The Associated Press

STARKVILLE – A year after Mississippi State made rousing comeback victories routine, the Bulldogs often found themselves on the losing end of the fantastic finishes of 2000.

No. 24 Mississippi State finished 8-4 and completed the season by finally winning one of those wild games that made this past season both a memorable and frustrating one for the Southeastern Conference team.

The Bulldogs held significant leads at one point in all of their losses, and fourth-quarter leads of at least nine points in the first three.

Mississippi State dropped two games in overtime. The first, a wild 41-35 heartbreaker at LSU’s deafening Death Valley. The second, to Arkansas, not only ended the Bulldogs’ 16-game home-winning streak but also quashed their hopes for a trip to the SEC championship game.

But at times in 2000, Mississippi State looked like the best team in the SEC.

For the first time in school history, Mississippi State beat a top-15 opponent in back-to-back games- thumping Florida and Auburn on consecutive Saturday’s at Scott Field.

The 47-35 grilling of the then-No. 3 Gators was the season’s high point.

”It’s the biggest win since I’ve been here,” coach Jackie Sherrill said.

It marked the Bulldogs’ first victory against a top three team in 20 years, and was also the coming out party for the dynamic tailback duo of Dicenzo Miller and Dontae Walker

Mississippi State pummeled Florida with over 300 yards rushing. Miller had 172 yards and Walker 156. The two would run for over 100 yards in the same game on three other occasions and combine for 1,800 yards rushing and 21 TDs during the season.

”Going into the year we probably thought Dontae would be the one guy, but Dicenzo hasn’t cooperated, he’s had a great year,” running backs coach Glenn Davis said.

The Bulldogs were the No. 1 rushing team in the SEC last season, averaging 386 yards per game and 31.5 points per outing.

The dull grind-it-out Bulldogs, who relied on defense and special teams to go 10-2 in 1999, were replaced by an explosive team that often overcame porous defense with a big-play offense.

The defense had its moments – three defensive touchdowns against BYU; seven sacks against Florida; holding Rudi Johnson of Auburn, the SEC’s leading rusher, to 26 yards – but overall it fell short of the lofty standards set in recent years.

The Bulldogs’ blew fourth-quarter leads against South Carolina, LSU and Arkansas.

Despite the stellar play of All-American cornerback Fred Smoot, Mississippi State’s pass coverage was spotty. And a lack of depth at linebacker and defensive line was exposed by late season injuries.