1938 Mississippi State Maroons football team

The 1938 Mississippi State Maroons football team was an American football team that represented Mississippi State College (now known as Mississippi State University) as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1938 college football season. In their first year under head coach Spike Nelson, the Maroons complied an overall record of 4–6, with a conference record of 1–4, and finished 11th in the SEC.[1]

1938 Mississippi State Maroons football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record4–6 (1–4 SEC)
Head coach
Home stadiumScott Field
Seasons
← 1937
1939 →
1938 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 2 Tennessee $ 7 0 0 11 0 0
No. 13 Alabama 4 1 1 7 1 1
No. 19 Tulane 4 1 1 7 2 1
Ole Miss 3 2 0 9 2 0
Georgia Tech 2 1 3 3 4 3
Vanderbilt 4 3 0 6 3 0
Florida 2 2 1 4 6 1
Auburn 3 3 1 4 5 1
Georgia 1 2 1 5 4 1
LSU 2 4 0 6 4 0
Mississippi State 1 4 0 4 6 0
Kentucky 0 4 0 2 7 0
Sewanee 0 6 0 1 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Spike Nelson took over as head coach after the sudden resignation of Ralph Sasse. Nelson instituted new cardinal and gold uniforms, rather than the traditional maroon and white, upsetting fans and alumni.[2] Nelson also proved unpopular with players and was not retained after the season.[3]

Schedule

edit
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 24Howard (AL)*W 19–0[4]
October 1Florida
  • Scott Field
  • Starkville, MS
W 22–0[5]
October 8Louisiana Tech*
  • Scott Field
  • Starkville, MS
W 48–08,000[6]
October 14at AuburnL 6–20[7]
October 21at Duquesne*W 12–712,000[8]
October 29at TulaneL 0–2720,000[9]
November 5at LSUL 7–32[10]
November 12vs. Centenary*
L 0–195,000[11]
November 19at Southwestern (TN)*L 3–712,000[12]
November 26Ole Miss
L 6–1915,000[13]
  • *Non-conference game

References

edit
  1. ^ "1938 Mississippi State Bulldogs Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  2. ^ "Mississippi State Traditions". HailState.com.
  3. ^ Michael B. Ballard, Maroon and White: Mississippi State University, 1878–2003, University Press of Mississippi, 2008, ISBN 1-57806-999-8.
  4. ^ "State waits until third period to run over Howard". The Clarion-Ledger. September 25, 1938. Retrieved August 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Maroons trounce Florida eleven by 22–0 margin". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 2, 1938. Retrieved September 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Mississippi State crushes game Louisiana Tech, 48–0". Monroe Morning World. October 9, 1938. Retrieved July 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Auburn clicks to maul Maroons, 20 to 6". The Birmingham News. October 15, 1938. Retrieved September 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Mississippi in surprise score over Duquesne". Buffalo Courier-Express. October 22, 1938. Retrieved September 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Tulane licks Miss. State by 27–0 margin". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 30, 1938. Retrieved April 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "LSU overcomes resistance by Mississippi State, 32–7". The Palm Beach Post-Times. November 6, 1938. Retrieved September 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Gents gain upset". The Clarion-Ledger. November 13, 1938. Retrieved July 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Gaylon Smith sparks Lynx to 7–3 victory over Mississippians". The Commercial Appeal. November 20, 1938. Retrieved September 30, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Rebels snap State streak in 19 to 6 win". The Birmingham News. November 27, 1938. Retrieved September 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.