2022 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

The 2022 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University in the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs played their home games at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi, and compete in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by third-year head coach Mike Leach through the regular season, with Zach Arnett taking over for the team’s bowl appearance after Leach's death in December 2022.

2022 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
ReliaQuest Bowl champion
ReliaQuest Bowl, W 19–10 vs. Illinois
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionWestern Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 19
APNo. 20
Record9–4 (4–4 SEC)
Head coach
  • Mike Leach (3rd season; regular season)
  • Zach Arnett (bowl game)
Offensive schemeAir Raid
Defensive coordinatorZach Arnett (3rd season)
Base defense3–3–5
Home stadiumDavis Wade Stadium
2022 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
East Division
No. 1 Georgia xy$#^  8 0   15 0  
No. 6 Tennessee  6 2   11 2  
No. 23 South Carolina  4 4   8 5  
Kentucky  3 5   7 6  
Florida  3 5   6 7  
Missouri  3 5   6 7  
Vanderbilt  2 6   5 7  
West Division
No. 16 LSU xy  6 2   10 4  
No. 5 Alabama x  6 2   11 2  
No. 20 Mississippi State  4 4   9 4  
Ole Miss  4 4   8 5  
Arkansas  3 5   7 6  
Auburn  2 6   5 7  
Texas A&M  2 6   5 7  
Championship: Georgia 50, LSU 30
  • # College Football Playoff champion
  • ^ College Football Playoff participant
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • y Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

In October 2022, 19-year-old freshman offensive lineman Samuel Westmoreland, from Tupelo, Mississippi, committed suicide. Mississippi State honored Westmoreland with helmet stickers and by painting his initials and number on Scott Field.

On December 11, Leach was hospitalized in critical condition, and Arnett was elevated to interim head coach. Practice for the Bulldogs ahead of the 2023 ReliaQuest Bowl and recruiting, was scheduled to continue as normal. Leach died in the evening of December 12, with Mississippi State announcing the news in a statement the following morning. Following the death of Leach, Arnett was made the permanent head coach.

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