Mississippi State football held its first preseason scrimmage Sunday under new coach Jeff Lebby.
The scrimmage was closed to the public. Lebby told reporters the first team offense and defense got about “six to seven” open-field drives, and they also worked in situational aspects such as the two-minute drill and the goal line.
Lebby did not single out any specific players that did or didn’t perform well and added that the two-deep depth chart won’t be established until closer to the week of the season opener on Aug. 31.
“The message will continue to be, ‘Man, we’ve got to be able to go play with 22 guys on each side of the ball, not to go play with, but to go win with,’ ” he said.
Social media can sometimes provide clues into the closed scrimmages, though Mississippi State has only posted once through early Sunday afternoon. It’s a photo of Utah State transfer running back Davon Booth diving ahead with the football stretched out.
Here are some takeaways from what Lebby said about the scrimmage.
Offensive line among most improved
Lebby said the offensive line has been one of the most improved positions lately.
It’s important because the Bulldogs lost all five of their starters from last season. They added four transfers — Ethan Miner, Makylan Pounders, Jacoby Jackson and Marlon Martinez — who are all competing for playing time.
“I think the group is really taking great strides since we ended spring ball, and maybe the group that’s made the most improvement between the end of spring and fall camp,” Lebby said. “And then it’s continued to get better. I appreciate their spirit, their work ethic, their toughness and their camaraderie.”
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Jeff Lebby wants better execution with offensive tempo
One pillar of Lebby’s offense will be the use of tempo.
Mississippi State added veteran Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen to be the starter, which should help in that realm. However, he’s still a transfer and learning a new playbook. The Bulldogs really have new starters at every offensive position who are all acclimating to the new system.
“You can’t use tempo as an edge if you can’t execute and play with details,” Lebby said. “So again, we’ve got a ways to go. I got a ton of confidence that we’re going to be able to get there. But again, it’s not just about the first 11 (starters). The next 11 are just as important playing the way we play.”
Jeff Lebby still wants to clean up Mississippi State pre-snap penalties
Lebby said Wednesday that Mississippi State needs to work on playing “clean football.” On Sunday, he said the scrimmage was clean “at times” but the Bulldogs “still got a ways to go.”
“We’ve got to do a great job of being disciplined and making sure that non-playing penalties have no part in our game,” he said. “And so, until that part is perfect — because to me, that isn’t a choice just playing with great focus and understanding of how we need to play and how we got to operate — but until that piece is truly perfect, it won’t be good enough.”
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MSU punting and kicking jobs are still open
Lebby said Mississippi State is still evaluating who could be its starting kicker and punter. He even said there’s a chance it uses two punters.
Mississippi State added Zach Haynes at punter, who transferred from New Mexico State when Cliff Odom was hired as special teams coordinator. Odom said before preseason practice began that he’d ideally want to use one punter, though, like Lebby, could see them using two depending on the situation.
At kicker, Kyle Ferrie returns after he was the starter last season and connected on 16-of-22 field-goal attempts. Other kickers on the roster include Nick Barr-Mira, who could also be an option at punter, sophomore Marlon Hauck and freshman William Wilkinson.
Sam Sklar is the Southern Miss beat reporter for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at ssklar@hattiesb.gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Mississippi State football scrimmage: Jeff Lebby’s positives, concerns
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Publish date : 2024-08-11 04:33:00
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