MISSISSIPPI STATE
› Last season: 8-5 (4-4 SEC)› 2019 opener: Aug. 31 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette in New Orleans (noon; ESPNU)› Fun fact: Mississippi State has a chance to join Alabama, Georgia and LSU as the only SEC programs to reach a bowl game every year this decade (Texas A&M went to bowls as a Big 12 member in 2010-11 and has been as an SEC member since).› Coming Tuesday: Missouri
The Mississippi State Bulldogs made program history earlier this year when three players were selected during the first round of the NFL draft.
All three played on the defensive side of the ball - tackle Jeffery Simmons, end Montez Sweat and safety Johnathan Abram - but not all three absences will be noticed evenly this season. At least that's the opinion of redshirt junior middle linebacker Erroll Thompson.
"I will miss Jeffery Simmons the most," Thompson said at SEC Media Days. "I never saw anyone block him one-on-one. He was just that kind of freak. Jeffery Simmons kept everybody off of us."
Simmons, Sweat and Abram helped Mississippi State produce the nation's stingiest defense, as the Bulldogs allowed just 263.1 yards per game. The Bulldogs also led the country in scoring defense through the regular season but finished second to Clemson following the postseason.
Only four Mississippi State opponents - Kentucky, LSU, Alabama and Iowa in the Outback Bowl - managed to hang at least 14 points on the Bulldogs, and the Bulldogs were the only SEC team that did not allow 30 points in a contest.
"We took great pride in that," Thompson said. Whether you're leading the conference or the whole nation, you've still got to prepare."
Thompson certainly did his part to factor into Mississippi State's defensive success, as the 6-foot-1, 250-pounder from Florence, Alabama, racked up 87 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a pair of interceptions. He was the SEC's only linebacker to record at least 85 tackles and multiple interceptions.
Delving deeper into last season's statistics, Thompson only missed seven tackles in more than 750 snaps, and his coverage grade of 88.5 led all SEC linebackers.
"Erroll has great eyes, which has helped him become one of the top linebackers in the country," Mississippi State second-year coach Joe Moorhead said.
Thompson was a three-star prospect in the 2016 signing class out of Florence High School and was overshadowed within his state on the recruiting front due to the five-star linebacker duo of Ben Davis and Mack Wilson, who both signed with Alabama. Thompson redshirted in 2016 but blossomed as a redshirt freshman, earning SEC all-freshman honors after compiling 46 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
An injury late in the 2017 season to starting middle linebacker Dez Harris thrust Thompson into first-team status, and his role is now further enhanced by the exodus of Simmons, Sweat and Abram.
"I've got to be a leader," said Thompson, who already has been named as a defensive captain. "I feel like those guys molded me to step right into a leadership role, and I feel like I'm taking that on. We've got a lot of guys stepping up - (defensive linemen) Lee Autry, Kendell Jones, Chauncey Rivers and Kobe Jones - and we've got to prepare the same way as last year."
Mississippi State's 8-5 record last season included double-digit wins over Auburn and Texas A&M and a 35-3 Egg Bowl trampling of rival Ole Miss, but there were moments of offensive ineptitude in lopsided losses to Kentucky (28-7), LSU (19-3) and Alabama (24-0). There was also an emotion-packed 13-6 home loss against Florida, who was guided by head coach Dan Mullen and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, a pair who had been together in Starkville the year before.
The Bulldogs are moving on without dual-threat quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, with junior Keytaon Thompson and Penn State graduate transfer Tommy Stevens vying for the starting role. The combination of three first-round defensive departures, Fitzgerald's absence and a 27-22 Outback Bowl loss in which State compiled 342 yards to Iowa's 199 has Mississippi State on slightly shakier ground compared to this time last year.
"Losing the bowl made us want to prepare even harder for this year," Thompson said. "People probably feel like we're going to take a step back, but that's not my call. As long as we prepare, we can compete on a week in, week out basis.
"We are very eager for the season to start."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.