Jeff Lebby is still looking for a complete game from A.J. Swann, and that was the central message Monday as Mississippi State tries to steady itself at quarterback.
Swann has started the last two games for the Bulldogs and finally played a full game against Vanderbilt on Saturday. He finished 23 of 36 for 254 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, a line that showed flashes without quite delivering the finish Mississippi State needs.
Lebby pointed to the missed chances as the difference. Swann threw for 166 yards before halftime, then added 88 more in the third quarter. Even with that production, the Bulldogs never fully turned it into a win.
“We want a ton back,” Lebby said. “Even a casual fan can see there’s some real missed opportunities at times, and there’s great frustration in that.”
Lebby said he has appreciated the accountability Swann has shown, especially after the quarterback came into the football facility on Monday.
“That part has been really, really good,” Lebby said. “We’ve got to continue to clean it up to be able to take advantage of some of those opportunities. Because at the end of the day, you’ve got a chance to change the outcome.”
The staff has also been trying to put Swann in better spots on first and second down, with third-down struggles still hanging over the offense. Mississippi State was 3 for 12 on third downs against the Commodores and averaged 3.5 yards to the line to gain. Vanderbilt faced third-and-12 or longer eight times.
“That is a group task. That’s certainly the quarterback position.
That’s the tight end position. That’s the receiver position.
Everybody has got to have great accountability,” Lebby said. “I said it on Saturday in a locker room to you guys and girls.
It’s going to start with me, and I’ve got to put these guys in positions every single day of the week to give them a chance to have the best possible outcome.”
Lebby also stressed that the offense has to keep improving in the run game and on early downs if Swann is going to have a real chance to settle in. Mississippi State has now lost three straight, and the Bulldogs have just three more games to try to avoid a fourth straight loss on the season.
The coaches have continued to encourage the team by keeping the message simple.
“At the end of the day, man, this is a production world,” Lebby said. “For us, it’s about finding a way to play the next play, the only play that matters, and going and making the most of it. There’s great buy-in to that, our guys understand that, and that’s what our focus is.”
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The setup points to a game that should stay tight, which only raises the value of the small things Mississippi State has to get right. Field position, third-down stops and finishing drives are all likely to loom large if the Bulldogs want to avoid letting Auburn hang around into the final stretch. With both teams needing to make the most of their chances, the margin for error feels thin enough to decide everything. [Read more 🡒]