Mississippi

Three alarming stats for Mississippi State football’s defense after Texas A&M loss

Published

1 year ago

October 20, 2024

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_.

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Mississippi

How Mississippi State’s Tomas Valincius dominated third straight SEC team vs Ole Miss

Published

9 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

How Mississippi State’s Tomas Valincius dominated third straight SEC team vs Ole Miss

OXFORD — Tomas Valincius struck out top Ole Miss baseball batter Tristan Bissetta looking on his last pitch of the game.

There was no emotion from the Mississippi State starting pitcher as he walked back to the dugout after Bissetta was the fourth straight Ole Miss batter to strike out.

It was another instance of Valincius, the left-handed Virginia transfer, showing a trait that’s made him such a dominant pitcher for the No. 4 Bulldogs. The longer Valincius pitches, the better he gets.

The sophomore pitched another five shutout innings as MSU (23-4, 5-2 SEC) took down No. 18 Ole Miss, 6-1, at Swayze Field on March 28 to win the series.

“It’s all mental,” Valincius said. “Just going out there and just kind of trusting yourself and all the work you put in throughout the week. And even when you don’t have your stuff, it’s still a war between every battle in every inning. It’s kind of like finding a way to do what you can do with what you got.”

The win clinched the Bulldogs’ ninth series against the Rebels (19-9, 3-5) in the last 10 meetings. Another win March 29 (3 p.m., SEC Network) would make Brian O’Connor the third straight first-year MSU coach to sweep Ole Miss.

Valincius (6-0) hasn’t allowed an earned run in 19 SEC innings and his season ERA dropped to 0.91.

Against the Rebels, one game after striking out a career-high 14 batters against Vanderbilt, Valincius recorded nine strikeouts with three hits, two walks and one hit by pitch in 90 pitches.

“He buckled down when runners were in scoring position,” O’Connor said. “He’s always best in his middle innings. You see him just rise his game up.”

Why Tomas Valincius could’ve done even better against Ole Miss

While the Ole Miss game was Valincius’ third SEC start without allowing an earned run, it was his shortest outing of the three. The other two against Arkansas and Vanderbilt both lasted seven innings.

Valincius stranded six Ole Miss batters on base in his five innings.

“Early on, I didn’t really feel like I had anything going,” Valincius said. “I was kind of just finding a way to win. That was kind of my whole approach throughout the whole game. I couldn’t really figure out the slider and fastball command. It wasn’t working a lot. I just found a way to win.”

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

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Mississippi

Mother, her 2 daughters among 5 killed in collision between train and van

Published

21 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Mother, her 2 daughters among 5 killed in collision between train and van

STONE COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX/Gray News) — Multiple people were killed in a crash between a train and a van on Friday afternoon in Mississippi.

Stone County Sheriff Todd Stewart said the crash happened around 1 p.m. on Pump Branch Road. First responders had to cut through the woods to get to the wreckage.

There were six people in the van at the time of the crash, Stewart said. Stone County Coroner Wayne Flurry confirmed five of them died in the crash.

Multiple people are dead after a crash between a train and a van in Mississippi. (WLOX)

The sixth person was airlifted to New Orleans.

The five victims were identified as 26-year-old Ryan C. Peterson, who was a corrections officer with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department, 23-year-old Demarcus Perkins, 45-year-old Kristina Carver, and Carver’s two daughters, 22-year-old Emley Chamblee and 20-year-old Sarabeth Chamblee.

Nearby resident Pam Olson has been sounding the alarm on the Pump Branch Road railroad crossing for some time. She was tending to her garden with her husband when the sound of screeching brakes made them jolt.

“We heard it,” explained Olson. “My husband and I were in the yard working on our flowerbeds. I told my husband a train hit another vehicle. My husband ran up there and said, ‘Pam, it’s bad.’”

A recent report from the Stone County Enterprise outlines another wreck in the same spot, which resulted in the driver of a pickup truck being airlifted. Stewart also pointed out a fatal train accident in Stone County happened at the location in 2023, claiming the life of a Wiggins woman.

“This’d be the second incident in the last four to five weeks involving fatalities and the third incident in the last year, all involving fatalities,” explained Stewart. “To date, we’ve lost seven folks within the last year.”

The crossing does not have crossing arms or lights. Stone County District 1 Supervisor Jimmy Springs said he previously reached out to Mississippi Department of Transportation railroad engineers and was told crossing arms are on the way for two crossings, including the one at Pump Branch Road. However, it could take a year for them to be installed.

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CLASH Endurance triathlon begins on Mississippi Gulf Coast

Published

1 day ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

CLASH Endurance triathlon begins on Mississippi Gulf Coast

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) — The CLASH Endurance triathlon officially started along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Maya Reilly placed first in the collegiate female draft-legal division.

“I placed first, so I’m pretty stoked about that,” Reilly said.

Winning a triathlon means beating competitors from across the country and around the world in swimming, biking and running.

“Definitely a lot of hours goes into the sport, but the actual race was tough. It was like full gas, swim, bike, and run, so over an hour. And I’m excited to be able to be done and take home the win,” Reilly said.

Maya Reilly placed first in the collegiate female draft-legal division.(WLOX)

Athletes praise Gulf Coast hospitality

It’s CLASH Endurance’s first year on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and athletes say the experience is just as memorable as the competition.

“I have had such a great time down here in the south. It’s, like, the nicest people I’ve ever met. The culture is amazing. The music’s great. The food’s great. Honestly, nothing but positive for me. It’s awesome,” said Annette Zavala of the UC Davis Triathlon Team.

“I really like this course. It was really cool to see them swim in the marina. The course was very accessible to view, which I really appreciated,” said Sophia Najera of the UC Davis Triathlon Team.

It’s CLASH Endurance’s first year on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and athletes say the... — It’s CLASH Endurance’s first year on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and athletes say the experience is just as memorable as the competition.(WLOX)

More than 28 countries and all 50 states are represented, bringing a boost to the coastal economy.

“All of the athletes who are visiting coastal Mississippi, they’re staying in the hotels, they’re visiting the restaurants, they’re shopping, and they’re not just staying for a night or two. Some of them are staying and playing,” said Blair Lahaye, CLASH Endurance vice president of communications.

Athletes say it’s the support from the crowd and each other that pushes them across the finish line.

“You might have the worst mindset out there, but just hearing someone believe in you, like, that’s sometimes all you need to move forward,” Zavala said.

“I could not have gone through half the races I did, half the trainings I did, without the support of my teammates. We’re really excited to come race tomorrow, and we were super glad to get to be able to cheer on our teammates today,” Najera said.