This weekend, Starkville is the scene of the 38th annual Super Bulldog Weekend. There’s an SEC baseball matchup with Auburn coming to town for a three-game series. But the most anticipated event of the weekend is the annual Maroon and White football game, on Saturday, April 20th, at 1:00 pm. It’s not only the Mississippi State Spring game, but also a preview of a new head coach, new coaching staff, many roster additions, and a totally new offense and defense.
Since March 19th, Spring training camp has offered sparing glimpses into what new head coach Jeff Lebby has in store for the 2024 season. It’s his first time as a head coach and many pundits are skeptical as to any success he might bring to the table in his first year. Also, there have been a lot of changes with many moving parts. Although the Bulldog offense will be going up against its own defense in this game, it will still give the fans a good look at the talent on both sides of the ball.
Veer-and-Shoot
The greatest anticipation surrounds seeing the veer-and-shoot offense that Lebby has been running since his early coaching days at Baylor. As offensive coordinator, he brought what has been described as a high-powered offense to UCF, Ole Miss, and most recently Oklahoma. It’s fairly balanced, with a slight edge to the passing game. With that in mind, it relies on a smart and agile quarterback who can think quickly, utilizing his legs and arm, wearing down defenses in a hurry-up scheme. Lebby wasted no time, making his first portal selection in quarterback Blake Shapen out of Baylor. He has been running this offense for the past three years for the Bears, which gives him a leg up on returning sophomore Chris Parson, previous second-string Vandy transfer Mike Wright, and 4-star recruit Michael Van Buren.
It’s Up in the Air
The passing game is about 60% of Lebby’s offense, and there were some key exits after last season. Star wide receivers Tulu Griffin and Zavion Thomas left for the NFL. Lebby needed to bolster the receiver room and he did that substantially through recruiting. He added four-star recruits JJ Harrell, Sanfrisco Magee, Braylon Burnside, and Mario Craver. That’s not to say he didn’t already have a mentor in the mix with returning sophomore Creed Whittemore. In his first game of the 2023 season, Whittemore had a 33-yard receiving touchdown and a 53-yard rushing touchdown.
Barbay’s offense from 2023 supposedly brought back tight ends to the equation. However, production from the position was almost non-existent. But this year, Lebby brought in Justin Ball, who transferred from Vanderbilt, and his brother Cameron from Buffalo. Also, Seydou Traore gets to play after a year of sitting out, following his transfer from Colorado.
It’s a Balanced Game
The other 40% of Lebby’s offense relies on the run. Stellar running back Jo’Quavious “Woody” Marks hit the portal and landed at Southern California. This left a gap in that aspect of the game. Seth Davis, the five-foot-seven-inch scat back, made some impact last year as a freshman but injured his knee in the Egg Bowl. His status for the Spring game is questionable. The only other returning backs are Keyvone Lee, who transferred from Penn State before last season, and Jeffery Pittman who saw some action last year. Lebby praised Lee one week into Spring practice but made it clear he needed more. “As we sit here today, we’ve got to continue to get better,” Lebby said in a press conference. “We don’t have a ton of production in that room.”
Lebby didn’t waste any time acquiring Miami (Ohio)-running back Rashad Amos when the Spring portal opened on April 15th. He had 1,075 yards last season after spending three prior seasons at South Carolina. He has experience in the SEC, however, this acquisition is so new that nobody expects to see Amos in the Spring game.
The Guys Up Front Also Serve
Sometimes as a fan, it’s good to sit in the endzone and see how the holes open up, thus the offensive line play. This year, the Dawgs had to rebuild from the ground up after losing Steven Losoya III to Vanderbilt and Percy Lewis to Auburn. Offensive line coach Cody Kennedy basically had to rebuild the line, and he did so from the transfer portal. He brought in Makylan Pounders from Memphis, Ethan Miner from North Texas, Marlon Martinez from LSU, and Jacoby Jackson from Texas Tech. Incumbent tackle Albert Reese IV was pleased with his new teammates. “They have been settling really well, and coaches have done a good job making sure everyone is on the same page,” Reese said in a press conference this Spring.
It’s Still About Defense at State
While Lebby is primarily an offensively-minded head coach, the defense hasn’t gone unaccounted for. New defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler is well aware of the reputation State has, especially in terms of defensive linemen. In addition, he’s bringing a new scheme to the Dawgs, which will be worth watching. Two key players from the front, Nathan Pickering and Jaden Crumedy left for the NFL. However, returning are the Russell brothers, De’Monte and Donterry. From the portal, Hutzler also added Kedrick Bingley-Jones from North Carolina, Sulaiman Kpaka from Purdue, and Wilky Denaud from Auburn.
Replacing the SEC leading tacklers, linebackers Jett Johnson and Nathaniel “Bookie” Watson, isn’t a small task, but Hutzler will rely on South Carolina transfer Stone Blanton to pick up some of the slack.
Then there is the secondary. As it was last year, there is a question mark in 2024. The stars State did have last year, Decamerion Richardson, Marcus Banks, and Shawn Preston Jr. left for the NFL. The only returning safety of note is Corey Ellington. So, the secondary will be worth watching, just to see if there may be answers for the Fall.
Are There Answers After Four Weeks?
Can there be any definitive resolutions about how the Dawgs will perform in the upcoming season? It’s not likely. Last year, head coach Zach Arnett tried a totally different offense than will be showcased this season. In that preceding Spring game, quarterback Will Rogers was impressive creating some dazzling pass plays. However, when the 2023 season came and went, the Dawgs were only able to muster 181.8 average passing yards per game. The one thing going for the Dawgs this year is that Lebby has produced results relatively soon after getting to the programs to which he brought the new offense.
As far as the defense, it’s anyone’s guess as to how they will perform. The one thing Bulldog fans can do is enjoy Super Bulldog Weekend, a Super Dawg, with Country Pleasin’ Smoked Sausage, pulled brisket, BBQ sauce, slaw, and pickles. Then they can hope for the best outcome on August 31st when Eastern Kentucky comes to Starkville to open the new season.
