Mississippi

How Mississippi State’s Jeff Lebby is fixing one of SEC’s worst offenses with Blake Shapen, more fun

Published

6 months ago

July 17, 2024

How Mississippi State’s Jeff Lebby is fixing one of SEC’s worst offenses with Blake Shapen, more fun

DALLAS ― First-year Mississippi State football coach and offensive guru Jeff Lebby inherited one of the SEC’s worst offenses.

No SEC team recorded fewer points or first downs than the Bulldogs in 2023. Mississippi State finished 13th out of 14 programs in passing yards per game, ninth in rushing yards and 12th in total offense.

He brought in 19 total transfers, including 11 on the offensive side of the ball, headlined by veteran Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen.

“I think the confidence comes in the preparation and the guys that we have from the standpoint of having Blake being our QB,” Lebby said at SEC Media Days on Wednesday. “A guy that has great experience, he’s a Big 12 champion. He knows what it’s supposed to look like. So that piece of the puzzle was huge for me and for us being in Year 1. That gives us the chance to get off the ground the way we want to.”

Not long ago, a coach bringing in an experienced quarterback like Shapen for the first year of his tenure would have marked a truly rare occurrence. The transfer portal changed that.

Now, Lebby can turn to a player who threw for 5,574 yards and 36 touchdowns in 27 games at Baylor right from the jump.

There’s still a learning curve for Shapen. At Baylor, he played in a pro-style offense, under center roughly 50% of the time. Lebby’s offense will operate almost exclusively out of the shotgun.

“It’s (taken) a lot of time, for sure,” Shapen said. “… Now coming to a more spread-out offense, wider splits, things like that. Getting the ball out quick and throwing the ball down the field.”

Lebby’s offense at Oklahoma last year ripped off 82 plays of 20 yards or more to rank eighth nationally. Mississippi State’s offense produced 42 such plays.

If the Bulldogs can get this right, they should be a much more fun watch in 2024.

LEBBY ON KIFFIN: Jeff Lebby calls Lane Kiffin ‘childish’ for social media posts but respects Ole Miss coach

“I think the fans and the people, they kind of understand coach Lebby’s history and what he’s done offensively,” Shapen said. “So I don’t think it’s going to be a huge surprise, but I think when we’re able to put up some points and change the outcome of some games, I think that’ll be a big surprise.”

Walking the path toward that goal, the Bulldogs are prioritizing having some fun of their own.

“I truly think when you walk in the double doors every single day, if you enjoy who you do it with and how you do it, then you’ve got a chance to pour into it just a little bit more,” Lebby said. “So maybe you stay for 20 more minutes, 20 get elite recovery because of what’s going on in the training room and what’s going on in the weight room. That culture to me matters. People want to be inside the building when they enjoy being inside the building.”

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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Mississippi

Brutal low temps are coming to Mississippi. How cold will it get around the state?

Published

3 hours ago

January 15, 2025

Press Room

Brutal low temps are coming to Mississippi. How cold will it get around the state?

‘Some of this air is actually coming from all the way back to Siberia. You’re definitely going to get some very cold temperatures.’

A blast of cold air is moving into the U.S. and is forecast to reach down into Mississippi. All of the state will be affected and some areas will see temperatures plummet into the mid-teens.

“This is going to be a significant cold air outbreak,” said Eric Carpenter, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson. “It’s coming out of the Arctic regions.

“Some of this air is actually coming from all the way back to Siberia. You’re definitely going to get some very cold temperatures.”

The cause of it is a shift in the Arctic jet stream.

“The jet stream is allowing it to drop down into the U.S.,” Carpenter said. “The Arctic jet stream is a lot farther South than usual.”

Temperatures in much of the state are predicted to drop into the teens and even the Gulf Coast is expected to see below-freezing temperatures. And as cold as that seems, it may get colder than the current forecast.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the forecast trended colder as we get closer,” Carpenter said. “So, I would continue to monitor the weather.”

Here are the expected temperatures across the state from Saturday, Jan. 18, through Friday, Jan. 24, according to AccuWeather as of 3 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15.

Jackson temperatures

Saturday: High 67, low 29
Sunday: High 43, low 20
Monday: High 38, low 18
Tuesday: High 36, low 20
Wednesday: High 37, low 21
Thursday: High 47, low 27
Friday: High 50, low 29

Southaven temperatures

Saturday: High 50, low 24
Sunday: High 34, low 17
Monday: High 28, low 16
Tuesday: High 27, low 20
Wednesday: High 33, low 25
Thursday: High 43, low 27
Friday: High 45, low 32

Corinth temperatures

Saturday: High 53, low 25
Sunday: High 38, low 14
Monday: High 28, low 13
Tuesday: High 28, low 15
Wednesday: High 32, low 16
Thursday: High 43, low 22
Friday: High 47, low 27

Oxford temperatures

Saturday: High 53, low 24
Sunday: High 38, low 14
Monday: High 31, low 13
Tuesday: High 29, low 17
Wednesday: High 33, low 18
Thursday: High 45, low 23
Friday: High 46, low 27

Greenville temperatures

Saturday: High 60, low 28
Sunday: High 37, low 19
Monday: High 34, low 19
Tuesday: High 32, low 19
Wednesday: High 38, low 21
Thursday: High 44, low 28
Friday: High 49, low 33

Starkville temperatures

Saturday: High 63, low 29
Sunday: High 39, low 16
Monday: High 37, low 14
Tuesday: High 34, low 18
Wednesday: High 38, low 19
Thursday: High 45, low 24
Friday: High 49, low 25

Vicksburg temperatures

Saturday: High 68, low 30
Sunday: High 39, low 19
Monday: High 38, low 21
Tuesday: High 33, low 19
Wednesday: High 37, low 20
Thursday: High 47, low 29
Friday: High 49, low 33

Meridian temperatures

Saturday: High 69, low 35
Sunday: High 44, low 19
Monday: High 37, low 18
Tuesday: High 35, low 19
Wednesday: High 43, low 18
Thursday: High 47, low 24
Friday: High 50, low 28

Natchez temperatures

Saturday: High 67, low 31
Sunday: High 41, low 23
Monday: High 39, low 21
Tuesday: High 31, low 18
Wednesday: High 35, low 20
Thursday: High 48, low 27
Friday: High 49, low 31

Hattiesburg temperatures

Saturday: High 68, low 38
Sunday: High 46, low 22
Monday: High 43, low 20
Tuesday: High 39, low 20
Wednesday: High 43, low 24
Thursday: High 48, low 26
Friday: High 52, low 29

Biloxi temperatures

Saturday: High 64, low 46
Sunday: High 57, low 32
Monday: High 42, low 28
Tuesday: High 44, low 29
Wednesday: High 45, low 30
Thursday: High 49, low 34
Friday: High 55, low 39

Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.

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Mississippi

Should Mississippi State basketball be concerned with Josh Hubbard’s shooting slump?

Published

12 hours ago

January 15, 2025

Press Room

Should Mississippi State basketball be concerned with Josh Hubbard’s shooting slump?

Josh Hubbard found himself open with the basketball underneath the basket. It was an open layup, with his defender a few steps behind in the dust.

The Mississippi State star leapt, but kissed the ball too hard off the glass and it fell off the rim. An open layup, missed.

It was that sort of game for Hubbard. And in reality, it’s been that sort of two months for Hubbard, who’s shooting slump continued on Tuesday. The No. 18 Bulldogs (14-3, 2-2 SEC) were smacked 88-66 at No. 1 Auburn (16-1, 4-0) for their second straight loss. Although Hubbard led them in scoring with 17 points, he shot 2-of-12 from the field, missing his first seven shots until 8:09 remained in the game.

How concerned should Mississippi State be? Here’s a look at the numbers.

What Josh Hubbard’s stats say

Hubbard is actually shooting more efficiently than his breakout freshman season. After Tuesday, the sophomore guard is shooting 40.7% from the field and 36.1% from 3. That’s up 2.2% from the field and 0.6% from 3-point range from last season. His 17.0 points per game are tops on the team.

However, Hubbard’s efficiency has declined since a hot start to the season.

Through the first four games, Hubbard shot 59.3% from the field and 60.0% from 3-point range. Since the Utah win on Nov. 17, Hubbard is 60-for-172 from the field (34.8%) and 34-for-114 from 3-point range (29.8%).

Why Mississippi State should be concerned with Josh Hubbard’s shooting

The worry with Hubbard’s efficiency is that it doesn’t seem to be improving. He’s shot at or below 33.3% in four of the last five and six of the last eight games. In the last three games, Hubbard is 10-of-37 from the field (27.0%) and 6-of-26 from 3 (23.1%).

Injuries are also mounting on the perimeter. Kanye Clary sat out again for the 10th consecutive game with a lower-leg injury. Mississippi State hasn’t provided an update on his status since the injury. Riley Kugel, who averages 9.6 points per game, also didn’t play after being a game-time decision. MSU has not said what his injury is or how long he could be out.

Why Mississippi State shouldn’t be concerned with Josh Hubbard’s shooting

Last season’s team that made the NCAA tournament needed Hubbard to be the go-to scorer. This season’s team has proven it can win games when Hubbard doesn’t have a great offensive performance.

Although the Bulldogs have lost two games in a row — both to top 10 teams in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll — they still began the season 14-1 for their best 15-game start in 21 years. Hubbard has been held under 15 points six times this season and MSU has won all of those games. That includes some of MSU’s biggest wins of the season against Vanderbilt, Memphis, Pittsburgh and Utah.

Hubbard also entered Tuesday third in the country with a 4.25 assist/turnover ratio. He didn’t record any assists against Auburn and had one turnover.

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

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Mississippi State basketball vs Auburn score today: Live updates, game highlights, how to watch

Published

20 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

Mississippi State basketball vs Auburn score today: Live updates, game highlights, how to watch

Mississippi State basketball saw its eight-game winning streak end Saturday against Kentucky and now has a date with the consensus No. 1 team in the country.

The Bulldogs (14-2, 2-1 SEC) are on the road Tuesday taking on Auburn (15-1, 3-0) at Neville Arena (6 p.m. CT, SEC Network).

The Tigers, whose only loss is at Duke, took the No. 1 ranking in both the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 this week. MSU dropped to No. 18 in the coaches poll. However, Auburn will be without star Johni Broome, who coach Bruce Pearl ruled out on Monday because of an ankle injury.

Follow along for live score updates.

Watch Mississippi State vs Auburn live on ESPN+ (subscribe today)

Mississippi State vs Auburn score updates

This section will be updated when the game begins.

What time does Mississippi State vs Auburn play today?

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 14
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Neville Arena

What channel is Mississippi State vs Auburn on today?

TV channel: SEC Network
Streaming: ESPN+ (subscribe here)
Radio: Mississippi State radio network 96.1 FM

Mississippi State vs Auburn will be broadcast on SEC Network with streaming available on ESPN+.

Mississippi State vs Auburn live stream options

Mississippi State basketball vs. Auburn will be broadcast on SEC Network. Streaming is available on ESPN+.

Mississippi State vs Auburn prediction

Mississippi State 81, Auburn 79: The loss of Broome is a massive for Auburn. This certainly would be a different game with him in the lineup. Mississippi State squeaks out a win on the road for the program’s first against the AP No. 1 team since 1996.

Mississippi State vs Auburn betting odds

Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Tuesday:

Spread: Auburn -7.5
Over/under: 149.5
Moneyline: Auburn (-350), Mississippi State (+260)

Mississippi State vs Auburn injury updates

Mississippi State guard Kanye Clary remains out. Riley Kugel, who averages 9.6 points per game off the bench, is questionable. Auburn star Johni Broome is out too.

Mississippi State basketball schedule 2024-25

Record: 14-2

Next five games on the Mississippi State schedule:

Jan. 14: at Auburn
Jan. 18: vs. Ole Miss
Jan. 21: at Tennessee
Jan. 25: at South Carolina
Jan. 29: vs. Alabama

Buy Mississippi State basketball tickets this season on StubHub

Auburn basketball schedule 2024-25

Record: 15-1

Next five games on the Auburn schedule:

Jan. 14: vs. Mississippi State
Jan. 18: at Georgia
Jan. 25: vs. Tennessee
Jan. 29: at LSU
Feb. 1: at Ole Miss

Mississippi State basketball news

Mississippi State dropped to No. 18 in this week’s USA TODAY Coaches Poll.
MSU is playing its first game against the AP No. 1 team since 2015.
Cameron Matthews tied his career high with 19 points against Kentucky.

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

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