Mississippi State football took the field at Davis Wade Stadium for a scrimmage behind closed doors, the first head-to-head intrasquad matchup of fall camp, and it left head coach Jeff Lebby more impressed with one side of the ball than the other.
Defensive playmaking
A main focus in the offseason has been restructuring a defense that ranked among the worst in Division I football in 2024. Lebby and staff were able to add depth to the defensive line and gained experience at defensive back, personnel changes that have paid off early in fall camp.
“There’s been a good core group of guys on the D-line that have done a really good job,” Lebby said. “I’m going to wait to name names until we get through next week’s scrimmage and get two weeks into this thing, but I think the best part about what’s going on our defensive line right now is we’re going to have the ability to go play 10 or 11 guys and play winning football with 10 or 11 guys. That’s huge for us, and we need them to keep coming with competition so that we have the ability to roll guys, play fresh, and play hard.”
Although media were not allowed at the scrimmage, MSU football media shared highlights from the day’s action. Featured prominently was a scoop and score by defensive back Kelley Jones, who picked up a fumble around the 40-yard line and raced away for the score.
Lebby highlighted the play in his press conference afterward.
“We’ve talked about that nonstop,” he said. “When you’re in a position to make it, we’ve got to make it. Again, we were far from perfect, but we’ve got a chance to build on that.”
The defense was short of playmakers last year, but above all, short of playmaking opportunities. They rarely put opposing offenses in uncomfortable situations on second and third down, where it’s easiest to generate a pass rush, and defensive backs are asked to cover their receivers for less time.
The 2024 defense ranked 122nd out of 133 FBS teams in third-down defense and tied 110th for turnovers gained with just 12 all year.
While the team is still just playing against each other, Lebby was impressed with the growth on defense toward playmaking and creating key momentum-swinging moments on Sunday.
“What I loved was defensively, we found a way to create turnovers and some negative plays,” Lebby said. “That to me was a great thing to see from the defensive side of the ball. And when they got their hands on the ball, they made plays, creating some huge momentum in the scrimmage, and that was good to see as a unit.”
Offense misfiring
Perhaps the surprise from the scrimmage was Lebby’s frustration with the offensive production. While the defense impressed, the offense showed it still has a lot to work on.
As a playcalling head coach, Lebby’s handiwork is evident throughout an offense that aims to spread out opposing defenses, establish the run, and create opportunities for playmakers in space with the ball in their hands.
Last year, the offense took some time to come along. It was understandable given the loss of Blake Shapen in Week 4 and the introduction of a true freshman under center. This year, they’re hoping to avoid the quick three-and-outs that plagued the team last season, but the first look at a full picture wasn’t to Lebby’s liking.
“Today, the frustrating thing offensively was not taking care of the ball,” Lebby said. “We did some really good things, we created a couple of explosives, and did some decent things in the run game. But then, turnovers were the storyline today. The ball is the program. We’ve got to make sure we’re doing a great job of taking care of it. We’ve done a pretty good job throughout fall camp of doing that nine practices in, but that was the story today.”
The Bulldogs focused on adding to a rushing attack that finished strong in 2024. Davon Booth and Johnnie Daniels are the experienced players in the room and they’re joined by impressive sophomore transfer Fluff Bothwell, who led the Sun Belt in rushing touchdowns as a true freshman last year.
Lebby remarked that Bothwell will be “incredibly involved” as the Bulldogs focus on establishing the run early on after a slow start last season
A big boost also came along the offensive line. Returning experience was reinforced with key transfers, and as a whole, the offense has had more personnel to rely on. It’s not a finished product yet, but Lebby is seeing the difference that more reps and more contributors are making.
“The cool thing is that we’re getting more guys getting more reps, so there’s more tape to watch, there’s more film, there’s more going on, because from a roster standpoint, we’ve been able to practice how we need to practice just to give ourselves a chance,” he said. “With a lot of newness, once the guys defensively were here in the spring, offensively, a lot of scrimmage with our offensive linemen and the tight end position, and those guys are new, they’re nine practices in. I think that’s what I’ve talked about after Day 1, that’s where we’ve got to make this huge amount of growth as fast as we possibly can, getting those guys on the same page.
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