The part of Mississippi State’s season that should set off the loudest alarm after the LSU shutout is the pass defense. That’s the area where the Bulldogs have simply been too easy to attack, and the last two games back that up.
Across the Alabama and LSU games, the Bulldogs watched those offenses go 49-for-62 for 593 yards and seven touchdowns. Mississippi State didn’t come up with an interception in either game and managed only one pass breakup total, based on the box scores. Sure, facing two strong offenses can make any defense look rough, but that kind of production against the secondary is hard to shrug off.
The quarterback situation is just as central to everything Mississippi State is doing. The Bulldogs scored 172 points over their first four games, then only 23 in the next two. Starting quarterback Kamario Taylor was banged up against Alabama and then missed LSU, and the offense’s drop tells the whole story about how much it leans on him.
Coach Lebby’s scheme needs a quarterback who can threaten defenses with both his feet and his arm. Until Taylor is back to full strength, opponents are going to keep treating Mississippi State like a team that has to find answers elsewhere - and, so far, that approach has worked.
Turnovers made those two losses look even worse. Mississippi State gave it away four times against Alabama, including a pick-six, then had another turnover at LSU.
That left the Bulldogs with five giveaways across the two games, while forcing only three turnovers of their own. The matchup edge may have been real, but the giveaway margin made everything uglier, and that’s the kind of issue that can be cleaned up.
The run game is another area that can still be repaired. After Mississippi State was held to 18 rushing yards on 30 carries against Alabama, the questions were fair. Then LSU allowed 170 rushing yards to a Bulldogs team that was without leading back Fluff Bothwell.
That leaves the ground game in the imperfect-but-fixable category. If Bothwell is back, Mississippi State has a chance to build around the run again, and that matters even more with the quarterback situation still in flux.
None of this changes the larger picture that Mississippi State opened 4-0 for the second straight season. Two losses to ranked SEC teams don’t wipe out that start. The Bulldogs still need two more wins to get to six, and the schedule still includes home games against Vanderbilt, Auburn and FCS Tennessee Tech.
Lebby’s postgame comments after LSU sounded like the kind of message a coach gives when he knows the damage is real but the season is not over.
“It’s like I said, nobody likes it. I don’t like it, players don’t like it, ain’t good enough. That’s the reality of it,” Lebby said in his postgame press conference.
He also pointed toward the response he wants from his team.
“Leadership is called upon in these moments and these times. That’s why they call us coaches is to find ways to get these guys to stick together and understand how much we have out in front of us,” Lebby said.
In Other News...
Josh Hubbard Return Would Change Everything For Mississippi State's Backcourt
Josh Hubbards availability is moving in the right direction at a good time for Mississippi State, which is trying to settle its backcourt before the regular season arrives. Head coach Chris Jans said the star guard is progressing after the head injury that kept him out of Sundays exhibition against NC State, and the Bulldogs have every reason to want him back in the mix quickly.
Hubbard has already returned to non-contact work, and Jans expects him to be back to full participation later in the week ahead of the matchup with Memphis. For a Mississippi State offense that leans on Hubbards playmaking and scoring punch, getting him back on the floor could change the look of the whole rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma's Offense Brings A New Kind Of Pressure To Starkville
Ben Arbuckle did not try to dodge the heat after Oklahomas loss to Kentucky, taking responsibility for the offenses struggles even as the criticism has kept circling around starting quarterback John Mateer. For Mississippi State fans watching the Sooners next move, the important part is that Arbuckle made it clear Mateer still holds the job, a sign Oklahoma is not ready to make a quick change at the most visible position on the field.
Still, the conversation around Oklahoma has drifted beyond one bad night and into what happens if the offense keeps sputtering. Midseason coaching adjustments are part of the backdrop now, with assistant head coach Kevin Wilson mentioned as a possible piece of any shake-up if the unit does not improve, and that kind of uncertainty is the sort of thing that can follow a team into Starkville. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State Faces A Memphis Test That Should Reveal A Lot
Mississippi States preseason work continues Friday night at Humphrey Coliseum, where an exhibition against Memphis is built more for answers than for the scoreboard. The Bulldogs are using this stretch to sort through player roles, see which combinations fit best and get a better read on how the pieces function together before the games start counting for real.
For a roster still being evaluated, the matchup offers a useful snapshot of where things stand. The staff will be watching how individuals contribute to the group, how cleanly the team executes and which lineups look capable of carrying over into the regular season, with a little more clarity likely to come out of this one even if the full picture is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]