I owe you an apology.
Last week in this space, I wrote that the Bulldogs, fresh off a disheartening loss to Arizona State in Tempe, Arizona, had nowhere to go but up.
Clearly, I was wrong. If Saturday night’s performance against Toledo is any indication, we have not yet found the bottom for MSU football in 2024. After all, SEC play hasn’t even started yet.
During pregame festivities, amid the hype videos and hagiography, MSU athletics is bringing in former athletes to ring a giant cowbell positioned atop the open concourse above the north end zone. Saturday’s game featured an appearance by former All-SEC guard and 10-year NFL vet Gabe Jackson.
Jackson, who weighed more than 330 pounds during his playing days, pushed and pulled the lever controlling the oversized bell with such force that the pedestal from which the bell hangs fell forward, crashing into some pyrotechnics below and releasing a cloud of smoke.
That moment was both the most interesting thing that happened all night and a sign of things to come.
The numbers themselves tell the story. Mississippi State was outgained, 454-385, outrushed 169-66, and most importantly, outscored 41-17. The game was 28-3, Toledo, one minute before halftime and 35-3 five minutes into the third quarter. It was the Bulldogs most lopsided home non-conference loss since 2006.
Hope you have the stomach for more numbers, because here they come. Toledo’s junior quarterback Tucker Gleason threw for a career-high 285 yards, averaging 10.2 yards per attempt. The Bulldogs went three-and-out on their first three drives and four of their first five. Toledo went three-and-out exactly once. Adding insult to injury is the fact that Mississippi State paid Toledo $1.2 million to play the game, according to previous Dispatch reporting.
When head coach Jeff Lebby was hired, he promised fans, “this is going to be fun.” Maybe we have different definitions of the word.
Newly hired coaches always talk about “changing the culture.” From logos to uniforms, practice schedules to pageantry, new leaders are justifiably eager to put their stamp on things. Bringing in a new coach naturally allows for a fresh start. I don’t know many fans who thought Lebby had a quick fix ahead of him, considering the state of the roster and general malaise surrounding the program he inherited, but I think they rightly expected more than what they’ve seen so far.
MSU’s football expenditures for 2023 totaled $32.95 million, per Knight-Newhouse data. Toledo spent $11.78 million. Lebby’s contract is set to pay him at least $4.5 million per season over the next four years. Toledo head coach Jason Candle recently signed a three-year extension that pays him $1.1 million per season.
Another new wrinkle in the pregame festivities involves a change in the music that’s played while the team runs, er, walks out of the tunnel. The Bulldogs now enter the field to the 1985 Dire Straits classic, “Money For Nothing.”
You can’t make this stuff up.
Philip Poe is sports editor.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 24 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
