STARKVILLE – Mississippi State’s season-opening win saw the defense smother the opposing run game.
Southern Miss’s offensive line is a unit with several newcomers, and while they got some push early on, they struggled to establish the run beyond the first two drives. The Bulldogs wore them down and put it all on quarterback Braylon Braxton to make plays happen, allowing just 102 yards on the ground with only 44 coming from the running backs.
“It was huge for our confidence, but for those guys to play free and fast and make plays, that was the stress for those guys all week,” MSU head coach Jeff Lebby said in Hattiesburg after the win. “We have a ton to clean up, a ton to work on, but it was a good starting point.”
For MSU, the personnel adjustments seem to have paid off on defense, especially with retaining difference makers and adding talent through the transfer portal. It’s a strength in numbers approach that helps make up for the lack of a dominant pass rusher or game-breaker on the defensive line.
Issac Smith, the leading tackler for both the team and the Southeastern Conference in 2024, is currently level with linebacker Jalen Smith at seven tackles each. Safety Brylan Lanier and linebacker Malick Sylla have six each, linebacker Nic Mitchell has five, and eight Bulldogs have four.
One of those is Will Whitson, a graduate transfer from Coastal Carolina, who was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week. Whitson recorded four quarterback hurries, three tackles for loss and the only sack of the game for the Bulldogs. He was also named in the Pro Football Focus National Team of the Week with a defensive grade of 89.7.
To put his performance in context, Whitson is the first MSU player to earn player of the week honors since Nathaniel Watson in 2023.
Lebby was happy for Whitson, but stressed a point that he’s been consistent with since Saturday: he’s expecting his guys to play better, and his guys think that, too.
“I think for Will, he puts the tape on and there’s a bunch that he wants back,” Lebby said. “And he did a lot of really good things. He goes back to what we started with. He’s one of our best players on the defensive line, and he’s got to continue to play better. He had opportunities to have a couple more sacks, a couple of other tackles for loss, and did a great job pushing the pocket. Continuing to develop him in a way to where he can impact the game, but I’m proud of how he played and looking forward to where he’s going.”
A work in progress
The positive start will be put to the test on Saturday against No. 12 Arizona State, a team that ran all over the Bulldogs a year ago in Tempe. Stopping the run will be key once again, but the Sun Devils pose much more of a threat through the air than the Golden Eagles did. Quarterback Sam Leavitt and wide receiver Jordyn Tyson are both highly regarded NFL Draft prospects and can stretch the field if given time. MSU defensive backs dealt well under pressure against Southern Miss, but they’ll need more help from their defensive line to create havoc for Leavitt on Saturday, as the Sun Devil quarterback has a much deeper and more talented receiver room to work with.
The approach to defending Leavitt will be similar to what worked against Braxton; focus on containment and put him in uncomfortable situations. Leavitt is fast bailing out of a broken pocket, so the linebackers will have to be mindful of that threat, but the biggest key is to get ASU into dropback situations in the first place. Take away the run and take away the edge.
“If I’m a contain rusher, I’ve got to contain,” Lebby said, breaking down the approach to a dual-threat quarterback. “A couple of times Saturday, if we just do that, the pocket is getting pushed and we’ll end up making a sack. We lose contain, and they get a first down. We find ways to get off the field later in the drive, but those are things we’ve got to make sure we’re cleaning up, and learning those lessons right now. You’re off the field and have them in a bad situation, stress that, and get where we want to get.”
MSU’s defense is still a work in progress, but that progress – compared to a year ago – is already evident. The Bulldogs traveled to Tempe with only a handful of available defensive linemen and had to start a true freshman. This year, they have the bodies, but now they have to find the right formula for staying alive against prolific offenses.
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