The Joe Moorhead era at Mississippi State began with a bang. In what was hopefully symbolic of things to come, the Bulldogs' first offensive play from scrimmage was a screen pass from Keytaon Thompson to Kylin Hill that went 53 yards for a touchdown. If that wasn't enough, the Bulldogs' defense held Stephen F. Austin to a combined -21 (yes, negative 21) yards on their first three drives and didn't allow a touchdown the entire game. At the end of four quarters, the Bulldogs had won by a score of 63-6, which was a larger point total and larger margin of victory than any game in the Dan Mullen era.
The game was also the debut of the Bulldogs' updated Adidas Primeknit A1 uniforms, which were unveiled a few weeks ago. While the basic design is the same as last season, there are a number of small tweaks that really improved the look of the uniform. In addition to the changes revealed earlier, a surprise change was announced on the Friday before the game: new helmet decals.
Since switching to Adidas in 2009, Mississippi State has tweaked the hell out of its maroon helmet design. After wearing 19 total helmet designs from 1949 to 2008, Mississippi State has now worn 20 different helmet designs over the last 10 seasons. 15 of the 20 designs have been maroon helmets with an M-State logo, with variables such as helmet finish, facemask color, helmet stripe, logo color, logo outline, and even the inclusion of gold combining for the fifteen different versions. This is actually the first version in which the "M" in the "M-State" logo is maroon; it had been white in the previous 14 versions.
The game was also the debut of the Bulldogs' updated Adidas Primeknit A1 uniforms, which were unveiled a few weeks ago. While the basic design is the same as last season, there are a number of small tweaks that really improved the look of the uniform. In addition to the changes revealed earlier, a surprise change was announced on the Friday before the game: new helmet decals.
Since switching to Adidas in 2009, Mississippi State has tweaked the hell out of its maroon helmet design. After wearing 19 total helmet designs from 1949 to 2008, Mississippi State has now worn 20 different helmet designs over the last 10 seasons. 15 of the 20 designs have been maroon helmets with an M-State logo, with variables such as helmet finish, facemask color, helmet stripe, logo color, logo outline, and even the inclusion of gold combining for the fifteen different versions. This is actually the first version in which the "M" in the "M-State" logo is maroon; it had been white in the previous 14 versions.
I was on the fence about the change when it was announced on Friday, but after seeing the new decals up close on Saturday and then in action during the game, I'm convinced that it's a significant upgrade. It just looks so much cleaner; from what I've seen most fans are also in support of the change. A few have pointed out that the M blends in with the helmet a bit in the new version, and that's a legitimate point. However, the logo is visible enough and doesn't look like a white blob from a distance like the old version tended to do.
The other changes looked really good on the field as well:
All of those updates, combined with the new helmet decal, created a distinct look for the Joe Moorhead era. For the first time in a long, long time, there is nothing I would change about Mississippi State's football uniforms. These are, by far, the best football uniforms that Mississippi State has worn this century, and there's an argument to be made that they're the best the Bulldogs have ever worn.
I updated a few of the graphics from the season preview with the new helmet decal included. The new decal creates a more distinct difference between the 2017 and 2018 uniforms, as well as between the Dan Mullen and Joe Moorhead eras. The updated "Uniform Lineup" graphic shows how the new maroon helmet might look with a the Bulldogs' other combinations; I'm looking forward to seeing a few (or all) of those on the field this season.
The other changes looked really good on the field as well:
- The striped collar is a nice addition.
- The chest area looked much better with the Adidas logo no longer in the direct center.
- The numbers "popped" a lot more without the black outline around them.
- The name on back font, which I was skeptical of when I first saw it, looked a lot better than the old one did on the field. Much, much cleaner look.
- The thinner pants stripes looked much more professional than the thicker ones from the last two years.
All of those updates, combined with the new helmet decal, created a distinct look for the Joe Moorhead era. For the first time in a long, long time, there is nothing I would change about Mississippi State's football uniforms. These are, by far, the best football uniforms that Mississippi State has worn this century, and there's an argument to be made that they're the best the Bulldogs have ever worn.
I updated a few of the graphics from the season preview with the new helmet decal included. The new decal creates a more distinct difference between the 2017 and 2018 uniforms, as well as between the Dan Mullen and Joe Moorhead eras. The updated "Uniform Lineup" graphic shows how the new maroon helmet might look with a the Bulldogs' other combinations; I'm looking forward to seeing a few (or all) of those on the field this season.
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The uniform model for this week's game is #10 Keytaon Thompson, who threw for 364 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, in addition to 2 rushing touchdowns, while filling in as starting QB during Nick Fitzgerald's suspension.
Next week, Mississippi State will travel to Manhattan, KS to take on the Kansas State Wildcats. It will be the debut of the Bulldogs' white Primeknit A1 uniforms, so looking forward to that matchup at 11 A.M. next Saturday. Hail State.
Next week, Mississippi State will travel to Manhattan, KS to take on the Kansas State Wildcats. It will be the debut of the Bulldogs' white Primeknit A1 uniforms, so looking forward to that matchup at 11 A.M. next Saturday. Hail State.
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