STARKVILLE — Mississippi State hasn’t played a game yet, but the Bulldogs are already dealing with the injury bug.
Wide receiver Kelly Akharaiyi, projected as one of MSU’s most impactful transfer portal additions, will not be available for Saturday’s season opener against Eastern Kentucky, and neither will safety Corey Ellington, one of just two projected returning starters on defense. Both were “dinged up” during fall camp, head coach Jeff Lebby said at his first weekly press conference Monday.
Running back Jeffery Pittman, who joined the Bulldogs last year from the junior college ranks, is not with the program for the time being due to an “internal matter,” according to Lebby, who did not provide further details.
Akharaiyi was one of 33 FBS receivers to eclipse 1,000 yards last year at Texas-El Paso, and he was fifth nationally among qualified wideouts in yards per catch. His absence is a blow to a deep yet relatively inexperienced receiving corps.
“Kelly’s a guy, he’s had all this production, he’s played a lot of ball,” Lebby said. “I’m concerned from that standpoint. We’ve got some young guys in the room, I’ve talked about them through fall camp, who have a chance to be really good players. They just haven’t done it.”
Trent Hudson joined MSU in the spring portal window from New Mexico State, coming off 36 catches for 551 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023 with the Aggies. He was listed as a first-team wide receiver on the Bulldogs’ depth chart this week, alongside Jordan Mosley and Louisville transfer Kevin Coleman. Sophomore Creed Whittemore and freshmen Mario Craver and Braylon “Stonka” Burnside were listed as second-teamers.
The depth chart indicates that veteran Keyvone Lee pushed Utah State transfer Davon Booth for the starting running back job, with both listed as potential starters. Lebby expects junior college transfer Johnnie Daniels to be in the mix and said freshman Xavier Gayten is expected to play at some point Saturday.
“(Lee) has been a guy who’s had great consistency,” Lebby said. “He’s played with really good toughness. He’s an older guy and a guy we’re going to count on. Davon is another guy who is going to play a ton for us and our hope is for him to have a great season as well, with Johnnie getting a lot of action as well. I feel good about those three guys, and we are much improved from the spring to right now at that position.”
The defensive depth chart suggests some ongoing position battles, with Kedrick Bingley-Jones, Sulaiman Kpaka, Trevion Williams and Kalvin Dinkins all in the mix to start on the defensive line. Ty Cooper, Branden Jennings, Nic Mitchell and John Lewis are all fighting for first-team reps at linebacker, while Kelley Jones and Memphis transfer Traveon Wright are both listed as potential starters at cornerback opposite Brice Pollock.
Only defensive linemen De’Monte Russell, middle linebacker Stone Blanton, Pollock and safeties Brylan Lanier, Isaac Smith and Hunter Washington seemingly have starting spots locked up, at least for now with Ellington out.
“I do love the fact that we’ve got so many guys who got here in January and then a good group of guys who got here this summer, but they have bought into the connection piece of who we are,” Lebby said. “Being a head coach right now (means) making sure we’ve got a team and guys who care about each other, love to go play the game and represent State the right way on Saturdays.”
Scouting Eastern Kentucky
MSU has rarely had trouble with FCS opponents, but the Colonels intend to be no pushovers — after all, they gave Kentucky a battle last season and led the Wildcats for much of that game before coming up short. Eastern Kentucky wound up finishing 5-6 in 2023 but has an offense that could be tricky to stop.
Matt Morrisey, a transfer from Western Illinois, is the Colonels’ projected starting quarterback. He will be protected by an experienced offensive line and completed 205 of 337 passes with the Leathernecks last year for 1,981 yards and 13 touchdowns. Running back Joshua Carter is back after rushing for 714 yards a year ago on 119 carries.
That offensive line, anchored by Payton Collins and John Stone, helped EKU lead its conference in total offense last season, with 437.4 yards per game. On defense, linebackers Kyle Kelly and Mike Smith Jr., the latter of whom had 13 pass breakups and two interceptions in 2023, will lead the way along with defensive lineman Ryan Jackson, who made 7.5 tackles for loss last fall.
“(Morrisey) is a guy who’s got really good accuracy,” Lebby said. “We’re planning on seeing him more than anyone else. It’s going to be about finding ways to stop the run, not giving up explosive plays and creating turnovers. If we do those things, we’re going to like the outcome of how we play defense.”
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