After a dismal 2-10 finish last year, the Mississippi State Bulldogs have put together their best start to a season since 2014.
The Bulldogs opened the year with a three-score victory over Southern Mississippi, a contender in the Sun Belt Conference this season.
Graduate quarterback Blake Shapen was impressive in his first game back after missing the majority of last season with a broken scapula, leading a 21-point explosion in the third quarter to propel his Bulldogs past the Golden Eagles.
In week two, Mississippi State stunned No. 12 Arizona State on a 58-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds left in regulation. That play capped a 279-yard, three-touchdown night for Shapen, a performance Mississippi State needed, as they only mustered 66 yards on the ground all night.
On the other side, the Bulldog defense held Sun Devil redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt to just 82 passing yards, forcing two interceptions.
The Bulldogs completed their stellar start with a combined score of 101-10 across two dominant wins against Alcorn State and Northern Illinois.
Second-year head coach Jeff Lebby found his formula for success: splash plays. The Bulldogs have 14 completions of 40 or more yards and have intercepted a Southeastern Conference-leading 10 passes.
Unfortunately, relying on big plays can lead to inconsistent results. Mississippi State has dropped all three of its most recent games — all in conference play. While losing three games straight is a poor result, these losses all came against strong teams.
The first came against No. 15 Tennessee, as Mississippi State managed to hold a lead with less than two minutes left in the game before losing in overtime. The Bulldogs managed to create three turnovers throughout the game but were held to 175 passing yards.
They took their worst loss the following week in their first road game since week one, falling to No. 6 Texas A&M 31-9.
Shapen threw an interception while the Aggies’ defense held him to 142 yards in the air. The Bulldogs accrued just 77 yards on 2.5 yards per carry on the ground. They also lost the turnover battle for the first time all season, coughing up a fumble to go along with Shapen’s interception.
Despite falling to Florida by two points, Shapen had his best game, throwing for 324 yards while the ground attack got back on track with a 144-yard performance.
Still, a missed field goal in the second quarter and a game-losing interception allowed the Gators to escape with a win.
Now, the Bulldogs return to Davis Wade Stadium in search of getting back in the win column against the No. 22 Texas Longhorns.
But this Mississippi State team has proven that it is not the same squad that was pummeled 35-13 in Austin last season. The scrappy Bulldogs have plenty to prove against the Longhorns, and Lebby knows what his team needs to do to achieve a win.