A Good Back-And-Forth
August 07, 2024 | Football, Joel Coleman
As preseason camp rolls on, head coach Jeff Lebby is seeing positives on both sides of the football.
STARKVILLE – It's no secret that Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby loves offense. The more yardage and points the Bulldogs rack up this fall, the better.
But don't be fooled. Lebby doesn't mind seeing defensive success either – just as long as the defenders having success are wearing Maroon and White, too.
Lebby updated reporters on his team following MSU's first full-pads practice of the preseason on Wednesday. The leader of the Dawgs indicated both sides of the football have had their moments in camp.
"[On Monday and Tuesday] the defense dominated," Lebby shared. "[Wednesday] was a little more evenly matched. But the defense has done a lot of good things – creating turnovers, having unbelievable energy and toughness and physicality. That back-and-forth is what we want to see. When things don't go well, you want to see somebody respond."
The preseason isn't just for instruction after all. It's also for reinforcing resilience. If one side of the ball has an off day or off moment, bounce back. That lesson applies collectively, but also individually as well.
Take standout cornerback Kelley Jones for instance. If anyone needed a visual for what being tough minded and responding to adversity looks like, Jones gave his teammates one towards the tail end of Wednesday's work.
"[Early on Wednesday, Jones] got beat on a couple of things that were bang-bang plays," Lebby said. "But what I loved about it is he ended the day with a 60-yard pick-six. He's just playing the next play. He's a guy that's getting out of his own way and preparing the right way. The guy is incredibly talented. He's a dude who is thankful for opportunities. You see it on his face. You hear it in his conversation. He'll be a guy who maximizes his potential."
Jones was just perhaps the most noteworthy example of a Bulldog making the most of the all the camp back-and-forth. But he's been far from alone. Other State players are growing, too.
Quarterback Blake Shapen continues to mold himself into the signal caller he has to be to run Lebby's offense.
"He's made great growth," Lebby said of Shapen. "I think [Wednesday] was his best day yet from a decision-making standpoint. He was fundamentally doing right and staying clean in the pocket, but we'll need to continue that."
Lebby praised others' work as well.
On defensive lineman De'Monte Russell: "He's done a really good job. Every day he has great energy and plays with really good toughness. I'm proud of where he is and he's turning into a really good leader for us."
On receiver Jordan Mosley: "That's one we'll be able to count on. He's worked at a really high level and he's brought guys with him. I'm excited about what he's going to do for us this fall."
On running back Davon Booth: "He's a guy who has done a good job with the ball in his hands, but he's a guy who's done a great job when the ball is not in his hands. He's physical in protection and playing physical."
On receiver Kelly Akharaiyi: "Our expectation is he will play a ton of ball for us and have a bunch of success. He's got to continue to work and create consistency to go do what we want him to do."
And continue to work, Akharaiyi and the rest of the Dawgs will. Part of that work will include State's first scrimmage of the preseason on Sunday.
Between now and then, there'll surely be even more back-and-forth. Lebby just wants his guys to keep growing through all the highs and lows ahead of this weekend.
"Offensively, we want to play clean football," Lebby said. "We'll play with a ton of tempo and really aggressive. That's critically important while taking care of the football. Defensively, it's all about getting the ball and getting off the field on third down. That's what we want to clean up before we get live on Sunday."
Mississippi State has a little over three more weeks before the Bulldogs open up the season against Eastern Kentucky at Davis Wade Stadium on August 31. To purchase your tickets for the Eastern Kentucky game, or any of MSU's seven home contests this season, CLICK HERE.
