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Top 61 plays in MSU Football History--Josh Morgan Pops Riche Caldwell, Florida 2000

Creating a list of top events of any subject makes for an interesting endeavor, but with that said, creating a list of the top 61 plays in Mississippi State football history sure was fun. The countdown begins with a bang as Josh Morgan lights up Riche Caldwell in Mississippi State's 47-35 upset of Florida in 2000.

Josh Morgan makes a play in the Peach Bowl
Josh Morgan makes a play in the Peach Bowl
AP/USA Today

There may nothing more unscientific and more likely to make someone look foolish than coming up with a Top-Whatever list on any topic. Very rarely will people agree on what makes a said item on of the top of its kind, and even more rarely will people agree with the placement of an item on such list.

That type of disagreement makes it fun, generates talk, and helps pass the time through the long summer months of waiting to watch football.

Now, if you are wondering, the list is a Top 61 plays because there are 61 days left until Mississippi State kicks off against Oklahoma State. Choosing a list of 61 plays from Mississippi State proved to be a bit daunting, but it proved to be fun. Nothing beats watching highlight after highlight of Bulldog football at its finest.

As to the high-scientific methodology behind selecting plays and ranking plays in such as list, to make the list, a play had to have some combination of the following characteristics: be a memorable play that is not easily forgotten, made a significant impact on a game, happened in an appropriate spot on the quality of opponent vs. quality of play scale, holds historic significance to that season. Of course, setting the value and such on that type of criteria is far from an exact science.

At any rate, enjoy the countdown!

#61 Greatest Play in Bulldog Football History-Josh Morgan Drops the Boom on Riche Caldwell

There may not have been a better time to be a fan of Mississippi State than the run between 1998 and 2000. The names of the players on those teams still hold special places in the hearts of Bulldog fans: Fred Smoot, Wayne Madkin, Pig Prather, Matt Wyatt, Dicenzo Miller, Dontae Walker, Josh Morgan, and Scott Westerfield to name only a few.

The Mississippi State defense played an aggressive in your face style that saw many big hits and big turnovers, and in 2000, when the No. 3 ranked Florida Gators made the visit to Scott Field, this defense slowed down one of the highest flying offenses in the country.

In a game that featured many highlights (spoiler alert), this play is not quite as remembered as some of the others, but there may not be a play that embodied the attitude of that defense.

The hit by Morgan effectively stalled out the Florida drive, and with the Gators trailing by three scores with about seven minutes left to play, the hit effectively sealed the deal for a Mississippi State victory that saw the fans rush the field and tear down the goal posts in one of the wildest scenes ever at Scott Field/Davis Wade Stadium.

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