10 Best Moments from Mississippi State's 2021 Football Season

Mississippi State football players broke many records and showed memorable flashes of improvement throughout the 2021 season.

The Bulldogs have many talented and experienced players returning this fall including junior quarterback Will Rogers, who will look to continue improving in the Air Raid.

MSU football faces arguably the toughest schedule in the nation in 2022, but with that comes the opportunity to prove that the Bulldogs can compete against the best the country has to offer.

Before the Bulldogs hit the gridiron in 2022, here's a look into the 10 best moments from MSU football's 2021 season:

1. Comeback win on The Plains

The Bulldogs pulled off a record-setting comeback win against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium, and with the victory became bowl eligible for the 12th straight season.

Auburn was up big on MSU for much of the first half, and at one point the Tigers led by a score of 28-3. The Bulldogs finally broke through at the end of the second quarter, as junior quarterback Rogers connected with wide receiver Makai Polk for a touchdown to make the score 28-10 heading into the second half.

But MSU continued to fight back, and the team's resilience shined in the third and fourth quarters. The Bulldogs scored 40 unanswered points on their way to an impressive 43-34 comeback win against the 17th-ranked Tigers. 

Rogers performed outstandingly for the Bulldogs, throwing for 415 yards and six passing touchdowns. MSU wideout Jamire Calvin had an impressive performance, specifically in the red zone against the Tigers, catching two of six passing touchdowns from Rogers.

It was an overall impressive performance on both sides of the ball for MSU. The comeback victory against the Tigers out on the plains is one the Bulldogs will remember forever. 

2. Bulldogs tame the Wildcats

There was no candy corn in sight the night before Halloween in Davis Wade Stadium, as Coach Leach and the Bulldogs beat the 12th-ranked Wildcats in historic fashion.

At the beginning of the second quarter, MSU trailed Kentucky by 10. However, the Bulldogs took advantage of turnovers from the Wildcats scoring 31 unanswered through the second and third quarters. The Wildcats scored one last touchdown in the fourth, as MSU beat Kentucky by a score of 31-17.

The MSU defense held Kentucky quarterback Will Levis to 150 passing yards and only one touchdown. The Bulldogs also forced Levis to throw three interceptions. 

On the offense for MSU, Rogers had a record-setting performance going 36 of 39 with 344 passing yards and one passing touchdown on his way to breaking the SEC record for completion percentage against the Wildcats.

I guess you could say, Leach and the Bulldogs ate some of those Nerds Gummy Clusters before the game against the Wildcats. 

3. College Station shake-up

College Station is known as one of the loudest environments in college football, but that did not stop MSU from picking up an impressive win against the 15th-ranked Aggies in early October.

The Bulldogs started hot against the Aggies. On the second play of the game, former MSU safety Fred Peters picked off former Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada to set up the Bulldogs in excellent field position. The MSU defense stepped up huge in this game, allowing Calzada just 135 passing yards yards and one touchdown, also forcing an interception.

It was a back-and-forth battle for the majority of the game, but the air raid was too much for Texas A&M, as the Aggies fell to the Bulldogs 26-22. 

Once again, Rogers had a successful outing in a big-time game going 46 of 59 and throwing for 408 yards with three touchdowns. Makai Polk had arguably his best performance of the year recording 126 receiving yards on 13 receptions and two touchdowns.

However, Texas A&M bounced back huge the next week as the frustrating loss to the Bulldogs fueled the Aggies to a win against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

4. State goes bowling

MSU football is one of the few SEC teams to reach 12 straight years of bowl eligibility. With the win against the Auburn Tigers in November, the Bulldogs became bowl-eligible for the 12th straight year.

After the 2021 regular season concluded, MSU football returned to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis to face off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

However, the game against the Red Raiders did not go to plan for the Bulldogs. MSU fell to Texas Tech by a score of 34-7. It was a less than ideal performance from the Bulldogs. However, the disappointing loss against the Red Raiders is one MSU can learn and improve on going into the 2022 season.

5. Will Rogers rewrites history

During the 2021 season, the Bulldog's signal-caller showed many flashes of improvement. Rogers stepped up in some big-time moments throughout last season, including wins against nationally-ranked opponents such as Texas A&M, Kentucky, and Auburn.

On November 20th, 2021 against Tennessee State, Rogers etched his name in the history books by breaking Dak Prescott's single-season record for passing yards and touchdowns. 

Per 247Sports, Rogers is one of four quarterbacks in the country since 2000 to pass for more than 3,700 yards and 25 touchdowns, while also completing over 75 percent of his passes. Rogers also became the first MSU quarterback in program history to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a single season.

The history books had some major changes at the hand of Rogers during the 2021 season. With the impressive statistics Rogers put up in 2021, there are high hopes for the Bulldogs quarterback this year.

6. Cross to the Seahawks

Charles Cross was arguably one of the best offensive tackles in the country during the 2021 college football season.

The Seattle Seahawks drafted Cross with the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Cross has the elite pass-blocking ability and an underrated run-blocking ability as well.

At 6'5 and 310 pounds, Cross was a force to be reckoned with during his time in the Maroon and White. In 2021, Cross performed outstandingly for the Bulldogs playing 919 snaps and only allowing two sacks.

There are major unknowns surrounding the quarterback situation in Seattle, which means Cross is going to be a detrimental part to the success of the Seahawks offense this season.

7. Emerson heads to Cleveland

Emerson was selected with the No. 68 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2021 NFL Draft. The talented and explosive defensive back is known for his athleticism as well as his versatility.

During the 2021 season for MSU, Emerson recorded 49 total tackles and three passes defended. However, the 2020 season for Emerson was the best of his career as he recorded 72 tackles and 11 passes defended. According to Pro Football Focus, Emerson finished his career at MSU by recording the second-highest coverage grade since 2020 at 89.6.

With the selection of Emerson, the Browns add to an already impressive defensive backfield with a player who has shown outstanding speed off the ball and is equally solid at locating the ball.

8. Bulldogs defense improves

During the 2021 season, the Bulldog's defensive unit showed improvement in many areas. Specifically, the MSU rush defense improved dramatically compared to the 2020 season.

The Bulldogs finished 10th in the country in rush defense during the 2021 season allowing 1,214 total rushing yards and an average of 3.4 yards per carry.

Even though the Bulldog's defense faded towards the end of the season, the MSU defense showed they can compete, with huge defensive outings against SEC opponents such as Auburn, Texas A&M, and Kentucky.

This MSU defense could cause trouble for opposing offenses in 2022, as the Bulldogs return most of their starters such as cornerback Emmanuel Forbes and linebackers Tyrus Wheat, and Jett Johnson just to name a few. The Bulldogs also added a talented transfer from Alabama in cornerback Marcus Banks who will look to make an impact wearing the maroon and white.

9. Air Raid reigns supreme

The Air Raid has allowed MSU to lead the SEC in the majority of all passing categories. The Bulldogs offense was ranked fourth in the country in passing yards, and MSU also led the country with the highest completion percentage.

Rogers matured and seemed to find his groove in Leach's offensive scheme. Rogers ranked third in the country in passing yards behind two elite signal-callers in Bryce Young and Bailey Zappe.

One of the many important pieces to the air raid is a respectable offensive line. The Bulldogs lost one of the best offensive tackles in the country in Cross. One of the important things to look for this upcoming season is the protection the offensive line provides Rogers in the pocket.

10. Talent and experience return

It's no secret the Bulldogs face arguably the toughest schedule in the nation this season, but MSU has the talent and experience to have a successful year.

The Bulldog's offense returns many starters from 2021 including signal-caller Will Rogers who showed major growth and improvement in his second year in the air raid. 

Rogers is surrounded by talent at the wide receiver position including Austin Williams, Jamire Calvin, Jaden Walley, Rara Thomas, and transfer Justin Robinson to name a few. In the backfield with Rogers, running backs Jo'quavious Marks and Dillion Johnson are two names to look out for this season.

MSU also returns a large number of starters on defense who hope to lead the Bulldogs to success in 2022.

The defensive backfield for the Bulldogs shows major upside with the rerun of Forbes and the addition of Banks. MSU also returns veteran linebackers such as Wheat, Nathaniel Watson and Johnson who will look to make an impact and lead the Bulldogs defense to success in 2022.

The Bulldogs kick off the 2022 season at home against the Memphis Tigers on Sept. 3. Kickoff time against Memphis is set for 6:30 PM CT.