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Mississippi State DE Ryan Brown wants fun ride to continue

Mississippi State defensive end Ryan Brown celebrates a sack of Georgia Tech's Justin Thomas during the Bulldogs' 49-34 loss to the Yellow Jackets in the Orange Bowl. Brown finished last season with 10 quarterback hurries, seven tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
Mississippi State defensive end Ryan Brown celebrates a sack of Georgia Tech's Justin Thomas during the Bulldogs' 49-34 loss to the Yellow Jackets in the Orange Bowl. Brown finished last season with 10 quarterback hurries, seven tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

By David Paschall 4 min read

Mississippi State had never been a top-five football program before last season, so it’s little surprise the unexpected ascent to No. 1 in the national rankings provided special memories.

Dan Mullen’s Bulldogs began last year unranked, but that changed in late September after a 34-29 win over No. 8 LSU in Baton Rouge. A 48-31 win over No. 6 Texas A&M got the Bulldogs in the top five, and then a 38-23 win over No. 2 Auburn placed Mississippi State at the top of the polls.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

Last season: 10-3 (6-2 SEC)Opener: Sept. 5 at Southern Miss (10 p.m. on Fox Sports One)Fun fact: Mississippi State trails every series against SEC West opposition except against Texas A&M, with that series deadlocked at 4-4.COMING TUESDAYMissouri

Starkville was college football’s capital for more than a month before the dream run ended with a 25-20 loss at No. 4 Alabama.

“I had fun while we were there,” senior defensive end Ryan Brown said earlier this month at SEC Media Days. “I remember waking up that Sunday morning and the polls came out to where it was official. We were No. 1, and I had no words to describe how I felt.”