On a chilly night in Knoxville, Tennessee, the Mississippi State traveled into the mouth of the beast of Neyland Stadium to face the Tennessee Volunteers for another Southeastern Conference road trip for Coach Lebby and his Bulldogs. Winning at Neyland can be challenging for any team, but Mississippi State held its own on Saturday night and continued to show improvements from the previous week. Not everything was perfect, and there was no question as to who the better team was, but the boys from Starkville fought like hell and left it all on the field on Saturday night as they fell short of a College Football Playoff contending Tennessee team.

Despite falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter, Mississippi State never backed down from the onslaught of Tennessee’s high-powered offense. Mississippi State played improved defense in the first half, forcing Tennessee to kick a few field goals while making the Volunteers uncomfortable enough to force a turnover; holding Tennessee to a few field goals on specific drives felt like a win for a Mississippi State defensive unit not used to finding wins this season. At this point of the season, the improvements are wins to build off for in year two of the Coach Lebby era in Starkville next fall. For a unit that had to replace nearly everyone, slowing down one of the most potent offensives in college football is the type of film the coaching staff loves to have to show for further improvements to the Mississippi State defensive unit for the final two games of the season while keeping 2025 in mind.

On the offensive side of the ball, things weren’t perfect and fell stagnant at times, but scoring 14 points against Tennessee is a small moral victory for Coach Lebby and the offensive staff. One of the main positives from the game was the Mississippi State rushing attack; Davon Booth and Johnnie Daniels finished the game with a touchdown each, combing for 179 yards on the ground. Davon Booth did his thing on Saturday night, finishing the night with 125 yards and a long of 43 yards. Both guys gave Mississippi State a fighting chance on Saturday night as the passing game failed to take off. Michael Van Buren finished the game with 92 yards and an interception.

Losing sucks, but once again, this season, improvements were shown, and there’s still a lot to play for as the Bulldogs face the reality of the final two games of the 2024 season. If you count the bye week next Saturday, three weeks remain in the 2024 season for Coach Lebby and his Bulldogs. These next three weeks will come down to pride in the program for the guys as they look to build a better future for Mississippi State Football. If you’re Mississippi State Football, all the losses this season don’t matter. What matters is finishing the 2024 season with a home win over Missouri on the 23rd and ruining the season of Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl on the Friday following Thanksgiving.

Photo Credits – Mississippi State Football on X