Mississippi
Three alarming stats for Mississippi State football’s defense after Texas A&M loss
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football’s defense is bad, and there really isn’t much of an argument against it.
The Bulldogs (1-6, 0-4 SEC) fell 34-24 to No. 14 Texas A&M (6-1, 4-0) on Saturday. It’s the sixth straight game they’ve allowed at least 30 points. Their 33.3 points per game allowed are third worst among power conference teams.
“The toughness, the belief, the effort and the attitude that’s going on on that side of the ball, I’m proud of,” coach Jeff Lebby said after Saturday’s loss. “We’ve got to play better. I’ve got to coach better. That’s something that we will continue to do.”
Here are three alarming stats that help explain the root of Mississippi State’s defensive struggles.
Mississippi State tied for fewest sacks in the country
MSU didn’t record a sack on Saturday for the fourth game this season. The Bulldogs have five sacks on the season and just two in the last five games. The five sacks are tied with Oregon State and Air Force for the fewest in the country.
The sacks haven’t been big ones either. The five of them have accounted for 16 yards, the fewest in the country. New Mexico State is the next-best team, but has nearly double the sack yardage with 30.
Sacks can be misleading because they depend on how many dropbacks the opponent has. MSU’s sack rate of 1.64% against FBS opponents is last in the country, according to teamrankings.com.
“Just play more physical and get back there,” safety Isaac Smith said. “Keep practicing and working hard every week. Just get to the quarterback and try to get some pressure on him so our DB’s won’t have to be in coverage as long and guys won’t just be running open down the field.”
Mississippi State football allowing highest completion percentage in country
It’s strange because this was an issue last season too, even with a different defensive coordinator. New coordinator Coleman Hutzler’s defense is allowing a 72.5% completion percentage, the highest in the country.
That still stands after Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman completed 60% of his throws on Saturday.
Part of that can be attributed to cornerbacks playing deep coverage instead of press. Teams are throwing many screen and swing passes because MSU has struggled to defend them. It also foils together in the defensive ecosystem of a bad pass rush combined with bad pass coverage.
Mississippi State defense isn’t getting off field on third down
Texas A&M converted 9-of-14 third downs against the Bulldogs, the most they’ve allowed all season.
The Bulldogs’ opponents are converting third downs at a 49.5% clip, the fourth worst in the country.
Defensive lineman Sulaiman Kpaka said improving on third down ties back to the pass rush.
“As a defensive line, our job is to get back (to the quarterback),” he said. “I feel like we need to continue to improve on that and we won’t have those issues.”
MORE: De’Monte Russell injury update: Mississippi State football DL to locker room vs Texas A&M
Mississippi State is getting better in these areas
MSU has forced multiple turnovers in three consecutive games. It’s part of what’s kept the Bulldogs in the fight against top-15 teams Texas, Georgia and Texas A&M.
The Bulldogs also held Georgia and Texas A&M both to under 150 yards rushing. Their 192.3 rushing yards allowed per game are still the second most for power conference teams, but it could be a sign of improvement.
“I was incredibly proud and encouraged of how we defended the run (Saturday),” Lebby said. “These guys had been running the ball incredibly well. To me, that’s what gave us a chance.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Mississippi lawmakers face pressure to counter looming federal cuts to health care after punting this session
Wicker: Mississippi powered Artemis II
Published 4:00 pm Monday, April 20, 2026
For nine days this month, space travel captivated the world. Families gathered around their screens as four astronauts strapped into the Integrity spacecraft docked at the Kennedy Space Center. As the launch countdown ended, four Mississippi-tested RS-45 engines ignited, and the ground shook. Seven seconds later, the Integrity had liftoff. For six intense minutes, the RS-45 engines rocketed the crew into high Earth orbit, sending them on their historic lunar flyby mission.
Mississippi should take a bow. The four RS-45 engines were tested at our very own Stennis Space Center, where Mississippians have been ensuring the quality of rocket engines since the Apollo program. For eight years, engineers, safety managers, and logistics specialists from the state have tested the engines that powered the Integrity and will power future Artemis launches. Their work paid off, and the launch was a marvel of engineering. NASA leadership made special mention of the rocket engine burn, calling it “flawless.”
One Mississippian in particular helped make the mission a success. Hernando native Matthew Ramsey handled a great deal of responsibility as the mission manager for Artemis II. The Mississippi State University graduate helped set the focus for the mission and equip the astronauts and staff for the job. Matthew also served as the deputy of the Mission Management Team, the group of NASA staff that comes together just days before a launch. The team assumes the risks of the mission ahead, and they make tough calls during flight if challenges arise.
As the Artemis II journey progressed, the world could not stop watching. Our social media feeds were full of photos and videos beamed down from the heavens. They captured humorous situations, such as the astronauts adjusting to life without gravity or testing their plumbing skills.
We also witnessed moments of majesty. On the fifth day, the Integrity began using the Moon’s gravity to slingshot our astronauts back home. That trajectory led the crew around the Moon, farther from Earth than any humans have ever gone. As the explorers looked upon outer space, they captured stunning images. Among the most remarkable is Earthset, in which Commander Reid Wiseman photographed Earth as it appeared to fall below the horizon of the moon.
When their spacecraft returned to Earth’s atmosphere, the crew was traveling nearly 35 times faster than the speed of sound. Ten minutes later, a series of parachutes began opening. Eventually, the spacecraft’s speed fell to 20 miles per hour, and the crew splashed down into the Pacific Ocean.
Mississippi was once again there to assist. The astronauts were greeted by the USS John P. Murtha, a U.S. military vessel built in the Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula. The ship’s amphibious design was suited to welcome the space travelers home—equipped with a helicopter pad, medical facilities, and the communications system needed to locate and recover the astronauts safely. Crucially, the USS Murtha was built with a well deck, a sea-based garage that stored the Integrity on the journey to shore.
Artemis II was a resounding success, paving the way for planned future flights. When the Artemis program returns humans to the moon, Mississippi will be there every step of the way.
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