Mississippi State got its first live scrimmage of the fall on Sunday evening at Davis Wade Stadium, and coach Jeff Lebby came away encouraged by what he saw from both sides of the ball.
Lebby said the Bulldogs came out sharp and made a strong impression in a setting that gave the staff a real look at where the team stands. He pointed to the physical nature of the work and said the offense and defense both had good moments.
“Great competition, a ton of back and forth,” Lebby said after the scrimmage. “We’ve got a ton of work to do.
Number one, we’re healthy coming off the field, which is huge. And number two, the energy, the physicality, and again, the back-and-forth competitiveness was really good.”
The scrimmage gave State a chance to test its physicality, something Lebby liked not just because of the pace, but because the Bulldogs came out of it without injuries.
“First things first, we came off the grass healthy, which was huge, but man, we were physical,” he said. “People were flying around.
We’ll continue to watch the film. We’ve got to have more and more of it.
That’s going to be a huge part of who we are.”
Lebby also liked what he saw from the offensive line, which had some solid moments and could use those reps moving forward.
“We’ve got to get better. We’ve got to continue to get better.
But our guys are playing with a ton of urgency and fighting to get better,” Lebby said. “I like where that group’s at.
I’m always going to want more. That’s going to be a huge part of who we are.”
He added that the staff sees the line growing in the right direction and believes that unit is embracing the work.
“I love where that group’s at,” Lebby said. “I’m always going to want more and more of it. That’s going to be a huge part of who we are.”
Lebby also stressed that consistency and chemistry remain major points of emphasis.
“We’ve got to get better,” he said. “We’ve got to continue to get better. But our guys are playing with a ton of urgency and fighting to get better.”
The coach said defensive coordinator Zach Arnett will keep working in tandem with him to make sure the Bulldogs play hard and aggressive throughout the fall.
“Our DNA is to be aggressive, so we’re going to be who we’re supposed to be,” Lebby said. “There’s that fine line of making sure we’re playing this incredible team football, and that’s what matters at the end of the day.”
Lebby also liked what he saw from Kamario Taylor, who made two bad throws but still created several chances for explosive plays. He also liked Taylor’s decision-making and focus on ball security.
“I love live situations because they’re not live for him, and so it continues to make him play the game from the pocket, which is critical for us and for his development,” Lebby said. “He’s had a really good camp, and he’s straining to get better every day, so I’m looking forward to that.”
For Lebby, the scrimmage was a useful checkpoint - one that showed the Bulldogs competing hard, staying healthy and leaving room to keep building.