Year two of the Coach Jeff Lebby era at Mississippi State got underway with a massive 34-17 road win over Southern Miss as the Bulldogs looked to silence the early-season critics with a solid road over a Sun Belt contender. Mississippi State started slowly in the second half, with the offense struggling to find its rhythm, but that quickly changed as the Bulldogs’ offense found its groove and rode the momentum of the defense, cruising to a 34-17 victory over Southern Miss. 

Every week, the takeaways and thoughts from the previous week will likely change, but week one delivered a lot of positives for the Bulldogs as they now turn the page and shift the focus to week two, where they’ll welcome Arizona State to Davis Wade Stadium for the first Saturday night of the season in Starkville. 

The first major takeaway of the weekend is the size and speed of Mississippi State compared to last season. We had seen a sample size during spring ball and into fall camp, but when Mississippi State arrived at MM Roberts Stadium at Southern Miss and got off the bus, they looked like an SEC team. From there, the size evolved into the SEC speed that often takes teams from the Southeastern Conference over the edge, adding a few more wins to the win column each season. For Mississippi State, half the battle of building a program is looking the part, but the Bulldogs now have the speed that could turn them into a postseason team at the end of the season. 

Second, the Mississippi State running back room has not been this good in years. Fluff Bothwell and Davon Booth combined for 116 yards, with three touchdowns between the two. Then you add in the production from Johnnie Daniels, who finished his day with 28 yards, with a long of 13-yard run. Having three guys in the backfield that can complement the explosive nature of a Coach Lebby offensive unit. As the season progresses, so will the development of Bothwell and Davon Booth into the scheme of the overall offensive units. 

Third, and really, it’s the only negative of the game on Saturday. Mississippi State must find a way to become more disciplined and avoid picking up unnecessary penalties that either stall drives for the offense or give up big yardage on defense. On Saturday, Mississippi State combined for 119 penalty yards, while the offense led the way with 79 of those yards. If Mississippi State not only wants to beat Arizona State on Saturday night, but also has success this season, then those undisciplined mistakes need to be put aside. It’s as simple as that: eliminate stuff you can control with an ounce of discipline. 

Lastly, compared to last season, the defense seemed at least better for Mississippi State on Saturday against Southern Miss. As a unit, Mississippi State combined for 95 tackles, 17 of which were solo, along with one interception, while giving up 301 yards of total offense; only 102 of those yards came on the ground. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but at least Mississippi State looked better on the defensive side of the ball and did a good job at stopping the run game. Taking away the late-game touchdown, the Mississippi State defense reasonably gave up ten points with an explosive offense that won the Sun Belt last season at Marshall.  

Overall, Saturday was a solid season opener for Coach Lebby and his Mississippi State Bulldogs as they earned a massive win over a talented in-state foe that will likely compete for a conference championship this fall. Mississippi State has a massive opportunity on Saturday night as 12th-ranked Arizona State travels to Davis Wade Stadium to take on Mississippi State under the bright Mississippi lights. A win over Arizona State would give the Bulldogs a leg up on finishing the non-conference with a perfect 4-0 record before welcoming Tennessee to Starkville on the 27th of September. 

Photo Credits- Mississippi State Football on X