The Maxwell Football Club has named Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen the George Munger award winner which goes to the country’s top coach.
Mullen led the Bulldogs to their best season in over 70 years and was ranked No. 1 for most of the year. Throughout their 2014 campaign, the Bulldogs broke 22 school-records.
Although they started the season unranked, Mississippi State bulldozed their way to 9-0 start before losing to Alabama on Nov. 15. The Bulldogs defeated three Top 10 ranked teams along the way and finished the season 10-2.
Much of the Bulldogs’ success came at the hands of their quarterback, Dak Prescott. The junior had a breakout season and was a Heisman candidate for most of the year. Prescott finished the year throwing for 2,996 yards, 24 touchdowns and ten interceptions. He also ran for 13 touchdowns on the year as well.
It will be interesting to see if Mullen can keep up the success in Starkville. He was rumored to be a candidate for the Florida and Michigan openings, but Mullen was consistent about building upon the 2014 season moving forward.
Mississippi State’s next challenge is preparing for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets’ potent rushing attack in the Orange Bowl. The Yellow Jackets run the triple-option almost to perfection and is one of the hardest offenses to stop in the country.
Georgia Tech fell just short of upsetting the Florida State Seminoles in the ACC championship. However, they do have experience playing against the SEC as they defeated their rival, the Georgia Bulldogs, 30-24 in Athens.
Whatever the outcome of the Orange Bowl may be, Mississippi State fans should be excited about the future of the program. With Prescott most likely returning for his senior season, the Bulldogs should be a player in the SEC once again in 2015.
*Section Photo credit to Kevin C. Cox, Featured Photo (above) credit to Glenn Andrews, USA Today Sports.
