STARKVILLE — The warning signs for Mississippi State’s woeful defense last fall were apparent as early as the spring game, when the Bulldogs’ receivers torched the defensive backs for one big play after another as the defensive line struggled to generate pressure on the quarterbacks and stop the run.
All of those issues remained present throughout the season. MSU was dead last in the Southeastern Conference in just about every meaningful defensive category, and among the worst in the country in sack rate and yards allowed per pass attempt. The result was a 2-10 season and the Bulldogs’ first year without an SEC win since 2002.
With defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler now preparing for his second season in Starkville, MSU’s defense turned in a much better showing in this year’s spring game. All statistics kept were unofficial, but Hutzler’s unit was credited with seven sacks and mostly limited big plays on the ground against a strong crop of running backs.
“We flew around,” said linebacker Nic Mitchell, one of the group’s veterans after starting all 12 games last fall. “We’re just all trying to grow, get to know each other. (There are) a lot of new faces in the room, a lot of new faces on the team, so we’re just trying to grow and become a brotherhood.”
Head coach Jeff Lebby showed faith in Hutzler and the rest of his defensive staff by keeping them all on board, but he also brought in reinforcements. He hired Vincent Dancy to coach the defensive ends and outside linebackers, letting David Turner focus exclusively on the defensive tackles. Lebby also added two former head coaches, Paul Rhoads and Mike McIntyre, as senior defensive analysts. Both have more than 30 years of coaching experience.
The winter transfer portal window brought mixed results, but the Bulldogs did well to shore up their depth at linebacker to help out returners like Mitchell, Branden Jennings and Zakari Tillman. Jalen Smith, who made the SEC All-Freshman Team last year at Tennessee, was the biggest addition, and he led the team in tackles for the spring game. Derion Gullette has also been impressive this spring after coming over from Texas.
“Those guys inside at the second level, we’re in a much different place than we were a year ago,” Lebby said. “We need to be able to go play four guys to get done what we want to get done. We can’t leave somebody on the field for 65, 70 snaps, as we were made to at times last year. That’s going to be huge for us. Jalen is absolutely going to be a big part of it.”
Redshirt freshman Josaiah Knight was the only linebacker with a sack Saturday, and it came against freshman dual-threat quarterback KaMario Taylor. But the unit was effective against the run, holding all four running backs — Davon Booth, Johnnie Daniels, Fluff Bothwell and Xavier Gayten — to under four yards per carry.
The defensive line was MSU’s biggest weakness last year but showed off its potential in the spring game, with Joseph Head, Deonte Anderson, Red Hibbler and Raishein Thomas each recording a sack.
“You could tell (the defense) played together a lot better,” starting quarterback Blake Shapen said. “We returned a lot of guys and then we also added a lot of guys, especially on the defensive line, so seeing those guys come together more has been great.”
The secondary also still needs some work, and Lebby acknowledged that when he said the Bulldogs are trying to add either a cornerback or a safety in the portal this spring. MSU is particularly thin at corner, but DeAgo Brumfield played well Saturday, and several defensive backs stepped up for tackles for loss, including Tyler Woodard, Brylan Lanier and Tony Mitchell.
The centerpiece of the defense as a whole is still Isaac Smith, who led the SEC in tackles as a sophomore last year. In Hutzler’s 4-2-5 defense, Smith plays the all-important “star” position, a hybrid between a linebacker and a safety.
“A lot of people always ask me, ‘Are you playing linebacker now?’ I’m like, ‘It’s the same as last year, and I love it,’” Smith said. “Playing it last year and getting a lot more reps in it this year, it’s going to be a fun season for me, just because I know everything and I’m going to be able to fly around and just play free.”
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