Mississippi
Unpacking Mississippi State football’s puzzling slow starts in Jeff Lebby’s offense
KNOXVILLE — The second play of Saturday’s game is one that irks Mississippi State football coach Jeff Lebby.
MSU (2-8, 0-6 SEC) started with the ball for the 10th time this season, needing to make a splash on the road to silence Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium crowd. Tight end Seydou Traore broke loose 20 yards up the seam on second-and-11, but freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. threw an uncatchable pass high and wide of him. Another incompletion on the next play resulted in a three-and-out punt.
From there, Tennessee (8-1, 5-1) took the ball right down the field for a 7-0 lead on the way to a 33-14 victory.
Slow starts have been an issue, and don’t appear to be getting fixed.
“For us, there’s no explosive plays,” Lebby said. “Everything for us, as we’ve gotten started, we’ve had some negative plays and then it’s been very grind. We have to have the ability to throw and catch on a couple of these first- and second-down plays on the first two drives.”
What the numbers say of Mississippi State’s early-game offense
Mississippi State has scored first three times in 10 games this season. Two of those were opening-drive touchdowns. MSU has held two halftime leads this season, none of them in conference play.
In Mississippi State’s 10 opening drives, it has scored two touchdowns, had six three-and-out punts and two turnovers.
Mississippi State is averaging 2.7 points in first quarters against FBS opponents, 122nd in the country, according to teamrankings.com. Meanwhile, the defense is allowing 9.1 points in first quarters, 125th in the country, so MSU is essentially playing from behind early in every game.
“I’m not really too sure,” running back Davon Booth said after a season-high 125 rushing yards. “I think it’s just a lot of critical errors from (ourselves), a lot of simple mistakes, but we’re going to pick it up.”
Jeff Lebby didn’t have issues with slow starts at Oklahoma
At Oklahoma, where Lebby was the offensive coordinator in 2023 before being hired by the Bulldogs, the Sooners didn’t have an issue with slow starts. Oklahoma scored seven opening-drive touchdowns in 12 regular season games, punted four times and had one turnover. In those seven touchdowns, Oklahoma had five drives with a play of at least 30 yards.
Lebby is right about MSU missing explosive plays.
The Bulldogs only have three plays of at least 30 yards in first quarters this season. Two of them have been on opening drives, the two possessions when they’ve scored touchdowns.
What’s next for Mississippi State football
Mississippi State has an open week before its final home game of the season against Missouri (7-2, 3-2) on Nov. 23.
“Film, film, film,” Booth said. “Got to get going. We have Missouri this next week and they’re a good team, so I’m just going to watch a lot of film.”
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
Mississippi College Baseball Wins Series vs. West Florida for First Time
Mississippi College baseball has won the series against West Florida for the first time ever
The Choctaws have been playing UWF since 2015
MC won the first two games and put on a bit of a comeback in game 3
Next: GSC at Delta St., then Conference Tournament
Mississippi
George County High School senior killed in Highway 26 crash, MHP says
GEORGE COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) — A George County High School senior is dead after an SUV hit him while bicycling on Highway 26 Friday night.
Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) officials said at 8:15 p.m. the MHP responded to a fatal crash on Highway 26 in George County.
Those officials said a Ford SUV traveling west on Highway 26 collided with 18-year-old Tyree Bradley of McLain, Mississippi, who was bicycling.
Bradley was fatally injured and died at the scene, MHP officials said.
The crash remains under investigation by the MHP.
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Mississippi
Mississippi State Drops Series Opener at Texas A&M Despite Late Chances
Some losses feel like they drag on longer than the box score suggests, and Mississippi State’s 3-1 opener at Texas A&M fits that category.
It wasn’t a blowout. It wasn’t a game where the Bulldogs looked outmatched.
It was just one of those nights where the early mistakes stuck around and the offense never quite found the swing that could shake them loose.
The frustrating part is how quickly the hole formed. Two solo homers and a wild pitch in the first two innings put Mississippi State behind 3-0, and that was basically the ballgame.
Against a top tier SEC team on the road, spotting three runs that early is a tough ask. The Bulldogs didn’t fold, but they also didn’t cash in when the door cracked open.
“I liked our fight. I think we’re really just working through some things offensively, and trying to stay together,” Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. “This team still believes, and we’re going to battle and fight every chance we get, and I think I saw a lot of that. I’m encouraged for what that means for us moving forward, but, you know, they’re a good hitting team, and we’ve got to be able to shut them down early. I don’t think Peja [Goold] had her best stuff, but she continued to battle out there and find ways to get outs.”
They had chances. Two runners stranded in the fifth. Two more in the sixth. Another in the seventh. Des Rivera finally got the Bulldogs on the board with an RBI single, but the big hit that usually shows up for this lineup never arrived.
It wasn’t a lack of traffic. It was a lack of finish.
If there was a bright spot, it came from the bullpen. Delainey Everett gave Mississippi State exactly what it needed after the rocky start.
“That was just a huge relief appearance by Delaney to keep us in it,” Ricketts said. “It’s really good to have her back and healthy these last few weeks because these are the moments where we really need her and rely on her. We know that she’s going to be a big part of the remainder of the season going forward as well.”
Three hitless innings, one baserunner, and a reminder that she’s quietly putting together a strong stretch.
There were individual positives too. Nadia Barbary keeps climbing the doubles list. Kiarra Sells keeps finding ways on base.
But the bigger picture is simple. Mississippi State is now 6-10 in the SEC, and the margin for error is shrinking. Nights like this one are the difference between climbing back into the race and staying stuck in the middle.
They get another shot this morning with the schedule bumped up for weather. The formula isn’t complicated.
Clean up the early innings, keep getting quality relief, and find one or two timely swings. The Bulldogs didn’t get them Friday. They’ll need them today.
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