Last year, the Bulldogs completed 198 passes on 349 attempts, resulting in 2465 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. In addition, the Bulldogs moved the chains through the air. The numbers sound amazing for a Mississippi State passing attack.
In fact, the Bulldogs picked up more yards in the air than on the ground (2279) and had the same number of touchdowns. Yes, the numbers seem really great, until you realize the Bulldogs only finished 73rd in scoring offense last year.
It was the Mississippi State defense that propelled the Bulldogs to victory last year, as the team only averaged 25.3 points per contest, but they held their opponents to 256. Games against UT-Martin (55 points) and Memphis (59 points) skew that average a bit. If you take those games out, the Bulldogs only averaged 21.5 points per game.
In Mississippi State victories (Memphis, LA Tech, UAB, Kentucky, UT-Martin, Ole Miss, and Wake Forest), the Bulldogs averaged 34.7 points per game. In their losses (Auburn, LSU, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Arkansas), the Bulldogs picked up 14.3 a contest while giving up 27.6 per game.
If the Bulldogs really want to take the next step, their offense, now under Tyler Russell will have to get the job done.