PHOTO GALLERY: Starkville moves beyond boring

The image of Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen is displayed on the side of Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss. Mullen was an offensive coordinator at Florida before taking over the Bulldogs in 2009.   |  Ben Frederickson

Mississippi State baseball fans eat, drink and watch the game from Leftfield Lounge on April 27. On this night, the Bulldogs beat rival Ole Miss 4-0.   |  Ben Frederickson

Statues of Mississippi State bulldogs can be found all around the campus in Starkville. During football games, the school's live mascot, an English Bulldog named Bully, watches from the field.   |  Ben Frederickson

Mississippi State students in the school's Air Force ROTC program carry out end-of-the-year drills on Drill Field on April 27. The field sits in the middle of the Starkville campus and is a regular spot for ROTC activities.   |  Ben Frederickson

Mississippi State electrical engineering senior Darrell Cleveland displays his notes on the "Fundamentals of Signals and Systems." The Engineering program at Mississippi State, which has existed for more than 100 years, now has an enrollment of more than 2,000 students in 10 fields.   |  Ben Frederickson

The Starkville Cafe is the early-morning starting point for the town's locals. Politics and Mississippi State football are often discussed over a breakfast of eggs and grits.   |  Ben Frederickson

A fresh batch of crawfish waits in a pot at the Crawfish Hole in Starkville. Presley McPhail, the Mississippi State junior who runs the stand, says the secret to good crawfish is in the seasoning.   |  Ben Frederickson

Mississippi State junior Sam Jones shoots his .30-06 rifle from the driver's seat of his Hyundai Genesis on April 27. Jones' target practice takes place in a field near Starkville, Miss.   |  Ben Frederickson

Mississippi State junior Sam Jones shoots a zombie target with a pistol on April 27 at a field just outside of Starkville.   |  Ben Frederickson