If there are such things as moral victories, then Dan Mullen and his Bulldog football team certainly led the country with the most in 2009.
In his first year at the helm of the Mississippi State program Mullen finished with a 5-7 record. While it was only a one game improvement over last year’s 4-8 mark, the Dawgs were competitive and had a chance in nearly every game as they played out the toughest schedule in the nation, featuring 10 teams who ultimately went bowling, three of which played in BCS games.
Despite the daunting task, the Bulldogs saw records fall left and right as Anthony Dixon, the heart and soul of the team, crushed virtually all of the rushing records in the MSU books, and the fans helped smash the single season attendance record by over 70,000 as the Bulldog faithful came in droves to see the new brand of MSU football.
The home opener versus Jackson State was the first ever meeting between schools from the SEC and Southwestern Athletic Conference, and the season finale against Mississippi was one of the most memorable Egg Bowls in years as the Dawgs absolutely embarrassed That School Up North.
With the help of Dixon and a few outstanding freshmen, Mullen kept good on the first promise he made to MSU. That was exciting.
Categories:
Mullen meets, exceeds first-year expectations
Bob Carskadon
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January 12, 2010
![Chad Bumphis scores against Jackson State.](https://reflector-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/17642ebf9e65b07795b9afd7f20577a3.jpg)
Chad Bumphis scores against Jackson State.
Dixon raises the Egg Bowl.
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