Despite a loss Thursday to Ole Miss, Mississippi State completed a strong regular season in 2021.

The Bulldogs finished with a 7-5 record, beat four teams that spent time in the AP Top 25 and finished fourth in the Southeastern Conference’s West division.

But Mississippi State clearly missed out on some opportunities to put together an even stronger campaign, losing close games to the likes of Memphis, LSU and Arkansas. Even last week’s Egg Bowl should have been closer; statistically, the Bulldogs win that game 53 percent of the time, according to ESPN’s Bill Connelly.

In fact, MSU was one of just four FBS teams to finish in the top 25 in both total offense and total defense. The Bulldogs were No. 21 and No. 24, respectively, joining Michigan, Alabama and Coastal Carolina in the select group.

But special teams proved a struggle all season for Mississippi State, and they’re likely a significant part of why the Bulldogs finished the season 7-5 rather than 9-3 or even a possible 10-2.

With the regular season now concluded, The Dispatch took a look at three sets of statistics that defined MSU’s year.

Airing it out

Four Mississippi State players finished in the top 100 nationally in receptions, the most of any FBS team.

And two of them were running backs.

Jo’quavious Marks caught 79 passes to lead all tailbacks and tie for 19th overall in the nation. His 5.87 yards per catch ranks last among the top 100 players in receptions, with Missouri’s Tyler Badie (6.11) second-to-last.

Third to last is Marks’ teammate, running back Dillon Johnson, who is tied for 55th with 62 catches and averages 6.39 yards per grab.

Cal transfer Makai Polk is tied for second in the nation with 98 catches, trailing only Western Kentucky’s Jerreth Sterns (127). Polk has scored nine touchdowns and sits just 11 yards short of a 1,000-yard season.

Sophomore Jaden Walley also cracked the top 100 in catches, finishing in a tie for 93rd place with 52 grabs. Walley has 610 yards and six touchdowns on the year.

It’s no surprise the Bulldogs are so well represented given how much they throw the ball. Mississippi State’s 652 pass attempts lead second-place WKU by 62, and the Bulldogs also rank first in completion percentage at 74.7 percent, 2.5 percent higher than next-best Purdue.

But it shows why receivers are so attracted to the Air Raid. Polk came in from Berkeley to “catch a lot of balls,” and he’s done just that.

It also bodes well for the future of Mike Leach’s scheme. As recently as Thursday afternoon, Mississippi State landed another big recruit: four-star receiver Zavion Thomas from Louisiana.

Road, sweet road

Mississippi State played considerably better on the road in 2021 than in the not-so-friendly confines of Davis Wade Stadium.

The Bulldogs had the No. 47 total offense and No. 82 scoring offense for their seven home games this season. On the road, they ranked No. 5 and No. 19, respectively, averaging more than 50 more yards and more than five more points per game.

Mississippi State was 14th in total defense and 45th in scoring defense on the road but just No. 47 and No. 79 at home, respectively.

That added up to a 3-2 road record and a 4-3 mark in Starkville for the Bulldogs.

Of course, a big factor in those splits is who Mississippi State faced. Its seven opponents at Davis Wade finished 53-30 (.639 winning percentage); its five road foes finished 40-30 (.571).

The Bulldogs’ 2021 schedule ranked as the 21st hardest in the country, according to ESPN.

Not-so-special teams

Field goal woes, particularly against Arkansas and Ole Miss, captured the spotlight for Mississippi State’s special teams.

Rightly so: The Bulldogs made just 14 of 25 field goals, a percentage of 56 percent that ranks No. 121 in the country.

But they also struggled in almost every other area, finishing in the bottom half of the country in several other key metrics.

Mississippi State ranked No. 129 — second to last — in opponent punt return average, finished No. 95 in average punt yardage, tied for 81st in punt return yardage, finished 75th in average kickoff yardage and wound up No. 70 in opponent kickoff return yardage.

The Bulldogs were just one of two teams to allow two punt returns of 70 or more yards and one of three to allow a 90-yard punt return. (That, of course, came on a play at Memphis that was controversially allowed to stand.)

Of course, it wasn’t all bad for MSU’s special teams. The Bulldogs were among the 55 teams who didn’t miss a single extra point, and thanks to Lideatrick Griffin, they finished 11th in kickoff return average.

But there’s clearly plenty of room for improvement on special teams in 2022.

Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.