I say 6. The offense is going to be fun to watch, but we need to shore up the defensive talent. I was super impressed today during the spring game with how organized we looked and how smooth the offense looked with our new #2, Blake Shapen.
How many games can we win if we score over 35?
- Thread starter OopsICroomedmypants
- Start date
My guess would be that our defense is horrendous. How many can we win if we are giving up 35 a game average ?
Totally depends on how many teams we hold to under 35, not a smart azz answer but facts.
Yeah. I’m not worried too much about the offense. Lebby is a good offensive coach & I think we signed a good QB transfer. But our DC was a freaking special teams coach last year & I didn’t see much emphasis on defense in our recruiting. I think the plan is to win games 48-44. And I don’t see us getting 48 on many SEC opponents.
I'm hoping they add a few more defensive pieces during the spring portal. Just added a cornerback. I saw Jevon Banks is back in the portal. Maybe he would like a second chance here. If we could just field a competent defense we might have a shot this year
Completely agree. Leach ignoring recruiting that side of the ball is the reason we are going to have a rough year defensively this season.
Yeah. That coach that died on us two years ago is really screwing this years defense up.
Nonsense, scooter. Leach signed a shltload of defensive guys 2020-2022. Can't blame him anymore, especially with the portal these days. Not to mention he had to deal with the defensive mess that he inherited when he got here.
One thing was fact - Leach knew what a D1 prospect looked like.
It was said by insiders that Leach said not to
prioritize DL recruiting. This was coming of the 2010’s in which we put arguably the greatest collection of DLine talent in the NFL. Just an asinine decision by him.
It pretty much goes without saying that when you hire a coach like Leach or Lebby, they're probably not going to prioritize recruiting defense. That just goes with the territory.
I guess we’ll have to see on Lebby - he’s only a few months in on the job. It will be his biggest hurdle for us to take a leap forward.
Sounds like a load of bullshlt from the RuN dA bAwL brigade to me.
Repeat that to yourself and ask if that makes any sense. Not to mention Leach went out and signed a bunch of the available DL from the state of MS, which is where we usually get them.
#1, it didn't happen, and #2, it should not go with the territory. Show me a coach who doesn't understand the culture and history of what works and what doesn't, at the job he just took, and I'll show you an idiot.
Mullen was an offensive guy, maybe not so much as Leach or Lebby. But he knew real quick he would need to lean into defensive talent here, considering that's what MS produces a plethora of on a consistent basis.
RTGB folks are really gonna be happy this year. Wait...
Not familiar with that brigade. Lineman from 3 Leach classes:
2021:
Deonte Anderson - 40 career tackles 3 TFL
Ty Cooper - moved to LB, 26 career tackles 2 TFL
Trevon Marshall - transferred
2022:
Trevion Williams - biggest recruit for Leach. Has yet to stay healthy, 8 career tackles
Kalvin Dinkins - similar to Williams, needs to stay healthy. Only appeared in 1 game
Donterry Russell - moved to LB
2023:
Jonathan Davis - transferred
Eric Taylor - 15 tackles in ‘23
Caleb Bryant - transferred
Gabe Moore - redshirt
Joseph Head - redshirt
2021-2023 incoming Transfer DL
Randy Charlton
In order for the Leach DL to move from disaster to okay, Trevion Williams and Dinkins need to get healthy and produce. The most glaring issue is only 1 incoming DL transfer for those 3 seasons. Not sure how you can look at this and think Leach did a good job of recruiting DL during the easiest era to recruit DL for MSU given all the studs we have in the NFL. Pretty frustrating.
MSU is dependent on MS players. I will admit that those were some leaner years instate for DL, and made it more difficult. But there numerous other types like John Lewis who were big signs.
But our defense is not is some bad spot, any worse than anywhere else. We had a solid a roster of players when Leach died, and in no way, shape or form were people worried about defense back then.
Yes we had a few solid defensive players during the Leach era… that were Moorhead recruits? I see you’re softening your stance here.
It's not softening to understand that MS produced less elite DLs over the past 5 or so years, than they it did in the 5 or so years before that. There's just no Chris Jones or Jeff Simmons out there.
What I am not softening on, is the fact that Mike Leach did not leave our depth, on either side, anywhere near what someone would term a crisis. Or "rough", as you said.
If you think that any MSU coach is going to go into another state and take the DL that the home programs want, you're smoking crack.
I see what you are doing there, but the fact is Lebby knows that a modern offense can do BOTH. You guys that have tried to turn it into the fact that those who didn't like the Err Raid wanted to trade it in for the I formation are ridiculous. It doesn't have to be one or the other.
Unlike what MSU fans believed from the leather helmet era until Dan Mullen was introduced as head coach, a college football team CAN both run AND pass the ball for over 2000 yards EACH in one season of football.
2018 UCF 266 YPG rushing 3448 yards 43 TDs
2019 UCF 223 ypg rushing 2909 yards 34 TDs
2020 UM 210 ypg 2100 yards 23 TD
2021 UM 217 ypg 2829 yards 33 TD
2022 OK 219 ypg 2852 yards 28 TD
2023 OK 182 ypg 2368 yards 32 TD
35 a game was good for 16th best last year (OM). If Lebby pulls that off in Yr 1 and somehow keeps the defense in the 20s, or hell, low 30s, our money folks better be prepared to double his salary to keep him around. That will have been moving heaven and earth for a first year HC.
If we score 36 per game and go 0-12, I'll be excited at what's coming. The defense will take care of itself. We have been historically average to great at D and there is no reason not to think we won't get there again. It may not be this year but its coming. Mississippi itself will produce enough big uglies to get us there. Besides, as the commentators stated during last year's Alamo Bowl, Jed Fisch said that nobody, not even defensive players, wants to come play for a team that doesn't score. Therefore, you build your offense first. That is what he was doing at 'Zona.
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