STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — From the moment Jeff Lebby arrived in Starkville, the first-time head coach has preached that a show is coming to Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs certainly put on a show for game one of his tenure, as MSU had 450 yards of total offense and ran away with a 56-7 victory on Saturday against Eastern Kentucky. It gave the coach his first career win and kicked off a new era of football.

“One of the coolest things for myself and my family, the fans showed out. Over 10,000 students showed up and hung with us through the rain. They did an unbelievable job creating the energy,” he said.

All three phases scored for the Bulldogs with touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams.

On offense, quarterback Blake Shapen debuted the new scheme with a 15 of 20 showing as the Baylor transfer found the end zone three times through the air and had 247 yards. On the ground, Shapen led the team with seven carries for 44 yards and a rushing score.

“I felt like it was a good day for us,” Shapen said. “There are obviously some things we can clean up and get better at, but overall it was a great start to the season. I’m just thankful for this opportunity at a new place and I know a lot of guys feel that way.”

The Bulldogs (1-0) had four wide receivers score touchdowns as Jordan Mosely had five catches for 104 yards and a touchdown and Kevin Coleman had five catches for 88 yards and a score. Coleman also had five punt returns for 117 yards.

MSU scored touchdowns on its first two possessions before a rain storm dampened the progress. The Bulldogs were back in the end zone in the second quarter on a Creed Whittemore 41-yard end around and then back-to-back touchdown passes to Coleman from 23 yards away and freshman Mario Craver for 54 yards.

Special teams got in on the mix with a blocked punt from JP Purvis — recovered by Craver — and another true freshman in defensive back Elijah Cannon who had a 51-yard pick-6.

“It’s fun to see those guys go out there and make some plays. It’s a players’ game, players have got to make the plays,” Lebby said. “Fun for our sideline, fun for our guys to be able to see them make plays late in the game like this.”

EKU (0-1) scored a touchdown in the final seconds of the first half but was held scoreless in the final two frames. The Bulldogs allowed 130 second half yards. Despite running 19 more plays than State (76-57) the Colonels were outgained 450-285 with the Bulldogs averaging 7.9 yards per play.

“There are plenty of things that we have to clean up. We’ve got to play better, we’ve got to play cleaner,” Lebby said. “So much good, but so much to clean up. That was the message in the locker room.”

BIG PICTURE

EKU: The Colonels were simply overmatched, but the Colonels have a manageable schedule coming down the line.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs have been searching for excitement and the team has it – at least for game one. State picked up nearly 500 yards of offense and showed explosiveness on that side of the ball as Lebby’s offense did its thing. There is a rough schedule on the horizon, but it appeared fun again for the Bulldogs.

UP NEXT

Eastern Kentucky travels to Western Kentucky on Sept. 7.

Mississippi State travels to Arizona State on Sept. 7.

Click here to subscribe to our daily newsletter!

Copyright 2024 WTOK. All rights reserved.

A commercial passenger bus driving through Mississippi on its way to Mexico ran off a highway and overturned early Saturday, killing seven people and injuring dozens. The accident occurred on Interstate 20 east of Vicksburg, CNN reports. A total of 37 people were taken to hospitals in Vicksburg and Jackson, the Mississippi Highway Patrol said. A 6-year-old boy and his 16-year-old sister were among those killed, per the AP. “Anytime you have people injured or killed, it’s tragic, but when you have a situation like this where you have multiple fatalities and multiple injuries, it makes it even worse,” said Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace.

The bus, a 2018 Volvo, is owned by Autobuses Regiomontanos, which transports passengers between Mexico and the US, a company spokesperson said. The company is based in Monterrey, Mexico, Miranda Fernandez said. Its website lists several US locations; it’s not clear where the trip had originated. “All of the passengers go through proper immigration checkpoints and must show their passports or visas to enter either Mexico or the United States,” Fernandez told CNN. (More bus accident stories.)

Mississippi State football opens the 2024 season with FCS opponent Eastern Kentucky on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.

The Bulldogs open Year 1 of the Jeff Lebby era with a lot of unknowns. Saturday’s game will be a good chance to find some answers.

Mississippi State QB Blake Shapen will make his first start in maroon and may have a big season in Lebby’s offense.

Here’s how to watch the Mississippi State football vs. Eastern Kentucky game today, including time, TV schedule and streaming information:

Mississippi State vs. EKU will broadcast nationally via streaming on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ in Week 1 of the 2024 college football season. Kevin Fitzgerald and Charlie Strong will call the game from the booth at Davis Wade Stadium. Streaming options for the game include ESPN+, ESPN’s subscription streaming service.

• Date: Saturday, Aug. 31
• Start time: 5 p.m. CT

The Mississippi State football vs. Eastern Kentucky game starts at 5 p.m. CT Saturday from Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi.

Clarion Ledger reporter Sam Sklar’s prediction: Mississippi State 50, Eastern Kentucky 10

Saturday will be a celebration of sorts for Lebby’s first game. The Bulldogs will come out hungry with something to prove on offense after last season. MSU will grab a big lead early and Blake Shapen won’t need to play a single snap in the fourth quarter.

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, Aug. 29

• Odds: N/A
• O/U: N/A
• Money line: N/A

• Aug. 31:  EKU, 5 p.m. on ESPN+ and SEC Network+
• Sept. 7:  at Arizona State, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
• Sept. 14:  Toledo, 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2 or ESPNU
• Sept. 21:  Florida, 11 a.m. on ABC or ESPN
• Sept. 28:  at Texas, TBD
• Oct. 5:  OPEN DATE
• Oct. 12:  at Georgia, TBD
• Oct. 19:  Texas A&M, TBD
• Oct. 26:  Arkansas, TBD
• Nov. 2:  UMass, 3:15 p.m. on SEC Network
• Nov. 9:  at Tennessee, TBD
• Nov. 16:  OPEN DATE
• Nov. 23:  Missouri
• Nov. 29: at Ole Miss, 2:30 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+
• Dec. 7: SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, 4 p.m. on ABC
• Record: 0-0

• Aug. 31:  Mississippi State, 5 p.m. on ESPN+ and SEC Network+
• Sept. 7:  at Western Kentucky, 6 p.m. on ESPN+
• Sept. 14:  West Georgia, 5 p.m. on ESPN+
• Sept. 21:  Morehead State, 5 p.m. on ESPN+
• Sept. 28:  Robert Morris, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
• Oct. 5:  OPEN DATE
• Oct. 12:  at Southern Utah, 3 p.m. on ESPN+
• Oct. 19:  at Abilene Christian, 3 p.m. on ESPN+
• Oct. 26:  Utah Tech, 2 p.m. on ESPN+
• Nov. 2:  at Tarleton State, 6 p.m. on ESPN+
• Nov. 9:  Central Arkansas, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
• Nov. 16:  at Austin Peay, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
• Nov. 23:  North Alabama, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
• Record:  0-0

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our cove