Dak Prescott held all of the Bulldogs' career, single-season, and single-game passing records when he graduated.
Fred Ross is the Bulldogs' career leader in receiving yards.
Although Mississippi State began competing in intercollegiate football in 1895,[1] the school's official record book considers the "modern era" to have begun in the 1940s. Records from before this year are often incomplete and inconsistent, and they are generally not included in these lists, although on some lists records from the 1930s or even the 1900s appear.
These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
Since 1955, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length.
The NCAA did not allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972 (with the exception of the World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers.[2]
Bowl games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002.[3] The Bulldogs have played in 12 bowl games since then.
As of the 2022 season, recent head coach Dan Mullen, who used a spread offensive system, had eight of his nine seasons at Mississippi State (2009–17) in the Bulldogs' ten highest in total offensive yardage,[1] the other two belonging to Mike Leach in 2021 and 2022. During the Mike Leach Era (2020–22), the Bulldogs ran an air raid offense, leading to all three seasons being in the five highest in total passing yards with two seasons in the ten highest in total offensive yardage.
These lists are updated through the 12th game of the 2023 season.
All-purpose yardage is the sum of all yards credited to a player who is in possession of the ball. It includes rushing, receiving, and all types of returns, but does not include passing.[1]