Mississippi
‘Our guys are getting it’: How Jeff Lebby evaluated Mississippi State football offense
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football is replacing all of its offensive starters from last season.
Is it a cause for concern? Perhaps to a degree, though the Bulldogs had the worst scoring offense in the SEC under coach Zach Arnett. Instead, it’s more likely to be a breath of fresh air under first-year coach Jeff Lebby.
He and an almost entirely new assistant coaching staff are in the process of installing Lebby’s offense, which possesses more similarities of a spread, up-tempo scheme that Mike Leach constituted.
“We’re being incredibly aggressive with the install,” Lebby said after Wednesday’s practice, the sixth of the preseason. “We want to apply as much pressure as we can, mentally and physically so we can see what guys we can go count on. Our guys are getting it. They’ve taken to it. They’ve done a good job with it.”
Part of what’s helped, Lebby said, is that the Bulldogs had most of their players on the team in the spring. They hit the transfer portal hard and found what projects to be multiple plug-and-play starters at wide receiver and offensive line. Blake Shapen was also added from Baylor and will be the starting quarterback.
“It was huge,” Lebby said. “Our guys got really good knowledge of what the expectation is, how we want to go play and how we want to do things. There is still a ton of growth to be made at every single position. They’ve got great intent. There’s great energy in the building.”
MORE: Jeff Lebby said this unit has ‘dominated’ in Mississippi State football preseason practice
What Jeff Lebby wants to see before first Mississippi State football scrimmage
The Bulldogs will hold their first preseason scrimmage on Sunday. It is closed to the media.
Wednesday was the first day in full pads. The Bulldogs have Thursday off but will practice on Friday and Saturday.
“Offensively when we look at it, we want to play clean football,” Lebby said. “We’re going to play with a ton of tempo. We’re going to play really, really aggressive. But from a penalty standpoint, from pre-snap penalties, making sure that we are playing really clean football and not shooting ourselves in the foot is really critical while taking care of the ball.
“And then defensively, it’s all about getting the ball and getting off the field on third down. Those are the things that we will continue to look at. That’s where we want to continue to clean up before we get live on Sunday.”
Gabe Moore appears out for the 2024 season
Defensive lineman Gabe Moore posted Tuesday on Facebook he will not be playing this season. However, the post was deleted a few hours later.
“Due to health issues, I will be opting out of football this year,” the post said before being deleted.
Lebby was asked about Moore’s status on Wednesday and didn’t provide much information.
“No comment on it,” he said. “We’ll keep it internal and in-house but hoping the best, wishing the best for Gabe.”
Moore is a redshirt freshman from Louisville that did not appear in any games last season, though he was in contention for playing time in 2024.
Sam Sklar is the Southern Miss beat reporter for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at ssklar@hattiesb.gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
It’s 2,350 miles long, spans 31 US states and is home to a 100kg animal with a tongue that looks like a worm | Discover Wildlife
The Mississippi River flows for around 2,350 miles through the heart of the US. It drains an area of 1.2 million square miles – that’s roughly 40% of the country – and at certain points is 11 miles wide. It is North America’s second longest river, behind the Missouri River.
Rising from Lake Itasca in Minnesota, the Mississippi winds southwards through a range of environments, draining water from 31 US states before reaching its delta at the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana.
The sheer size of the river and the diversity of habitats it passes through make it a refuge for a huge range of animal species, including more than 260 fish, 326 birds, 50 mammals and at least 145 amphibians and reptiles, according to the National Park Service.
There are many weird and wonderful animals living within the Mississippi’s vast waters, but surely one of the strangest is the alligator snapping turtle.
This prehistoric-looking reptile is massive. It can weigh up to 100kg and males can grow well over half a metre long, making it the largest freshwater turtle in North America.
And as if its size wasn’t enough, the alligator snapper has a host of other characteristics that make it one of the Mississippi’s most striking creatures, including a dark, spiky shell (known as carapace), a brick-like head and a sharp, hooked beak. With such a formidable appearance, it’s easy to see how the turtle got its ‘alligator’ name.
But perhaps the turtle’s most curious feature is a worm-like appendage found on its tongue, which it uses as a lure to catch prey, such as fish, amphibians and invertebrates. Alligator snappers are also quite happy scavenging for food.
More amazing wildlife stories from around the world
NIL money comes with a price. More specifically, a tax bill.
The Mississippi legislature is trying to reduce that burden for college athletes who play there.
Via Bea Anhuci of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger, the Mississippi House of Representatives has passed a bill that would exempt NIL earnings from state income tax.
It’s a recruiting tool for Ole Miss and Mississippi State, one that would put the Mississippi schools on equal footing with other states that host SEC universities. Florida, Tennessee, and Texas have no state income tax, and Arkansas carved out NIL earnings from the state’s income tax burden in 2025.
Mississippi currently charges a four-percent tax on anyone making more than $10,000 per year.
NIL earnings remain subject to federal income tax.
The bill will have to also pass the Mississippi Senate, and the governor would then be required to sign it into law.
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