Mississippi
Who’s on the Mount Rushmore of Mississippi State football wide receivers?
To get through the offseason, we’re putting together the “Mount Rushmores” of Mississippi State football. We’ve set out backfields with the Mount Rushmores of both MSU quarterbacks and running backs.
Now, we move onto the pass-catchers. Here’s the Mount Rushmore of Mississippi State wide receivers…
There’s one receiving talent that stands out above the rest at Mississippi State, and that’s Eric Moulds. No other Bulldog pass-catcher has had the combination of size, speed, and dominant athleticism as Moulds.
As a freshman, Moulds caught 17 passes for 398 yards and four TDs. Those numbers would be upped to 39 catches for 845 yards and seven TDs in 1994. He’d close his college career with 62 for 779 and six TDs in 1995 before being a 1st round pick by the Buffalo Bills in the 1996 NFL Draft.
Eric Moulds would spend 12 seasons in the league, four times going for over 1000 yards and three times being named a Pro Bowler.
Mississippi State’s current WR coach happened to be one of the players responsible for turning around Bulldog football under Dan Mullen. A 4-star recruit out of Tupelo, Chad Bumphis proved to be a star in the making, leading the team in receiving as a true freshman in 2009.
In 2010 in became a true go-to target with 44 catches for 634 yards and five TDs. His numbers dipped in 2011, but he’d rebound better than ever the next year. As a senior, Bumphis caught 58 passes for 922 yards and a school-record 12 TDs.
Chad Bumphis is the all-time MSU leader in receiving TDs with 24 and is second in career yards at 2,270.
The first 1000-yard receiver in MSU history needs to make Mount Rushmore. In 1978, Mardye McDole caught 44 passes for 1,035 yards and seven TDs, earning All-SEC honors. That yardage total would stand as the single-season record at State all the way until 2021.
McDole pass-catching numbers would dip significantly as a junior and senior, but that’s because new HC Emory Bellard implemented his Wishbone attack. Within that offense, McDole frequently lined-up as a RB. He’d post 727 yards of total offense and six TDs in 1980, again being named All-SEC. Despite the change in usage, Mardye McDole still ranks third in all time receiving yards at State with 2,214.
You’d expect at least one WR from the greatest era of offense in Starkville to make Mount Rushmore. Fred Ross’ put together some of the best pass-catching seasons in State history during his career. After a quiet freshman season, Ross would make noise with five TDs during MSU’s incredible 2014 season.
As a junior, he’d become just the second 1000-yard receiver at State with a then school-record 88 catches for 1,007 yards and five TDs. Ross would go for another 917 yards as a senior and tie Chad Bumphis with 12 TD catches.
Fred Ross was named 1st Team All-SEC in both 2015 and 2016. He owns the career receiving record at MSU with 2,538 yards and is tied for second in career TDs with 22.
Coming off an exciting end to the season that saw them nearly make a miracle run to the NCAA Tournament, the Ole Miss Rebels have now lost a notable transfer portal battle to their heated rivals this offseason, leaving Chris Beard and the coaching staff with more questions about how to fill out their roster for next year.
Mississippi State has landed a commitment from Washington State transfer forward ND Okafor, giving the Bulldogs their fifth portal addition of the offseason. Okafor’s decision to choose Starkville comes as a surprise less than a month after he had announced his commitment to Ole Miss. He originally didn’t even have Mississippi State as one of his original finalists, but it’s clear head coach Chris Jans and the Bulldogs won him over.
By fumbling the commitment of Okafor, the Rebels miss out on a player who has four years of high-major experience and is coming off of the best season of his career. He started all 32 games for Washington State this past season, averaging 11 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Okafor began his career at California and will now be playing for Mississippi State in his final year of college basketball.
Where Ole Miss Basketball’s Transfer Portal Class Stands
The Rebels have had a somewhat underwhelming offseason in the portal. Beard and staff brought in some interesting portal pieces last year but it remains to be seen how this offseason’s portal class stacks up.
Ole Miss has already landed five portal commitments, though the team has yet to add a true star-studded transfer. The Rebels have Pepperdine center Stefan Cicic, Seton Hall guard Adam Clark, James Madison forward Christian Brown, Saint Jospeh’s forward Dasear Haskins and Pitt forward Roman Siulepa.
As things stands, Ole Miss doesn’t have a portal addition that truly stands out as a potential game-changer for next season. Clark does offer some intrigue though, as he averaged 12.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.0 steals at Seton Hall last season. A strong defender and creator, Clark has started all 99 career games dating back to his first two years at Merrimack and will no doubt bring a veteran presence to the Ole Miss roster.
But the Rebels need more. Okafor would have been a solid addition on the wing who fits the defensive-mind approach that Beard is looking for.
It will be interesting to see where the Rebels go from here after missing out on a portal addition to their arch rivals.
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This week on Behind the Lens: “Paraquat and Parkinson’s.” Wayne County, Mississippi is the largest emitter of paraquat in the world, an herbicide linked to the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease. Environmental reporter Delaney Nolan explains the safety concerns and what they could mean for affected communities.
Theme music by Podington Bear. Additional music includes “Rumor” by Podington Bear (soundofpicture.com) and “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell.
This story is a product of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an independent reporting network based at the University of Missouri, in partnership with Report for America, with major funding from the Walton Family Foundation.
Music Credits:
Theme music by Podington Bear
Additional music “Rumor” by Podington Bear from soundofpicture.com and “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchel
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