Although the outcome didn’t go in favor of the Mississippi State Bulldogs, the season is far from over, as the Bulldogs have shown once again that they can play and beat anybody else in the country. Sure, Mississippi State might lack the depth that Tennessee or Texas might have, but the Bulldogs have shown they can play without else in the country, they might fall short but the impovements from last season where Mississippi State went 2-10, to this season where they’re 4-1 with a legitmate shot at returning back to the postseason has revamped the Bulldogs nation with a ferver not seen since the days of the pirate roaming the sidelines or when Dan Mullen and Dak Prescott played villian for the rest of the Southeastern Conference. 

Many people noticed a difference in game one of the season against Southern Miss when the Bulldogs arrived in Hattiesburg; they looked the part of a formidable Southeastern Conference team. The next week, Mississippi State shocked the world as they took down Arizona State, raising the expectations and excitement surrounding the program to record highs. After rattling off two more non-conference wins over Alcorn State and Northern Illinois, the showdown with Tennessee meant just a bit more than many expected coming into the season. The scene inside Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday afternoon was something right out of a storybook as thousands of cowbells welcomed those in orange and white for a hard-hitting day of Southeastern Conference football. 

Here are three thoughts and takeaways from the close 41-34 loss to Tennessee on Saturday for the Bulldogs of Mississippi State as they now shift the focus to a road Saturday, where they head to College Station to take on Texas A&M. 

First, outside of not having depth in year two of the Coach Lebby era in Starkville, the Mississippi State Bulldogs showcased once again that they have the talent to compete this year with just about anyone in the Southeastern Conference, and the first SEC win in nearly two years is a lot closer to happening than people realize. Mississippi State took Tennessee to overtime and despite falling short by a couple of yards, the loss didn’t feel like a traditional loss, it felt like a building block of mometum to ride into the rest of the season. Instead of wallowing around in self-pity, Coach Lebby and the boys didn’t shy away from the loss; they’ve attacked Texas A&M week with a vengeance as they have another opportunity to stun the world with a win on Saturday night over the Aggies inside the hostile confines of Kyle Field. 

Second, there have been numerous rumblings from the fan base about Blake Shapen not being the right person to position Mississippi State in the best position to win games. Until proven otherwise, all that is doing is causing division when division isn’t needed. Blake Shapen might not be perfect, but he is the starting quarterback for Mississippi State this season. 

Lastly, it’s past time to give Fluff Bothwell his credit. The South Alabama transfer, Fluff Bothwell, had himself another game on Saturday night as he tallied 134 yards on the ground with two touchdowns to go with. As the season progresses, we’ll see Coach Lebby lean on Fluff as the guy who tallies up the yards while giving you another scoring threat in theory, then opens up the passing lanes for Mississippi State to score from afar. Fluff is just that guy that you bring in to get the job done, while opening passing lanes because defenders can’t afford to leave him running later to pick apart. 

Overall, Saturday might have been a loss on the scoreboard, but Mississippi State showcased the potential they have to make some noise this season before eventually returning to the postseason. 

Photo Credits- Mississippi State Football on X