At this point in the 2024 season, Mississippi State fans are probably resigned to the fact that there probably won’t be another victory this year. Going up against top 25 teams isn’t easy, even for seasoned teams. Yet, as the Dawgs went into Knoxville Saturday night, the feeling was that there could be a chance. In reality, as seen in Austin, Athens, and regretfully Starkville twice, it was not to be. As the Bulldogs entered Neyland Stadium, they were destined to lose to the Vols of Tennessee 33-14 in a contest where there were opportunities to win.
It was a contest between two old friends, Bulldogs’ head Coach Jeff Lebby and Volunteer head coach Josh Heupel. The two go way back to being graduate assistants, and opponents, and Lebby eventually became Heupel’s offensive coordinator at UCF. But this day it was all business.
Both sides of the ball on State’s side executed sporadically, but the defense stepped up more than previously this season. Offensively, the running game continued to improve, but overall execution was missing. That was the sentiment head coach Jeff Lebby conveyed in his postgame press conference. “We were off, ”Lebby said. “We did not do a great job of pitching and catching. I thought we had the ability with some guys in the first half to create some huge chunk plays where we had some missed opportunities. (It’s about) being able to connect at times and then from the decision standpoint having the ability to make really clean decisions.”
Sluggish Offensively
Quarterback Michael Van Buren seemed rattled in this loud, hostile environment. But his first collegiate start was in Austin against the Texas and a throng of screaming Longhorn fans. There he performed well and seemed confident from the start. Even when he came in for the injured Blake Shapen, he drove the team for a score on his first series, in the fourth quarter against Florida. The same was true in Athens against Georgia, but something was off against the Vols.
State only mustered 271 yards of total offense, Van Buren went 10 of 26 (38%) and 92 yards of passing. Wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. continued to lead in receptions, catching five passes for 68 yards. Fans surely felt good to see true freshman wide receiver Mario Craver back from injury. He had an amazing catch for 13 yards and a first down. He and Coleman were to top two receivers on the night.
But the top performers were running backs Johnnie Daniels and Davon Booth They accounted for the entire rushing total of 179 yards, Booth at 125 yards and Daniels 63. They were responsible for the Bulldogs’ only scores, Booth on a one-yard scamper, and Daniels’ 18-yard dash for the goal. Their two yardage totals don’t equal 179 because one must add in the negative nine yards Van Buren had in the rushing category. He was sacked four times. Lebby put it succinctly referring to Tennessee. “Credit to them with the way they played and their D-line,” Lebby said.
Defensive improvement
The Bulldog defense came into the game known as one of the worst in the country. The ESPN commentators said as much. But their performance against the Vols was much improved. They were able to force three punts, force a fumble, and hold the Vols to field goals on four different drives. At least for the first half, they also stifled the performance of their stallion running back Dylan Sampson.
There was a strange series of events in the first half when the Vols were threatening at the Bulldog seven-yard line. UT running back Sampson fumbled and State safety Hunter Washington recovered. On the second play of his first series, Van Buren attempted a pass to Seydou Traore, but it was intercepted at the State 11. The next series for the Vols ended in a goal-line stand, the Dawg defense stopping them at the one. MSU was able to get some breathing room from there subsequently but ended up punting eventually.
On the night, safety Isaac Smith continued to demonstrate why he leads the team in tackles. He came away with 20 tackles, nine of them solo. To say the least, Lebby understands his value. “He’s a guy that’s been incredibly steady and that’s been incredibly active,” Lebby said. “You look up and he’s always around the football. For him today he continued that trend for him and for us. We’re going to need him in a great way for us to move on to finish this thing out.”
Missed Opportunities
Earlier, Lebby had referenced missed opportunities. Here is an example.
Tennessee’s stellar redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava went out at the half with an undisclosed injury and did not return for the second half. On Tennessee’s first possession of the second half, led by replacement QB Gaston Moore, MSU’s defense forced a three-and-out, creating a momentum shift. Typically momentum rules the day. A touchdown by the offense could have kept the momentum in the Dawgs’ column and cut the Vols’ lead to one possession. However, in State’s ensuing possession Van Buren was strip-sacked and UT went down to score a 51-yard field goal.
The defense held Moore to 38 yards passing, but in the second half, Sampson got back to the lions-share of his 149 yards rushing. Gaining momentum is illusive, of which Lebby is well aware. “I think for us, it’s a missed opportunity because we ended up on the wrong side of it, regardless of what was going on the other side,” Lebby said. “We had the ability to make some plays and give us the opportunity to go win a football game. Tennessee did an unbelievable job of continuing to find ways to run the football in the second half. That, for us, was where we could not find ways to get momentum and keep momentum on offense.”
The Bulldogs have a much-needed bye week next weekend to lick their wounds and regroup. The next is No. 24 Missouri coming to Starkville and they’ll give it another shot.
