In a major rebuilding year that ended with a huge Egg Bowl win as well as a victory in the St. Petersburg Bowl, one of the most positive aspects of the season, especially early on, was the improvements made to the Bulldogs’ uniforms. The season brought much needed changes to the road jersey, added stripes to the pants lineup, and introduced an interesting new alternate helmet. With the exception of a couple questionable alternates, 2016 was the easily the most consistent year in recent memory for Mississippi State uniforms.
3 Helmets, 4 Jerseys, 5 Pants, 10 Combinations
3 Helmets, 4 Jerseys, 5 Pants, 10 Combinations
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The changes made to the Bulldogs' uniform lineup in 2016 fall into three major classifications:
I. New White Jerseys
The most welcome change of 2016 was the removal of the black outlines from the white jerseys. The double Black-Maroon-Black stripes on the sleeves were replaced with simple Maroon-Gray-Maroon stripes. When paired with the updated pants and white or silver helmets, the updated white jerseys created some of the most consistent looks the Bulldogs have had in years. Instead of the mismatch of colors seen in previous years, maroon, white, and gray were the consistent colors on most of the Bulldogs road uniforms in 2016. The all white look, in particular, looked terribly mismatched in 2015, but was really sharp in 2016.
I. New White Jerseys
The most welcome change of 2016 was the removal of the black outlines from the white jerseys. The double Black-Maroon-Black stripes on the sleeves were replaced with simple Maroon-Gray-Maroon stripes. When paired with the updated pants and white or silver helmets, the updated white jerseys created some of the most consistent looks the Bulldogs have had in years. Instead of the mismatch of colors seen in previous years, maroon, white, and gray were the consistent colors on most of the Bulldogs road uniforms in 2016. The all white look, in particular, looked terribly mismatched in 2015, but was really sharp in 2016.
II. New Pants- WITH STRIPES
Gone are the days of the oversized pants logo (except for the A&M game, that is. More on that next). The Bulldogs debuted new white and maroon pants with a triple stripe pattern like that of the gray pants that were brought back in 2015. The white pants got a striping pattern of Maroon-Gray-Maroon, while the maroon pants got White-Gray-White. The new pants look so much better than their counterparts from 2015. They truly did vastly improved the aesthicts of the Bulldogs' uniforms as a whole.
They haven't been devoid of criticism, however. Many wanted a strictly maroon and white uniform, without the gray accents. I'm okay with the gray, but I did propose a strictly maroon and white home and away set. Even going with gray, one would think that a Gray-White-Gray stripe would make more sense on a maroon background; on both the white and gray pants, the darker color is the outer stripe. The reason, I believe, that white is the outer stripe on the maroon jersey is so that the double white stripe is retained on the sleeve. Only instead of black outlines, there is a gray stripe in between them.
III. Silver Helmets and Alternate Jerseys
Despite all of the advancements made, there were still a couple of duds in the form of alternate uniforms. There was, however, a nice addition to the uniform lineup as a result of these alternates in the form of a silver helmet. The silver helmets were first worn with New England Patriots Inspiried alternate uniforms during the Bulldogs' trip to Gillette Stadium to take on UMass. The Patriots look-a-likes were an idea I had when the game was announced, so I think it's cool that that actually happened. However, the Patriots' current uniforms, even though they've been worn in 6 Super Bowls, are a sub-par design. As a result, the alternates didn't look amazing and the game had a weird feel to it. Still, it was an interesting idea, and much better than the other alternate uniforms worn in 2016.
The other alternate uniforms were worn in the upset over #4 Texas A&M. We knew from the outset that the game was being marketed as a "blackout," and that it would likely mean black uniforms for the second year in a row. What I assumed is that the black jerseys from 2015, which weren't half bad, would just be worn again. But instead of doing that, the Bulldogs wore some frankly awful Adidas-Templated black uniforms with a distorted American Flag on the shoulders and the oversized M-State logo returning to the pants. The only redeeming feature of these were the silver helmets, which even still would have looked much better with the 2015 Black Unis. The Black Flag unis were popular among a certain segment of fans, and the Bulldogs did pull off a big upset in the them, so they do have that going for them. That's about it.
In addition to the two alternate uniforms, the silver helmets were worn in two other games. They were worn with the white jerseys and white pants in a 2OT loss to BYU. Later in the season, they were worn at home with the maroon jerseys and gray pants against Arkansas. The silver helmets looked great with the all-white and decent with the maroon-gray combo. With updated maroon jerseys next year, that silver-maroon-gray combo might look really good.
Gone are the days of the oversized pants logo (except for the A&M game, that is. More on that next). The Bulldogs debuted new white and maroon pants with a triple stripe pattern like that of the gray pants that were brought back in 2015. The white pants got a striping pattern of Maroon-Gray-Maroon, while the maroon pants got White-Gray-White. The new pants look so much better than their counterparts from 2015. They truly did vastly improved the aesthicts of the Bulldogs' uniforms as a whole.
They haven't been devoid of criticism, however. Many wanted a strictly maroon and white uniform, without the gray accents. I'm okay with the gray, but I did propose a strictly maroon and white home and away set. Even going with gray, one would think that a Gray-White-Gray stripe would make more sense on a maroon background; on both the white and gray pants, the darker color is the outer stripe. The reason, I believe, that white is the outer stripe on the maroon jersey is so that the double white stripe is retained on the sleeve. Only instead of black outlines, there is a gray stripe in between them.
III. Silver Helmets and Alternate Jerseys
Despite all of the advancements made, there were still a couple of duds in the form of alternate uniforms. There was, however, a nice addition to the uniform lineup as a result of these alternates in the form of a silver helmet. The silver helmets were first worn with New England Patriots Inspiried alternate uniforms during the Bulldogs' trip to Gillette Stadium to take on UMass. The Patriots look-a-likes were an idea I had when the game was announced, so I think it's cool that that actually happened. However, the Patriots' current uniforms, even though they've been worn in 6 Super Bowls, are a sub-par design. As a result, the alternates didn't look amazing and the game had a weird feel to it. Still, it was an interesting idea, and much better than the other alternate uniforms worn in 2016.
The other alternate uniforms were worn in the upset over #4 Texas A&M. We knew from the outset that the game was being marketed as a "blackout," and that it would likely mean black uniforms for the second year in a row. What I assumed is that the black jerseys from 2015, which weren't half bad, would just be worn again. But instead of doing that, the Bulldogs wore some frankly awful Adidas-Templated black uniforms with a distorted American Flag on the shoulders and the oversized M-State logo returning to the pants. The only redeeming feature of these were the silver helmets, which even still would have looked much better with the 2015 Black Unis. The Black Flag unis were popular among a certain segment of fans, and the Bulldogs did pull off a big upset in the them, so they do have that going for them. That's about it.
In addition to the two alternate uniforms, the silver helmets were worn in two other games. They were worn with the white jerseys and white pants in a 2OT loss to BYU. Later in the season, they were worn at home with the maroon jerseys and gray pants against Arkansas. The silver helmets looked great with the all-white and decent with the maroon-gray combo. With updated maroon jerseys next year, that silver-maroon-gray combo might look really good.
With everything listed above, 2016 was a net positive year for Mississippi State uniforms. That doesn't mean there isn't anything that needs changing:
I. Where are the matte maroon helmets?
Other than the mess of the black alternates, the biggest disappointment of the 2016 uniforms is the lack of a matte maroon helmet. Since their introduction in 2011, matte helmets had been worn as alternates, primarily on the road. Being that the matte maroons are the personal favorites of myself and many others, their removal was a sad sight to see. They were effectively replaced by the silver helmets, but the shiny maroons were still on the road twice- two instances where the matte maroons would have very much improved the overall look.
I'd like to see the silver and matte maroon helmets coexist in 2017. If that's not possible for some reason, go with matte maroon. The silver helmets aren't bad, but they're not worth losing our best helmets over.
II. Maroon Jerseys need Updating too.
Though the white jerseys were updated this season, the maroon jerseys remained unchanged from 2015. In 2017, they should, and I think probably will be, updated to match the rest of the set. This change would complete the transition to a fully consistent uniform set, completely eradicatic black accents in favor of gray.
With those things in mind, here's my concept for 2017:
I. Where are the matte maroon helmets?
Other than the mess of the black alternates, the biggest disappointment of the 2016 uniforms is the lack of a matte maroon helmet. Since their introduction in 2011, matte helmets had been worn as alternates, primarily on the road. Being that the matte maroons are the personal favorites of myself and many others, their removal was a sad sight to see. They were effectively replaced by the silver helmets, but the shiny maroons were still on the road twice- two instances where the matte maroons would have very much improved the overall look.
I'd like to see the silver and matte maroon helmets coexist in 2017. If that's not possible for some reason, go with matte maroon. The silver helmets aren't bad, but they're not worth losing our best helmets over.
II. Maroon Jerseys need Updating too.
Though the white jerseys were updated this season, the maroon jerseys remained unchanged from 2015. In 2017, they should, and I think probably will be, updated to match the rest of the set. This change would complete the transition to a fully consistent uniform set, completely eradicatic black accents in favor of gray.
With those things in mind, here's my concept for 2017:
The basic things that need to be changed are what's talked about above. Other changes include slightly altering the gray pants to match the logo placement of the white and maroon pants and adding a gray alternate jersey. The gray alternate jersey is something I've been promoting ever since the gray pants returned last season. With sleeve stripes matching those on the gray pants, I think gray jerseys would look clean but still qualify as a modern alternate.
Popular MSU Graphic Designer Rocky Vaughn, better known as Chillbilly, agrees about the gray alternates. In his 2017 concepts, he also proposed the all gray alternates, along with gray-white-gray stripes on the maroon jerseys and pants, a silver facemask on the white helmets, and a cleaner all-black look. MSU Tight End Farrod Green also endorsed the all-gray look in a tweet; with all the traction it's gaining, I would not be surprised to see it on the field in 2017. Ideally it would be in place of an all-black look, not in addition to.
The all-gray concepts did create an interesting Twitter and message board debate about the role of gray as an accent color for Mississippi State. Fans have a wide range of opinions, ranging from "we need to be like Alabama and Penn State" to "Why can't we stick with the 2014 unis" to wanting even more expirimentation to agreeing fully with the concepts. Pleasing everyone is impossible, obviously. I'm of the opinion that a clean look with plenty of mix-matching options has the potential to please the most, though I could be way off on that. As far as gray being an accent color, my opinion is that a strictlity maroon and white look, if exectuted correctly, is the best case scenario. However, if we are to have a third color, gray is FAR superior to black as an accent. Anything that gets rid of the black accents is good with me.
Popular MSU Graphic Designer Rocky Vaughn, better known as Chillbilly, agrees about the gray alternates. In his 2017 concepts, he also proposed the all gray alternates, along with gray-white-gray stripes on the maroon jerseys and pants, a silver facemask on the white helmets, and a cleaner all-black look. MSU Tight End Farrod Green also endorsed the all-gray look in a tweet; with all the traction it's gaining, I would not be surprised to see it on the field in 2017. Ideally it would be in place of an all-black look, not in addition to.
The all-gray concepts did create an interesting Twitter and message board debate about the role of gray as an accent color for Mississippi State. Fans have a wide range of opinions, ranging from "we need to be like Alabama and Penn State" to "Why can't we stick with the 2014 unis" to wanting even more expirimentation to agreeing fully with the concepts. Pleasing everyone is impossible, obviously. I'm of the opinion that a clean look with plenty of mix-matching options has the potential to please the most, though I could be way off on that. As far as gray being an accent color, my opinion is that a strictlity maroon and white look, if exectuted correctly, is the best case scenario. However, if we are to have a third color, gray is FAR superior to black as an accent. Anything that gets rid of the black accents is good with me.
Focusing back on the 2016 season, the Bulldogs wore 10 different combinations throughout the season, tying the 2015 record for the most in a single season. Oddly enough, only one combination was exactly the same in both seasons: Maroon-Maroon-Gray. Here's a full comparison of the combinations worn in each season:
2016 Uniform Stats:
Helmets:
Maroon. 7 Games. 3-4 Record.
Silver. 4 Games. 2-2 Record.
White. 2 Games. 1-1 Record.
Jerseys:
Maroon. 6 Games. 3-3 Record.
White. 5 Games. 1-4 Record.
Black Flag. 1 Game. 1-0 Record.
Patriots. 1 Game. 1-0 Record.
Pants:
White. 6 Games. 2-4 Record.
Maroon. 3 Games. 1-2 Record.
Gray. 2 Games. 1-1 Record.
Black Flag. 1 Game. 1-0 Record.
Maroon Patriots. 1 Game. 1-0 Record.
Combos:
White/White/White. 2 Games. 1-1 Record.
Maroon/Maroon/White. 2 Games. 1-1 Record.
Maroon/Maroon/Maroon. 2 Games. 1-1 Record.
Maroon/Maroon/Gray. 1 Game. 1-0 Record.
Patriots Inspired. 1 Game. 1-0 Record.
Black Adidas Flag Template. 1 Game. 1-0 Record.
Maroon/White/White. 1 Game. 0-1 Record.
Maroon/White/Maroon. 1 Game. 0-1 Record.
Silver/White/White. 1 Game. 0-1 Record.
Silver/Maroon/Gray. 1 Game. 0-1 Record.
2016 Uniform of the Year
Like last year, the 2016 Uniform Review will close with the Uniform Combo Of the Year. This year's Twitter polls crowned All White as the Uni Combo of the year, mostly due to the Bulldogs' 55-20 Egg Bowl win in them. As mentioned earlier, the all white look was vastly improved in 2016; I think it is very deserving of the uniform of the year. According to the equipment staff, it's the players' favorite too. Good to know the players have decent taste.
I'd like to close out the 2016 Uniform Review by thanking the equipment staff for all their hard work, former Athletic Director Scott Strickin for setting these changes in motion, all of the coaches and players, and all of my fellow students and fans, especially those who have followed and particpated with this website and the @hailstateunis twitter account.
#Hailstate
Helmets:
Maroon. 7 Games. 3-4 Record.
Silver. 4 Games. 2-2 Record.
White. 2 Games. 1-1 Record.
Jerseys:
Maroon. 6 Games. 3-3 Record.
White. 5 Games. 1-4 Record.
Black Flag. 1 Game. 1-0 Record.
Patriots. 1 Game. 1-0 Record.
Pants:
White. 6 Games. 2-4 Record.
Maroon. 3 Games. 1-2 Record.
Gray. 2 Games. 1-1 Record.
Black Flag. 1 Game. 1-0 Record.
Maroon Patriots. 1 Game. 1-0 Record.
Combos:
White/White/White. 2 Games. 1-1 Record.
Maroon/Maroon/White. 2 Games. 1-1 Record.
Maroon/Maroon/Maroon. 2 Games. 1-1 Record.
Maroon/Maroon/Gray. 1 Game. 1-0 Record.
Patriots Inspired. 1 Game. 1-0 Record.
Black Adidas Flag Template. 1 Game. 1-0 Record.
Maroon/White/White. 1 Game. 0-1 Record.
Maroon/White/Maroon. 1 Game. 0-1 Record.
Silver/White/White. 1 Game. 0-1 Record.
Silver/Maroon/Gray. 1 Game. 0-1 Record.
2016 Uniform of the Year
Like last year, the 2016 Uniform Review will close with the Uniform Combo Of the Year. This year's Twitter polls crowned All White as the Uni Combo of the year, mostly due to the Bulldogs' 55-20 Egg Bowl win in them. As mentioned earlier, the all white look was vastly improved in 2016; I think it is very deserving of the uniform of the year. According to the equipment staff, it's the players' favorite too. Good to know the players have decent taste.
I'd like to close out the 2016 Uniform Review by thanking the equipment staff for all their hard work, former Athletic Director Scott Strickin for setting these changes in motion, all of the coaches and players, and all of my fellow students and fans, especially those who have followed and particpated with this website and the @hailstateunis twitter account.
#Hailstate
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