2008 Mississippi State Bulldogs Football Preview

2008 Mississippi State Bulldogs season preview from Maddux Sports. Below you can find our official Mississippi State Bulldogs football preview as well as the 2008 Mississippi State Bulldogs Football Schedule. We also offer a free odds comparison service of lines and totals on the NCAA football odds page.

Coach: Sylvester Croom (4th year at Mississippi State)
Team Name: Bulldogs
2007 Overall Record: 8-5
Returning Starters: 14

The Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4 overall, 4-4 SEC) finished tied for fourth in the SEC East. In the regular season, the Bulldogs upset a tough Auburn team last year by a score of 19-14. At the Liberty Bowl, MSU met and beat UCF 10-3. It was the first bowl appearance for the team in seven years.

Sophomore quarterback Wesley Carroll (255 ATT, 134 COMP, 1,392 YDS, 9 TDs, 1 INT), who last season along with Josh Riddell had to fill the gap at QB when starter Michael Henig went down for the season in the Auburn game, looks like this year’s starter. Freshman Carroll was unflappable as in eight starts he led the Bulldogs to a 5-3 record. RB Anthony Dixon (287 CAR, 1,066 YDS, 14 TDs) was impressive, scoring 53-percent of the offense’s 30 touchdowns—a total of 16, which included two touchdown receptions. Wide receiver Jamayel Smith (33 REC, 510 YDS, 3 TDs), now a senior, looks to have an even better year than he did in 2007. A major concern for the club is the frontline, which returns just one starter.

State’s defense fielded a solid secondary and all of those guys return for another season. The team was ranked seventh nationally against the pass, allowing just 174.9 yards per game. MLB Jamar Chaney (89 tackles, 35 solo) leads a tough linebacking unit. On the line, the loss of All-SEC right end Titus Brown could be troublesome. Senior Tim Bailey takes over his spot, while new starter and senior Jimmy Holmes will play on the left. Both defensive tackles are vets.

Don’t expect Mississippi State to surprise the Auburn Tigers again this year. Swing games include those at Georgia Tech on September 20, at Alabama on November 15 and at Ole Miss on November 28. Their home game on November 22 against Arkansas can also go either way. If they can win three of four, MSU stands to be 5-3 in the conference—a full game improvement.

The Bulldogs should make another bowl appearance this year. As long as the defense continues down the path it took last season and if the offense scores more points these Dogs will hunt.

Mississippi State Bulldogs Football Schedule

Date	Opponent	Home/Away
Aug 30	Louisiana Tech	Away
Sep 6	SE Louisiana	Home
Sep 13	Auburn	Home
Sep 20	Georgia Tech	Away
Sep 27	LSU	Away
Oct 11	Vanderbilt	Home
Oct 18	Tennessee	Away
Oct 25	Middle Tennessee	Home
Nov 1	Kentucky	Home
Nov 15	Alabama	Away
Nov 22	Arkansas	Home
Nov 28	Mississippi	Away

 

For more info on the 2008 Mississippi State Bulldogs football program, view the Bulldogs official website or scroll down below to read up on the rest of the SEC competition.