Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby has been an offensive coordinator for some of the most successful offenses in the country. In 2023, his Oklahoma offense was the nation’s third-best, averaging 507 yards per game, sixth in passing (325.8 yards), and fourth in scoring (417 points). He brought the Veer-and-Shoot offense to UCF, Ole Miss, and the Sooners, all with similar results. As he starts his first stint as a head coach at State, perhaps it’s time for a closer look at the new Bulldog offense and what makes it tick.
Lebby picked it up during his assistant coaching days at Baylor. It’s the brainchild of now-disgraced former Baylor head coach Art Briles. The reasons for Briles becoming a pariah within college football would be worth an article unto itself. But Lebby has suffered guilt by association since Briles is also his father-in-law. That’s a tough situation, as one might imagine. For this article, the controversy is set aside, and the concentration will be on the offense that has been so successful for Lebby.
Personnel
Bulldog fans are painfully aware of how the previous offense worked in the 2023 season. Lebby has taken a great deal of care in selecting players who could fit the Veer-and-Shoot scheme, rather than the other way around. Quite simply, the philosophy is that they run plays that fit the player and will not have them do things they don’t do well. In addition, Lebby’s philosophy, as he states it, is to “put our best on their worst.” In other words, exploit the opponent’s weaknesses.
The most important chess piece is the quarterback, who can pass and run with the ball when needed. Baylor transfer Blake Shapen seemed to fill that requirement and so far has been met with praise from his head coach. “He’s just getting more and more comfortable and more and more confident in the day-to-day and understanding he’s the guy for us to be able to go get it done,” Lebby said in a press conference following practice. “I love his toughness, his passion, and how he goes about things. So, I’m proud of him and he’s excited about this year.”
Besides the quarterback, Lebby’s offense basically uses every tool in the belt. Receivers like UTEP transfer Kelly Akharaiyi, Kevin Coleman Jr., from Louisville, and Bulldog veteran Creed Whittemore are key. The offense will sometimes have receivers placed from sideline to sideline, a spacing part of the offense, discussed later in this article. Also, a solid running game plays to a well-balanced attack. There has been significant competition at the running back position this fall. The Bulldog quiver includes weapons like Utah State transfer Davon Booth, State veteran Keyvone Lee, and junior college transfer Johnnie Daniels.
Tempo
Watching the spring Maroon and White game, there is no escaping the fact that Lebby’s offense rarely, if ever, huddles. The idea is to run as many plays as possible, with more snaps, and thus more opportunities to score. It’s a shotgun approach, only each piece of birdshot is strategic.
One of the main aspects of the hurry-up offense is that it wears down the defense with little opportunity to substitute. Fatigue leads to more mistakes and having the defensive players out of position. Lebby’s offense typically runs with such quickness, that the defenses are not ready before the ball is snapped. That’s a clear advantage.
The offense practices this daily so that they are in the proper shape to outperform the defenses they face.
Sideline to Sideline
Lebby served as the offensive coordinator for Josh Heupel at UCF from 2015-2018. The current Tennessee coach still uses the offense the State coach introduced to the Knights. That’s why you’ll see Volunteer wide receivers spread all the way across the field, sideline to sideline.
Spreading things out like that, broadens the canvas for the quarterback, for both the run and pass. It provides clearer lanes for the backs and creates more one-on-one situations for the wide receivers. The defense can become perplexed. Options are limitless since the slot linebacker will have decisions to make on run-pass options (RPO). With more space, there’s a wider area where the linebacker could make the wrong decision. In other words, there’s more space for defenders to cover, thus room for errors.
It will be interesting to see the Dawgs and Vol offenses go at each other when State travels to Knoxville on November 9th.
North/South Run Game
Believe it or not, the run game is a major priority in Lebby’s offense, although his passing game provides the “wow” factor. He has taken great care to build a stable of talent at this position. It just makes common sense that running backs need to concentrate on going vertically to gain yardage. Terms like “north and south”, or “running downhill” are commonly used. It only makes literal sense.
As mentioned in the previous section, spacing the offense across the field creates clearer running lanes for those backs to run downhill. This capability complements the wide receiver-splits and it takes some specific defensive practice to keep this from succeeding. If the north-and-south running plays were all that Lebby runs, it might be easier. However, there are edge rushes, which he ran at Oklahoma quite often. Defenses will need to study video to properly defend against this offense.
North-South Passing
Expect a Lebby offense to take the long shot, passing downfield early in the game, and when least expected. It might be considered, that all the aspects of this offense have led to this moment. Remember, there is the tempo to wear down the defense, spacing to spread them out, creating more area to cover, the threat of a run up the middle, and ultimately taking advantage, or exploiting a weakness discovered along the way. Not to become overly romantic about it, but it’s like the crescendo of a symphony.
Concepts to Reality
Lebby is bringing an exciting offensive style to Mississippi State, one that the Dawgs haven’t seen before. He seems to have put together a roster, coaching staff, and a plan that could reap benefits for the Bulldog-faithful. Considering the preseason predictions, the Dawgs have nowhere to go but up.
At a press conference last Monday, the head coach is optimistic. “I think it’s important that people say, ‘Mississippi State is trending the right way. They got the right guy,'” Lebby said. “They play with great energy, passion, and toughness and they love playing for each other. That’s what I want people to see about our football team and our program in Year One. I don’t think there’s a game total or a number you can put on that.”
