'Play The Next Play'
August 11, 2024 | Football
STARKVILLE – If there was a lesson to be learned from Mississippi State's first football scrimmage on Sunday morning, it was to simply play the next play.
Head coach Jeff Lebby took his team inside Davis Wade Stadium for the first time this fall and believes his Bulldogs did a brilliant job of locking in on their assignments and focusing on the next play in front of them.
"Just play the next play because that's the only play that matters," Lebby said. "I was proud of our guys for that because there was great back and forth and some really great moments. There was some great moments defensively and offensively, but I felt like our leadership showed up when things weren't perfect on their side of the ball and we were able to get things back on track in both phases."
Sunday's scrimmage was structured to simulate game-like conditions for the first, second and third team units on each side of the ball with some short-yardage, two-minute and goal line situations sprinkled in.
"The big plays and the explosive plays are obviously the ones that standout to you," Lebby said. "We had some missed opportunities at times and had some opportunities to get off the field defensively too at times. That's what you want, that's what you like. We've got to learn lessons today and not when we get into the season. That's what today was for."
The Bulldogs have 20 days remaining until their season opener against Eastern Kentucky and Lebby and his staff aren't quite ready to start narrowing down the depth chart just yet. Sunday's initial scrimmage mirrored their training camp objective of giving as many guys opportunities to go make plays and earn their way onto the field this fall.
"We've been rolling so many guys to get so many reps because we're trying like heck to create depth," Lebby said. "There are guys that are practicing better than others, and those guys have got to practice better. The best players on our team have got to practice better. That's the expectation and what we need our entire football team to understand."
One unit that has continued to impress Lebby is his offensive line. The unity and cohesiveness of a group breaking in five new starters has been remarkable, especially considering the number of newcomers and transfers that are scattered throughout the group.
"I think the (offensive line) has really taken great strides since we ended spring ball," Lebby said. "They're maybe the group that's made the most improvement between the end of spring and fall camp and have continued to get better. I appreciate their sprit, their work ethic, their toughness and their camaraderie. They're a tight group for a bunch of guys that haven't known each other for a long time, and you'd never know that. Cody Kennedy has done an incredible job in that room in creating that and that's been huge for us."
On the opposite side of the trenches, the Bulldogs are still working towards building more depth along their defensive line. Defensive line coach David Turner was constantly subbing players in and out of the lineup throughout Sunday's scrimmage in an effort to continue evaluating his options and trying keep as many guys playing at optimum efficiency.
 "We've got to be able to roll and play multiple guys," Lebby said. "The last thing you want when you get off the field is have guys that have played 50-60 snaps in a ballgame. That does not bode well for success, especially in our league. We've got to have guys be able to play and at the same level throughout."
Lebby has liked what he has seen from junior linebacker Branden Jennings thus far. The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder started as a true freshman at Maryland in 2021, redshirted after appearing in four games the following year at UCF before heading to Hinds Community College last season where he led the team in tackles and stops behind the line of scrimmage.
Jennings had one of the six sacks the Bulldogs recorded on Sunday.
"He's a guy that's gotten better every single day," Lebby said. "He's settling in and has some understanding of the expectation, of the defense and how he needs to play inside our scheme. I'm excited about Branden. That dude loves football and has great physicality. He's a big, physical, athletic guy. I'm hoping he can continue to trend in the direction that he's trending right now and get better every single day because that's one that's got a chance to help us."
Lebby also had positive things to say for safety Isaac Smith following Sunday's session. The former Mr. Football for Class 4A in Mississippi saw action in every game for State as a true freshman last season and has emerged as one of the most versatile playmakers the Bulldogs have defensively.
"He's going to be a huge part of our defense," Lebby said. "That's obviously a guy that's a safety for us and we're going to be able to move him around and do some different things. He's a guy that has some leadership skills and plays the game the way you want it to be played."
Mississippi State is set to have Monday off and will return to the practice fields on Tuesday.
