MSU had to stay there. And, more importantly, they had to provide an encore for the performance against Texas A&M.
Did they ever.
The national media attention and the atmosphere surrounding Auburn’s visit dwarfed the Texas A&M game, as ESPN’s College GameDay visited Starkville for the first time, kicking off the day at 8 a.m. in the Junction. If the scene against Texas A&M epitomized a great college atmosphere, this one was a masterpiece. Thousands packed The Junction to provide the backdrop for GameDay, and cowbells were the order of the day, as they dominated the CBS coverage of the nationally televised game that afternoon.
But players win games.
Prescott is one of those players. Despite turning in what he called a “sub-par performance,” Prescott delivered 367 yards and three touchdowns, lifting Mullen to his second victory against Auburn in six seasons.
MSU’s defense stood tall, forcing four turnovers, including an interception by Jay Hughes on Auburn’s first play and one by Justin Cox on Auburn’s last play. In between, the Bulldogs chased and harassed quarterback Nick Marshall all day and Prescott delivered enough big plays to hand Auburn its first loss.
Afterward, Mullen could downplay what was happening in Starkville no longer.
“I love my players,” Mullen said. “If you had given me a vote six weeks ago, I would have voted us No. 1 then. That’s how much I love my players.”
The players reciprocated those feelings.
“This is why I signed here,” MSU wide receiver De’Runnya Wilson said. “This is why I came to Mississippi State. This team is special.”
The victory against Auburn was special. MSU fans turned out in epic fashion, setting a new all-time attendance mark of 62,945 at Davis Wade Stadium.
That history includes three-consecutive wins against top-10 teams, an achievement that had been realized four times previously in AP poll history.
With his team in the clubhouse at 6-0 and 3-0 in SEC play, Mullen was asked what it would mean for his team to be No. 1.
“If we were No. 1, I would think it was cool,” Mullen said. “I’d be the happiest guy in the world, but I’ll still be here at noon tomorrow breaking down this film because that’s what it’s about. They don’t give out trophies at the halfway point.”
Bulldogs on top
Mullen’s response to being asked what it would mean to be No. 1 was hypothetical.
By late Sunday morning, it was reality. First, word trickled out that MSU had edged previous No. 1 FSU for the top spot in the Amway Coaches Poll. Nearly an hour later, the Bulldogs grabbed top billing in The AP Top 25, and did so by a mile, earning 45 of 60 first-place votes.
By Tuesday, Mullen had reflected on MSU’s magical accomplishments in the past month.
His answer hadn’t changed much.
“The polls and all that stuff, it’s kind of cool,” said Mullen, who is 42-33 in six seasons at MSU. “But it doesn’t mean much. We could be sitting at home this weekend and, for whatever reason, we could drop in the polls, even though we don’t play. On our last bye week, I was sitting on my couch playing with my kids and we jumped up. It was awesome.
“But I think for our kids, it’s really neat to be No. 1, and it’s a great experience. I think it’s also a great thing for the people of Mississippi. There’s a lot of polls and rankings out there about everything under the sun, but for the people of Mississippi to be able to look and say, ‘We’re No. 1’ in something we care about like football, that’s pretty special.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.