1972 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team

The 1972 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team represented Mississippi State University during the 1972 NCAA University Division football season. After the season, head coach Charles Shira, who had compiled a 16–45–2 record over six seasons, stepped down and focused solely on athletic director duties.^[1]

1972 Mississippi State Bulldogs football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	4–7 (1–6 SEC)
Head coach	Charles Shira (6th season)
Home stadium	Scott Field Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1971 1973 →

1972 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 7 Alabama $	7	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 5 Auburn	6	–	1	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
No. 11 LSU	4	–	1	–	1			9	–	2	–	1
No. 8 Tennessee	4	–	2	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
Georgia	4	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Florida	3	–	3	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Ole Miss	2	–	5	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Kentucky	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Mississippi State	1	–	6	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Vanderbilt	0	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 9	Auburn	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 3–14	40,000	[2]
September 16	Northeast Louisiana*	Scott Field Starkville, MS	W 42–7	21,000	[3]
September 23	at Vanderbilt	Dudley Field Nashville, TN	W 10–6	21,374	[4]
September 30	at Florida	Florida Field Gainesville, FL	L 13–28	42,712	[5]
October 7	at Kentucky	McLean Stadium Lexington, KY	L 13–17	37,500	[6]
October 14	Florida State*	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 21–25	30,000	[7]
October 21	Southern Miss*	Scott Field Starkville, MS	W 26–7	26,000	[8]
October 28	Houston*	Scott Field Starkville, MS	W 27–13	29,000	[9]
November 4	at No. 2 Alabama	Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	L 14–58	57,171	[10][11]
November 18	at No. 8 LSU	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	L 14–28	60,589	[12]
November 25	at Ole Miss	Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS (Egg Bowl)	L 14–51	33,586	[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[14]

References

1. Burial to be in Starkville; Shira Funeral Services Today, Florence Times-Tri Cities Daily, January 3, 1976.
2. "QB Walls directs Auburn over M-State in opener". The Dothan Eagle. September 10, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Miss. State rambles over Northeast 42–7". The Clarion-Ledger. September 17, 1972. p. C1. Retrieved March 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Mississippi State nips Vandy". The Paducah Sun-Democrat. September 24, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "'Moore" speed gives Florida 28–13 win over Miss. State". The Courier-Journal. October 1, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Kentucky edges State". The Delta Democrat-Times. October 8, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "FSU tops 'Dogs on Huff passes". The Bradenton Herald. October 15, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Felker-led State rips USM". The Delta Democrat-Times. October 22, 1972. Retrieved March 23, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Mississippi State defeats Houston". The Roanoke Times. October 29, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. Reed, Delbert (November 5, 1972). "Crimson Tide drowns Dogs, 58–14". The Tuscaloosa News. p. B1. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
11. "Second-ranked Tide rolls to 58–14 win". Rome News-Tribune. UPI. November 5, 1972. p. 2C. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
12. "Bengals strike late, 28 to 14". Pensacola News Journal. November 19, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Ole Miss rolls over State 51–14". The Delta Democrat-Times. November 26, 1972. Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "1972 Mississippi State Bulldogs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 22, 2023.