Mississippi
Mississippi State roundtable: Examining the Bulldogs’ win over Arizona Wildcats
After the Mississippi State football team beat the Arizona Wildcats, we got some folks here at Maroon and White Nation together to chat about the game.
The Mississippi State football team was a bit underwhelming this past weekend. The Bulldogs simply did not do much that was exciting. And unfortunately, we got to witness a really close game against the Arizona Wildcats.
To help sort through all of that mess that was the game against Arizona, the good folks here at Maroon and White Nation sat down to chat about the game.
Here’s what we talked about:
Maroon and White Nation roundtable: Recapping Mississippi State football win vs. Arizona Wildcats
Ethan Lee: Alright. We’re all digesting the Mississippi State football game from this past weekend. I know we’ve got a lot of thoughts based off of our group chat. How are y’all feeling about that win? What’s the biggest takeaway for you from that game?
(I’m choosing to believe that new Mississippi State football offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay is a super genius who has a ton of new schemes hidden in the back of his head for the LSU game this next weekend)
Brooks Hill: OFFENSE: We are either really good and just haven’t straightened out the wrinkles, timing, and situational playcalling of this offense yet. OR. We are simply really bad schematically. Barbay needs to learn that Mike Wright is a momentum stopper as much as he is a momentum starter.
If we are running the ball effectively and have 2nd & 4/3rd & 1 with Will and Woody, there is no reason to change the entire mojo of the drive by throwing Mike Wright in there to run the most obvious read option on planet earth. Trust Will to distribute the ball, or use our very large offensive line to shift their defensive line, target their weak side and attack it.
Ethan Lee: That’s a really good point. The use of Mike Wright caused me to scratch my head a bit. It felt really odd to turn to him when MSU did. As a whole, the game plan surrounding the quarterbacks seemed clunky, at best. It felt like there was no real consistency for what State wanted to do at quarterback other than just hand the ball off to one of the running backs. Neither Will’s arm or Mike’s legs were used much in this game, which is a bit different from what we saw against Southeastern Louisiana.
Also, when are they going to let Mike throw a pass?
Andrew Miller: I was glad to see Tulu have a big game, and I like how quickly our OL has picked up Wide Zone scheme we’re clearly going to build around. But otherwise, not much to be excited about on offense. Pass protection was a struggle, and predictable and conservative play-calling got us in bad spots.
On defense, thank God for Jett Johnson and thank God that Jayden de Laura is reckless. Because otherwise, we couldn’t get any pass rush and kept giving up easy completions. Run defense was good as usual, but that passing side concerns me a lot.
Ryan Strickland: Defensively, I believe our biggest concerns we shared earlier before the season started are our biggest issues. Pass rush and secondary. They have to find a way to get a pass rush. It’s almost nonexistent. That’s a problem. Our linebackers are about as good as any in the country and Bookie and Jett are playing great football so far but they need help. It’s a long season. Secondary can be helped out with a good pass rush.
I agree with Andrew on De Laura being reckless and one of the biggest reasons we survived and got out of there with a W. But, the defense still did enough to keep that game comfortable. It was the coaching and play calling on the offense that let it be as close as it was. I still believe that the defense will be what it needs to be for the team to have a successful year but the pass rush absolutely has to improve.
Mississippi State football concern: How much is Kevin Barbay’s play calling being influenced?
Justin Strawn: My biggest concern is Arnett is apparently giving Barbay instructions on how he wants the playcalling to go at certain points. We don’t need a micro manager of a coach. He hired Barbay because he isn’t an offensive guy, so let Barbay call the plays and Arnett needs to get out of the way.
Trey Burke: I’m concerned about the play calling hierarchy. Arnett pushed Barbay to go for it on 4th and Goal from the 4, and then told Barbay to be conservative with good field position after a long drive by Arizona. We knew game management would be a subplot of this season, and unfortunately the best we can expect is growth. Personally, I’d like to see us simply the art of management to point maximization and hope the defense bails us out if the offense struggles.
Ethan Lee: Ryan has mentioned this elsewhere, but it’s a bit of an issue that Arnett is apparently influencing play calls there when Leach gave him a lot of autonomy to operate the defense the past few years.
Trey Burke: I’m open to getting schooled, but it’s the same and it’s different right? Offense is inherently proactive and defense is inherently reactive. Arnett wasn’t autonomously running a “bleed the clock defense” or a “three and out defense” depending on the game state. But I do think relying on that running game to bleed clock is a shaky proposition, and our clock control strategy should probably include more passing.
Ethan Lee: I mean, if I remember correctly, Leach hated time of possession and referred to it as a useless stat.
Just flat out trying to control the clock is an awful way to try and win a Mississippi State football game (yes, I get the rules changed this year, but still).
Trey Burke: There’s a difference between time of possession and “don’t leave any time on the clock.”
Ryan Strickland: My biggest takeaway is that Arnett seemingly took control of the offensive gameplan and I have a huge issue with that. A really huge issue. As I’ve said elsewhere, Arnett was given full autonomy on defense under Leach and has stated numerous times how much he appreciated that and how it helped him develop and be successful.
He is a defensive guy and not an offensive guy. He hired Barbay to run the offense and he needs to let Barbay run the offense his way unless it’s just completely derailing the team. Plain and simple. Now from comments he’s made since the game, it seems like he understands that was a problem and caused more harm than good so we will see if he backs off some and lets Barbay have it. We’ve got to throw the ball and utilize our very talented receiver group. Woody went out for a little while with an injury scare and it’s only been two games.
I don’t know if it was Barbay being influenced by Arnett or not trusting OL because of adjustments they made and getting some pressure or a mixture of both but scared money don’t make money. Both have said numerous times that they have to get the ball in the hands of their playmakers and they need to do a better job of that outside of Tulu. Doing a good job with Tulu. I just felt like they started coaching not to lose rather than win and that cannot continue as we get into SEC play.
Mississippi
Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo ‘disrespected’ by Mississippi State football’s defensive game plan
Cam Skattebo slammed Mississippi State on the football field on Saturday night and also took another jab afterward in his postgame press conference.
The Arizona State running back, following a 30-23 Sun Devils win at Mountain America Stadium, took exception to MSU only utilizing three defenders on the line of scrimmage. The results were damning.
Arizona State (2-0) rushed for 346 yards. It was the most allowed by Mississippi State (1-1) in a game since Arkansas in 2016. Skattebo’s 262 rushing yards on 33 carries were the second-most in ASU history.
“They couldn’t stop us in that three-down front,” Skattebo said when asked what made ASU’s run game successful. “Honestly, we all felt disrespected with them in a three-down front. You can’t come in here and put five guys in the box and expect to stop six. I don’t know. We took that a little disrespectful, and we rushed for what over 300 yards? Something around there. It is what it is.”
Skattebo, a 5-foot-11, 215-pound junior, also led Arizona State with 35 receiving yards on three catches.
“I knew these dudes were big and heavy,” he said. “We knew going into the game they weren’t as physical as most other teams but they’re heavy. So when they hit you, it hurts, no matter how hard they’re coming — 300 pounds at 10 miles per hour or 16 miles per hour hurts the same. I just kept my feet moving.”
Mississippi State trailed 30-3 in the third quarter but scored 20 unanswered points to cut the score to 30-23 with 5:27 to play. The Bulldogs never touched the ball again, with the Sun Devils running out the clock on 12 plays.
Skattebo had a game-sealing 39-yard rush that allowed ASU to kneel down.
“Until the end, we had our ups and downs there, but that was fun,” he said. “You can ask these guys up front, bullying dudes, grown men that are 300 pounds, that’s fun to us. That’s fun to the front-five, the front-seven and the running back. The quarterback probably hates it. He probably likes watching, but he didn’t complain one time the whole game.”
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
Why Mississippi State football loss to Arizona State revealed a strong Jeff Lebby culture
It was 11:10 p.m. Saturday in Starkville when Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt barreled into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game.
At that point, it would’ve been fair for Mississippi State football fans to call it a night. The Bulldogs (1-1) trailed 27-3 at ASU in the final minute of the second quarter. They were dominated in just about every statistical category. New coach Jeff Lebby looked like he was headed toward his first loss, and an embarrassing one.
And even if you gave the second half a chance, eyes just a crack open, that wasn’t encouraging either. Arizona State (2-0) took the opening drive of the third quarter for a field goal while eating 8 minutes, 27 seconds of game time. That just about decided the game before Mississippi State touched the ball in the second half.
Wrong.
Instead, MSU scored touchdowns on three of its next four drives and cut the score to 30-23 with 5:27 to play. The defense, which was torched for 346 rushing yards, needed one more stop to let the offense try to tie it. It would’ve been the largest comeback in program history.
Mississippi State’s path to a bowl game seems murkier than it was a week ago. But in the long-term, there’s still encouragement after the 30-23 loss.
“Our guys battled in an incredible way in the second half, and we’re going to hold on to that,” Lebby said in his postgame radio interview. “We’re going to find ways to get back in the building, get back to work and be able to walk into Davis Wade (Stadium) with a ton of confidence and ready to go win a football game.”
The encouragement from Mississippi State’s comeback effort
Lebby said after beating Eastern Kentucky 56-7 in Week 1 that there is an abundance of teachable moments in wins, just like losses.
There is plenty to point to after losing to Arizona State.
Mississippi State came out incredibly flat. The Sun Devils scored on their first five possessions. The MSU offense had one field goal, two punts, a fumble returned for a touchdown and a turnover-on-downs in the first half. MSU had -13 rushing yards in the first half.
There were concerns entering the game about the travel distance, late kickoff and high temperature. But let’s be real, Mississippi State was playing so poorly at the start that it was hard to judge if those were factors.
“I got to do a better job getting these guys ready to go play out of the gate,” Lebby said. “I thought our energy, our effort and our emotion was really good, but then we did not play clean there in the first quarter, so that part was frustrating.”
The Bulldogs outscored the Sun Devils 20-0 in the final quarter and a half. It was a surprise. Arizona State was rolling. Mississippi State was not.
MORE: Introducing Sam Sklar, the Clarion Ledger’s new Mississippi State beat reporter
For Lebby, a first-time head coach at any level, let it be a learning moment for him. It was his first time getting pinned in a corner. The Bulldogs adjusted correctly in the second half like good coaches do.
The rushing offense and defense both need to improve. Badly. Quarterback Blake Shapen has been impressive in his first two Mississippi State games and the wide receiver room is deep and talented as ever, but they can’t be the only answer.
That’s just for this season.
Mississippi State has its first tally in the loss column. But it isn’t a strike against Lebby leading the future of the program.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Sam Leavitt leads ASU to convincing victory in 1st career start
Leavitt and the Sun Devils cruised past visiting Wyoming 48-7 on Saturday night at Mountain America Stadium.
The Arizona State football team elevated its play on the field in its 48-7 win over Wyoming in Week 1.
It is elevating its uniform game for Week 2 against Mississippi State.
ASU football is wearing a gold alternate jersey against the Bulldogs at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Saturday night.
The jersey includes maroon “Arizona State” lettering and maroon numbering, along with a noticeable Big 12 logo.
The Sun Devil football team unveiled the uniform last month, with Athletic Director Graham Rossini posting that “you’ll see this on the field early this season.”
On Thursday, ASU football announced that it would be wearing the uniform against Mississippi State with a video that said “Modern shine, with a classic design.”
On Friday, it posted another look at the uniform.
More: Arizona State vs Mississippi State live score updates, analysis for college football game
ASU vs Mississippi State schedule, TV: How to watch college football game
Promising look: Arizona State football’s 2024 win prediction doubles after Week 1 victory over Wyoming
Social media reacted favorably overall to ASU football’s uniform vs Mississippi State:
Do you like the look for ASU football?
ASU vs. Mississippi State picks: Who wins Week 2 college football game?
Looking promising: Arizona State football makes huge leap in college football ranking, Big 12 power rankings
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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