Kevin Barbay explains how Mississippi State plans to use screens

Freshly-minted Mississippi State offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay is moving the Bulldogs away from the Air Raid scheme installed by the late Mike Leach, and it’s going to be fascinating to see how the program adjusts.

While the exciting wheeling and dealing may be gone, Barbay has a myriad of ideas that he’s working on this offseason. Speaking with the media, the Mississippi State assistant was asked to elaborated on how he plans to use the screen game in the offense, to which he gave a thoughtful, informative answer.

“Yeah, that’s a great question,” responded Barbay, asked if screens can open up the deep passing game. “For our screen game, we consider it basically another run. Especially the perimeter screens. If we can pop it out there and get four yards or more, we consider it successful. And then you get it in an explosive guy’s hands like that, who can take it 75. Things like that.

“Just being able to run the ball up the middle. Run the ball outside. Put the ball on the perimeter for our screen game. Push the ball downfield. In a bunch of different ways is what the offense is.”

Moreover, Barbay comes from Appalachian State and brings an offense built upon running, specifically outside zone schemes. And in going from countless reps of pass protection and basic run looks, Barbay knows there’s a lot for his players to learn. 

He added that the guys who pick up on the new scheme, and learn the landmarks and movement patterns to get wide, will have the clearest path to playing.

“I think, schematically with running some of the pin and pull stuff and running some outside zone, it’s really just learning landmarks and how do I get there and the communication piece for those guys. Obviously they’re talented players that are going to help us. But it goes back to the fundamental piece and the things that we’re asking them to do are a little bit different,” Barbay added.

The Bulldogs finished No. 130 (out of 131 FBS teams) in rushing offense in 2022, tallying just 81.7 yards a game and 12 total rushing touchdowns. They were the only FBS team to have fewer than 300 rushing attempts in 2022. Win or lose, rain or shine, Mississippi State was coming out and passing on offense.

That’s going to be different this season. It might not be a perfect balance, but there will be a steadier dosage of running the football in Starkville. And between now and the start of the season, there’s only one thing to ensure the Mississippi State offense gets the new system down: Reps.

“It doesn’t mean that they can’t do them, but we’ve got to just get it over, and over, and over, and over. And make it a repetitive learning for those guys,” Barbay said.

On3’s Andrew Graham contributed to this article.