STARKVILLE — Mississippi State’s marketing team brought out all the slogans as soon as head coach Jeff Lebby was hired in late November.
Showtime. Swag is State. Score From Far.
Saturday’s spring game presented the first opportunity for the Bulldogs’ new-look offense to showcase that swagger in front of the public, and they delivered. Baylor transfer Blake Shapen looked right at home behind center, completing 18 of 22 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns despite not even playing in the second half.
“Good to see. That’s going to be a huge part of who we are, creating explosive plays,” Lebby said. “We have to continue to get better in a lot of different areas, but I was proud of our guys for being able to make some competitive plays. There were a couple others I thought we could have made that we have to make.”
The offense defeated the defense 67-53 in a game that featured a special scoring system, but it took a few series for Shapen and sophomore quarterback Chris Parson to get going. Safety Chris Keys broke up a pass from Parson on third down early in the game, and linebacker Nic Mitchell combined with defensive lineman Trevion Williams to bring down Jeffery Pittman for a loss on the next drive.
The biggest highlight from the defense came on the third series of the game, after Shapen found Louisville transfer Kevin Coleman for the day’s first explosive play. On fourth down inside the red zone, Shapen connected with Coleman again, and Coleman was just shy of the goal line when safety Tyler Woodard stripped the ball. Cornerback Raydarious Jones recovered to give the defense seven points for the turnover.
“We have a lot of players who are ballhawks,” linebacker John Lewis said. “I’m not worried about turnovers. I feel like we can (force) a lot of those this year.”
Shapen and the first-team offense found their rhythm when they next took the field. Kelly Akharaiyi, who racked up more than 1,000 receiving yards last season at Texas-El Paso, hauled in a Shapen deep ball from 40 yards out for the game’s first touchdown. Parson and the second-team offense put together an efficient drive of their own, concluding with a 15-yard scoring pass from Parson to tight end Justin Ball.
Ball, a transfer from Vanderbilt, came on board over the winter along with his brother Justin Ball, who previously played at Buffalo. Along with Seydou Traore, who sat out last year after having transferred twice in the span of a few months, the Bulldogs have the potential to get plenty of production out of their tight ends, something they sorely missed in 2023 when they were dead last in the Southeastern Conference in scoring offense with 21.8 points per game.
“We obviously didn’t get to show our whole playbook, but it was good for (the fans) to finally see what we’ve been producing and what Lebby has planned for us,” Traore said. “I just want to get the ball in my hands and make plays in this offense.”
The running backs impressed as well, even with Seth Davis still out after injuring his knee in last year’s Egg Bowl against Ole Miss. Keyvone Lee was with the first team, with Pittman going off for some big gains as part of the second team. Junior college transfer Johnnie Daniels showed off some explosiveness as well. And the room is poised to get stronger before the fall with the addition of Miami-Ohio transfer Rashad Amos, a 1,000-yard rusher a year ago.
The defense still had its moments after the offense got rolling, most notably when senior De’Monte Russell and his younger brother, sophomore Donterry Russell, combined for a sack on Parson.
“It’s different, man,” De’Monte Russell said. “It’s a dream come true and it’s a moment that we’ll forever cherish.”
Shapen hit both Coleman and Justin Ball for touchdowns in the first half, and Parson connected with freshman Mario Craver for a 65-yard score on the first series of the second half. Freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren saw playing time after the half as well.
The transfer portal will remain open through the end of April, so Lebby and company are not done building MSU’s roster for the fall. The secondary is an area of need, and Lebby said he would also like to add a running back, an offensive lineman and an edge rusher.
“We’re looking at a couple different things,” Lebby said. “We’re looking to fill some needs and do a great job of creating a ton of depth throughout the next 12 to 15 days. I think we’re going to be able to pull that off.”
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