1948 Mississippi State Maroons football team

The 1948 Mississippi State Maroons football team represented Mississippi State College during the 1948 college football season. This was the only of head coach Allyn McKeen's nine seasons that did not end in a winning record for the Maroons. Despite the strong record—his .764 (65–19–3) winning percentage is the best in school history—McKeen was fired after the season.^[1][2] The Maroons, who had won seven or more games in six of McKeen's nine seasons, did not post another seven-win season until 1963.

1948 Mississippi State Maroons football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	4–4–1 (3–3 SEC)
Head coach	Allyn McKeen (9th season)
Home stadium	Scott Field
Seasons ← 1947 1949 →

1948 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 8 Georgia $	6	–	0	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
No. 15 Ole Miss	6	–	1	–	0			8	–	1	–	0
No. 13 Tulane	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	1	–	0
No. 12 Vanderbilt	4	–	2	–	1			8	–	2	–	1
Georgia Tech	4	–	3	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Alabama	4	–	4	–	1			6	–	4	–	1
Mississippi State	3	–	3	–	0			4	–	4	–	1
Tennessee	2	–	3	–	1			4	–	4	–	2
Kentucky	1	–	3	–	1			5	–	3	–	2
Florida	1	–	5	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
LSU	1	–	5	–	0			3	–	7	–	0
Auburn	0	–	7	–	0			1	–	8	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Mississippi State was ranked at No. 43 in the final Litkenhous Difference by Score System ratings for 1948.^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 25	at Tennessee	Shields–Watkins Field Knoxville, TN	W 21–6	35,000	[4]
October 2	Baylor*	Crump Stadium Memphis, TN	T 7–7	23,802	[5]
October 9	Clemson*	Scott Field Starkville, MS	L 7–21	12,000	[6]
October 16	Cincinnati*	Scott Field Starkville, MS	W 27–0	10,000	[7]
October 23	Alabama	Scott Field Starkville, MS (rivalry)	L 7–10	24,000	[8]
October 30	at No. 19 Tulane	Tulane Stadium New Orleans, LA	L 0–9	45,000	[9]
November 6	at Auburn	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	W 20–0	15,000	[10]
November 13	at LSU	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	W 7–0	30,000	[11]
November 27	at No. 16 Ole Miss	Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS (Egg Bowl)	L 7–34	26,000	[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[13]

References

1. cristilmethod (August 17, 2013). "Bob Sanders, Discontent, and Allyn McKeen: How MSU ousted its winningest football coach ever". For Whom the Cowbell Tolls. SBNation.
2. UP (January 1, 1949). "Arthur Morton signs to coach Miss. State". news.google.org. The Tuscaloosa News.
3. "Michigan, Irish Finish 1-2 in Litkenhous Ratings". Wilmington Morning News. December 15, 1948. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "McWilliams paces 21–6 Maroon win". The Huntsville Times. September 26, 1948. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Mississippi Maroons settle for 7–7 knot in game with Baylor". The Commercial Appeal. October 3, 1948. Retrieved October 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Tigers upset Miss. State by 21–7 score". Winston-Salem Journal. October 10, 1948. Retrieved October 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Mississippi State beat Cincinnati, 27–0". The Shreveport Times. October 17, 1948. Retrieved October 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Little, Tom (October 24, 1948). "Tide wins 10–7 to sink Maroons". The Tuscaloosa News. Google News Archives. p. 1. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
9. "Shorty McWilliams' play holds Tulane to 9–0 triumph". The Knoxville Journal. October 31, 1948. Retrieved April 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Auburn bows to State, 20 to 0". The Birmingham News. November 7, 1948. Retrieved October 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Maroons win grinding tilt with LSU, 7–0". The Clarion-Ledger. November 14, 1948. Retrieved October 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Ole Miss whips arch-rival Mississippi State by 34–7". The Knoxville Journal. November 28, 1948. Retrieved October 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
13. College Football @ Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2015