Dawg Defense Makes Strong Early Statement
August 30, 2025 | Football, Joel Coleman
State has promising showing to begin 2025.
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – All preseason, Mississippi State players and coaches could be heard praising the defense's unity and cohesiveness. There seemed to be a quiet confidence among all in Maroon and White that this year's group was primed to more than hold its own.
Well now, it's not just talk. There's proof after MSU's defense made a strong early statement in the Bulldogs' 34-17 season-opening win over Southern Miss on Saturday.
"It was really, really fun," Isaac Smith said.
The junior, who led the Southeastern Conference in tackles a season ago, is off and running again this year after he and linebacker Jalen Smith set the pace for State with seven tackles each on Saturday.
But the Smiths weren't the only Dawg defenders making noise. Far from it, in fact.
Brylan Lanier had an interception. State had seven total pass breakups. Starting corners DeAgo Brumfield and Kelley Jones led the way there with two apiece.
"[The cornerbacks] competed really well," head coach Jeff Lebby said. "They played well, and I look for them to have this huge amount of growth here over these next couple of weeks. [It's big that] those guys [are] getting on the field. DeAgo hasn't played a bunch here, obviously just four games last year. Then Kelley is just starting to come on. I'm excited about [Jayven Williams] and where he's at and where he's going as much as anything. We are going to need all three of those guys to play good football."
State's defensive line had its share of highlights as well, even if the numbers don't completely show it. Sure, there were some numbers, like Will Whitson's sack and 2.5 tackles for loss. But State's aforementioned pass defense was aided in a big way by Whitson and the rest of the defensive front.
"Our defensive line did a really good job today of getting after the quarterback and getting him off his spot," Isaac Smith said. "The defensive line helps out the secondary, and the secondary helps out the defensive line. It is a team effort."
A team effort, indeed. MSU allowed just 301 yards of total offense to Southern Miss. It was the fewest number of yards the Bulldogs have given up in a game since last year's season opener.
Lebby was especially pleased with his team's run defense. Southern Miss gained just 102 yards on the ground.
"We needed to find a way to make [Southern Miss] one-dimensional," Lebby said. "Their quarterback made some plays scrambling, and he made a couple of plays on some draws. But their designed run game, I thought we did a nice job of fitting up."
Really the only bitter pill the Dawg defense had to swallow came in the game's final minute when Southern Miss put together a late drive to slightly narrow MSU's margin of victory. It was the only points Southern Miss could muster in the second half. Yet even that happening had a silver lining for State.
"I don't like how the game ended [but] for us, it was about creating depth," Lebby said. "Every single defensive player that made the trip played [Saturday]. I love that for a bunch of our young guys…Those guys got to play that entire last drive. I don't like the result of it, but there's going to be growth because of it."
With that growth and development, the best for this year's Bulldog defense might very well be yet to come.
