Mississippi State is back at home for its next SEC test, a visit from No. 22 Texas and one of the best defenses in FBS.
The Bulldogs (4-3, 0-3 SEC) have yet to seize their moment to end a now 15-game losing streak in conference play that dates back to 2023, but the group will get another shot this Saturday with the crowd on their side against a college football blueblood.
Here are three keys to victory in MSU’s bid to upset the Longhorns in Starkville.
Inhospitable hosts
It may go against what many Starkvillians value, but hostility is going to be key here. A 3 p.m. game doesn’t always produce the most raucous crowd, but the one against Tennessee did its part even with the large gathering of orange in the eastern block of the stadium.
The cowbells are always ringing, and the conference rule of when they should or shouldn’t be ringing is sometimes treated as just a suggestion, but the crowd should do its part to help interrupt a visiting offensive unit that has struggled to operate on the road.
At the defending national champions, Arch Manning looked like a rookie going against a seasoned NFL defense. Now, much of that was because the Buckeyes defense features several players who will become highly regarded NFL draft picks, but the crowd of more than 100,000 did its part too. The same was true in Gainesville, where more than 90,000 Gator fans were on the young quarterback for all six sacks, two interceptions and fumble created by the Florida defense.
That inhospitable approach must continue to the defense. The unit has been the strength of this Bulldog team so far in SEC play, but that hasn’t reflected in rushing the quarterback. There is an opportunity to dial up some more effective pressure on Manning behind an inconsistent offensive line, and the players have to answer the call. Creating opportunities for turnovers and forcing decisions under pressure will matter even considering the talent on the other side of the ball for Texas.
Sustain and finish drives
Mississippi State’s offense has the potential to resemble a projectile being fired out of a cannon. Yet, many times in SEC play, that cannon has been aimed with precision at their own feet rather than the end zone.
Negative plays on first and second down, penalties, turnovers and blown assignments have all popped up at just the right moment to kill drives when the Bulldogs have an opportunity to build a lead or turn things around.
To make matters worse, these moments have come with a chance to play great complementary football in step with key defensive moments and stops from the defense.
“I thought defensively, we gave ourselves a chance to go win the game,” Lebby said of the loss at Florida last weekend. “We did at times offensively, do some really good things. Finding ways to get points out of those drives early in the game, where we move to football and ended up coming out empty-handed, were things that to me kept us from controlling the game in the first half. Again, I love our guys’ energy, our fight, our edge, our toughness. I think we’ve got a tough football team, but finding a way to win in the fourth quarter is something we’ve got to go do.”
There was a focus on those moments this week among Lebby and the players, all of whom felt the Bulldogs should have been winning comfortably at halftime of a gut-wrenching defeat in Gainesville.
The performance had many positives, not least of which was the revival of the passing game and getting the ball in the hands of Brenen Thompson and Anthony Evans, but the Bulldogs have to capitalize on their chances to get back in the win column.
This week, there is no margin for error against one of the best defensive units in the country.
Capitalize wherever possible
The Longhorns have had their own struggles moving the ball consistently, but they have not struggled on defense in making life difficult for opposing quarterbacks and offensive lines.
Texas’ defense ranks fifth in FBS at stopping the run and 12th in total defense, allowing only eight touchdowns through seven games this year.
“I think they understand who they are from an identity standpoint, and they play to that nonstop,” Lebby said of the defensive identity of Texas. “To me, that’s a mark of a really good team and a well-coached team.”
When facing a defense like that, you have to take any and all opportunities at points. That means continuing to take risks on fourth downs and playing with that in mind, as Lebby’s playcalling has shown this year, but it also means taking field goals where you can. It means trying to jump routes or send an extra rusher at the quarterback. It means finding Thompson when he gets behind the defense, or standing in the pocket that extra second without flinching, knowing the hit is coming.
The Bulldogs have not capitalized on these moments offensively. In nine drives with a chance to build a lead in SEC play, the Bulldogs have picked up just a field goal with four punts and four turnovers through three games. Wasted chances plagued the Bulldogs in Gainesville last week against a struggling Florida team once again, and that simply can’t be the case again this Saturday. The Longhorns are too good defensively to get away with wasting chances.
Posted in College Sports
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