Bulldogs Back At It After Needed Breather
October 13, 2025 | Football, Joel Coleman
Following an open weekend, Mississippi State faces Florida on the road this Saturday.
(CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO WATCH HEAD COACH JEFF LEBBY'S FULL MONDAY PRESS CONFERENCE.)
STARKVILLE – Receiver Brenen Thompson wet a line and reeled in a few fish. Quarterback Blake Shapen was able to kick up his feet and enjoy some much-needed rest. Safety Jahron Manning allowed a few bumps and bruises to heal up.
It's safe to say that Mississippi State made the most of its just-passed open weekend. It was well deserved.
For the last couple of months, the Bulldogs busted their tails – beginning in preseason camp, then over the first six weeks of the regular season. MSU enjoyed the fruits of its labor, too.
The Bulldogs won four of their first six games, including a top-15 triumph. State showed it is a football program on the rise.
However, on the heels of suffering a few injuries and a couple of tough losses, a breather was welcome for the Bulldogs. Now, it's back to work, and there seems to be a newfound bounce in State's steps.
"The energy was great this morning," head coach Jeff Lebby said at his press conference on Monday. "[Sunday] night, we had a quick team meal as guys got back into town and that was really good. I think this break for us was right on time. I know it was much-needed from a health standpoint and with the schedule we've played.
"Our guys needed the ability to just kind of go and be normal for a day or two. You could tell it in their energy and their step this morning. They had a ton of excitement and great intent. We know we have a great challenge ahead of us, but we're excited about it."
The challenge Lebby and his guys are eyeing? A Saturday showdown in The Swamp. Mississippi State battles Florida at 3:15 p.m. CT down in Gainesville.
The 2-4 Gators have taken some lumps this year, but there's no denying their talent. They showed it in a win over then-No. 9 Texas a couple weeks back.
It's quite a way for State to jump back to action – facing such a tough road test down in the Sunshine State.
"They've played great team defense," Lebby said of Florida. "They have a roster full of very talented players at all three levels of the defense. We're going to have to do a great job of winning matchups. We're going to have to do a great job keeping [Shapen] clean. That's obviously been a theme for us.
"Then for [Florida] offensively, it's all going to go through [quarterback DJ Lagway]. When he's played really well, they've been really good offensively. For us, it's trying to find ways to create some negative plays and trying to get them into some downs and distances that aren't comfortable for them. I think our first and second-down defense will be a huge part of giving us a chance to win."
Lebby said he likes his group's game plan headed into Saturday's contest. It doesn't hurt his confidence that all of his guys have had the chance to rest and recoup, and in some cases, they've simply had time to improve.
That's been the case for MSU's offensive line – a group Lebby is hopeful can be strong this coming weekend.
"Their development in the off week [has been a focus] and having the ability to coach those guys in the meeting room and on the practice field and getting better," Lebby said. "There's not going to be these new perfect, crazy schemes that will all of a sudden give us the ability to go hold the ball for five seconds. That's the reality. It's fundamentally playing cleaner, having great confidence in our fundamentals and then being able to go execute that way."
The o-line's opportunity to shine is there for the taking this weekend, as it is for the Dawgs as a whole.
Now rested, MSU seeks to show its ready for the year's back half. Ready to make a run at the postseason. Ready to build on what's already been an exciting campaign.
It all starts Saturday when, to steal a theme from Lebby, the Bulldogs will try to simply go 1-0 for the week once again.
"I think our best football is still ahead of us," Lebby said. "I'm not surprised at all with how we were able to start this season. We're frustrated at the last two games and how they went, but I think our guys are serious about being great. They're serious about being able to go take advantage of a huge opportunity Saturday at 3:15. We need to go win on the road in this league and that's something we have out ahead of us."
