The hiring was a huge hit, drawing loads of positive attention for a program that had been struggling for several years.

Croom’s first three years were lean three-win efforts, but he signed a contract extension in the offseason after the Bulldogs first winning season since 2000 that boosted his salary to $1.7 million.

“Five years ago, Mississippi State gave me the unprecedented opportunity to be a head football coach in the Southeastern Conference and to build a program based upon a strong foundation,” Croom said in a statement released by the school Saturday.

“We have tried to build a program the right way that can compete for conference championships. I believe the foundation has been set for those goals to be reached under the leadership of someone else, and it was my decision to resign.”

Running backs coach Rockey Felker, who was once head coach at Mississippi State, will run the team while the Bulldogs search for Croom’s replacement. Byrne said he has a shortlist of candidates and will hire a consultant to assist in the search.

Calls for Croom to make changes to his coaching staff and run-first offensive philosophy dogged the Bulldogs from their season-opening loss at Louisiana Tech, a Western Athletic Conference school. The team continued to have trouble at quarterback and Croom switched starters midway through the season.

The Bulldogs were 11th in the SEC in scoring offense (16.6 points per game) and 10th in total offense (297.7 yards per game) through 11 games and lost badly at Georgia Tech (38-7) and Tennessee (34-3). Yet some optimism remained that Mississippi State could salvage a bit of pride and its promising recruiting class after a 31-28 win over Arkansas last week.

Instead, the Egg Bowl was the end.

Players were informed of Croom’s decision by text message and will meet with the coach later. A spokesman said players would not be available Saturday, but some defended Croom following Friday’s loss.

“I think it is unfair,” wide receiver Delmon Robinson said of the criticism. “It’s all about the players. We’ve got to win and we’ve got to go out there and execute coach’s plays.”

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