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
Report card: Grading Arkansas football's 58-25 win over Mississippi State | Whole Hog Sports
Mississippi
SEC Power Rankings: Is Mississippi State the Worst Team in the SEC?
Mississippi State is winless through five SEC games and with its final three conference opponents against ranked teams, the chances aren’t great of that changing.
So, the answer to the question of where do the Bulldogs rank in our SEC Power Rankings won’t be surprising to anyone:
1. Georgia (6-1, 4-1): If not for a certain 17-year-old wearing crimson red, the Bulldogs would be undefeated and No. 1 in the nation.
2. Texas (7-1, 3-1): Don’t take it personally, Longhorns. We wanted y’all to lose, if only to see what SEC Shorts and SEC Roll Call puts out Monday.
3. Texas A&M (7-1, 5-0): Record-setting head coach buyout and the return of the archrival Texas to the schedule? Of course this would be the Aggies’ year.
4. Tennessee (6-1 3-1): Volunteers can’t overlook their two opponents before a date with destiny in Athens, Georgia on Nov. 16.
5. Alabama (6-2, 3-2): That’s the type of response Alabama fans are used to after a loss.
6. LSU (6-2, 3-1): The Tigers still remain in the hunt for a spot in the SEC championship game.
7. Ole Miss (6-2, 2-2): There’s still a chance the Rebels can make the playoff, but they can’t afford another loss.
8. Arkansas (5-3, 3-2): Could the Razorbacks blow up everything and win out?
9. Missouri (6-2, 2-2): A 34-0 loss is usually the outcome for the that plays Alabama after the Crimson Tide lose.
10. Vanderbilt (5-3, 2-2): We were all rooting for you Vandy.
11. Florida (4-3, 2-2): Can Billy Napier save his job?
12. South Carolina (4-3, 2-3): Could the Gamecocks continue the chaos this week against No. 10 Texas A&M?
13. Oklahoma (4-4, 1-4): Boomer Sooners starting in SEC without much boom.
14. Auburn (3-5, 1-4): Is Hugh Freeze going to lose his job?
15. Kentucky (3-5, 1-5): Are Kentucky fans looking towards the basketball season already?
16. Mississippi State (1-7, 0-5): The Bulldogs have played better, but they’re still winless in SEC games.
What Went Right? Mississippi State Continues to Show Improvement
What Went Wrong: Arkansas vs. Mississippi State
5 Key Stats That Define Mississippi State’s 58-25 Loss to Arkansas
Turnovers and Missed Opportunities Cost Mississippi State in Loss to Arkansas
Mississippi
This week in politics: When MS judge races went apolitical, or did they? Plus, more updates
Read more on insurance commissioner, Grenada statue update
In this year’s judicial races, Mississippi politicians and at least one political party have thrown their two cents in on who they believe should be elected to the Mississippi Supreme Court.
And while the races are nonpartisan, and have been for just over 30 years, it has never stopped partisan groups from supporting a candidate who holds their values more so than others.
“I think (the change from partisan to nonpartisan elections) is one of the best things about our system” said Jim Kitchens, Mississippi Supreme Justice and Central District candidate, in an interview with the Clarion Ledger. “… But I haven’t seen any kind of judicial selection, whether it’s appointed, elected or some kind of variation that completely eliminates politics.”
Kitchens has also received donations from Mississippi Democrats, including Brandon Presley and endorsements from state party leaders, including Cheikh Taylor, a Mississippi House Representative from Starkville. Kitchens said the point in the 1990s was to remove aspects of politics from the equation and to some degree it has.
One of Kitchens’ toughest opponents, State Sen. Jenifer Branning, R-Philadelphia, has received donations from Republican support groups for top state GOP members, including House Speaker Jason White and Senate Finance Chairman Josh Harkins. Branning also received a donation from former Gov. Haley Barbour.
Read more about political donations to candidates here.
What donations have been given: How much cash MS judicial candidates raised before Nov. 5 election. What companies donated?
In the Mississippi Supreme Court race for the Southern District, incumbent Dawn Beam has also received an endorsement from the Mississippi GOP.
Before 1994, judges in Mississippi ran partisan races as Democrats, Republicans and others, but the Legislature, in an effort to bring impartiality and fairness to the court, passed legislation to end the practice that year. The only exception to the rule is justice court judge races, which are still partisan.
According to legal scholar and University of Minnesota Law Professor Herbert M. Kritzer’s book, “Judicial Selection in the States: Politics and the Struggle for reform,” in the 1970s, the state was ranked last on an index of legal professionalism and lawsuits pressuring the state to revise judicial districts to increase the number of Black judges pushed reform through in the early ’90s.
“It was actually Republicans who championed that change from partisan to nonpartisan elections,” Kitchens said.
Mike Chaney not the only one to ever advocate for his position to be appointed:
Chaney’s ask to lawmakers: Mississippi Insurance Commissioner wants his position to be appointed. Read why
On Oct. 23, Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney asked Senate lawmakers to consider legislation to change his position from an elected to appointed.
As it happens, it wouldn’t be the first state position go down that road.
Below are a few of the other state positions that have been changed from elected to appointed, according to state historical records:
- State Superintendent was previously a statewide elected office, but in 1984, the Legislature voted to make it a State Board of Education appointment with consent of the Senate.
- Former Gov. William Winter was the state’s last elected tax collector after successfully lobbying for the position to be appointed. His term in that role ended in 1964.
- Before the Secretary of State’s Office absorbed the department, Mississippi had an independent Land Commission with a statewide elected commissioner. MSOS absorbed the commission in 1980 after the Legislature voted to abolish it in 1978.
- Prior to 1976, the position of Mississippi Supreme Court Clerk was a statewide elected position. In that year, it was changed so that the clerk is now appointed by the nine state supreme court justices.
Grenada Confederate statue update:
Details on Confederate statue lawsuit: Lawsuit threatens to change how MS towns can relocate Confederate statues. Read how
It appears that negotiations between the City of Grenada and two local residents over a dispute on where a 1910 confederate statue should be located have soured.
Last month, residents Susan Kirk and James Jones filed suit in circuit court to reverse a 2020 decision by the Grenada City Council to move the statue from the town’s courthouse square to behind a fire station.
Grenada Mayor Charles Latham and plaintiff attorney Don Barrett told the Clarion Ledger they had agreed to request the council vote to move the statue to a nearby Confederate cemetery, and by doing so, Kirk and Jones had agreed to withdraw the suit.
The vote was slated to take place on Oct. 14, but Latham said it was taken off of the council’s agenda and, due to the lawsuit, he was not allowed to speak on the situation.
On Oct. 18, the city’s attorney requested an extension of time lasting until Oct. 28 to file a response to the complaint.
The statue at the center of the lawsuit is also being kept in storage while litigation plays out. It is one of only three Confederate statues in Mississippi to have been moved from its original location.
Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.
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