STARKVILLE — No defensive players were left behind during Mississippi State football’s walk from the practice facility to Davis Wade Stadium on Aug. 10.
The unit made sure everyone was ready before trekking to the stadium together for the first scrimmage of MSU’s preseason.
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The scrimmage was closed to the public, including reporters, but second-year coach Jeff Lebby said that connectedness was the start of what was an encouraging performance by the defense.
“What I loved was defensively finding ways to create turnovers and some negative plays,” he said afterward. “That, for me, was a great thing to see from the defensive side of the ball. They got their hands on the ball, made plays, created some huge momentum plays in the scrimmage. That was good to see.”
Lebby didn’t single out any players except for one: Kelley Jones. The redshirt sophomore cornerback, according to Lebby, had a scoop-and-score touchdown of “50-60 yards.”
Jones is expected to be a starter for the Bulldogs’ defense, which allowed an SEC-worst 34.1 points per game in 2024.
On the opposite end, that means the Bulldogs’ offense didn’t limit turnovers.
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“Today, the frustrating thing offensively was not taking care of the ball,” Lebby said. “We did some really good things. We created a couple of explosives. We did some decent things in the run game, but turnovers were the storyline today. The ball is the program, and we’ve got to make sure we’re doing a great job taking care of it. We’ve done a pretty good job of it throughout fall camp and doing that nine practices in.”
Mississippi State doesn’t have many injuries, says Jeff Lebby
Lebby added that MSU is generally healthy as the first game of the season nears, at Southern Miss on Aug. 30 (11 a.m. CT, ESPN).
Lots of eyes are on starting quarterback Blake Shapen, who missed the last eight games of 2024 with a fractured scapula. He has been a full participant since the start of spring practices.
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Sophomore defensive tackle Kai McClendon was the only player to miss the most recent practice that was open to the media, on Aug. 8, but he was already out with a torn ACL. Michigan State transfer wide receiver Jaron Glover was the only player in that practice wearing a non-contact jersey.
“We are healthy, so that’s a great thing,” Lebby said. “Really, as you look at it nine days into camp, I think our guys have taken it to the culture of recovery and finding time to make sure they’re doing everything they possibly can to get themselves ready for the next day’s practice. I think the growth in that has been fun to see and been really good.”
Why Mississippi State is scrimmaging differently in Jeff Lebby’s second season
The Bulldogs have harped numerous times about their improved depth compared to last season. It has helped them be able to practice differently.
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That’s translated into the scrimmages, too, Lebby said.
He cautioned that the defense could be ahead of the offense now because seven of the 10 spring transfers play offense.
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“I think the cool thing is that we are getting more guys getting more reps,” he said. “There’s more tape to watch, there’s more film and there’s more going on because we, from a roster standpoint, have been able to practice how we need to practice just to give ourselves 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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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State football: Jeff Lebby loved this part of scrimmage
