Sophomore Isaac Smith paces Mississippi State's defensive showing in season opener

Throughout most of the offseason, there were a lot of question marks surrounding Mississippi State’s secondary. And for good reason. The Bulldogs lost the majority of their starters in the defensive backfield and the most experienced returnee – senior Corey Ellington – was absent in Saturday’s season-opening 56-7 win over Eastern Kentucky due to a preseason injury.

But when it was all said and done Saturday, the secondary did its part and then some. State limited Eastern Kentucky to just 169 yards passing and one touchdown. And the Bulldogs’ secondary matched that score by themselves when freshman cornerback Elijah Cannon had a pick six late in the fourth quarter.

Helping lead that charge was sophomore safety Isaac Smith. The former Itawamba AHS standout led State with a career-best 11 tackles and one PBU. After struggling last season with injuries and getting accustomed to college football, Smith had a big smile on his face in the post-game press conference.

“It was great,” Smith recalled. “Just coming off the season I had last year and getting to go out there today and do what I did and us as a whole on the defensive side of the ball, we held them to 3.9 yards average. It was big for me coming out there and fly around and have fun today. It felt so good.”

Head coach Jeff Lebby also took notice of Smith’s energy and effort on Saturday.

“I saw a guy playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played,” noted Lebby. “A guy that is violent when he gets to the football. He was playing incredibly hard. Got plenty of things to clean up but that part of it, man, it’s evident. If we can get 11 guys every single snap playing that way, I think we got a chance to do what we’re trying to get done.”

Afterwards, Smith also extended credit to State’s defensive staff. The former On3 four-star prospect also pointed out a key ingredient to Saturday’s success in the secondary.

“That was one of our bigger things in the pregame, talking about communication,” Smith added. “At every position during the game. I feel like as a whole with our defensive staff and Coach (Matt) Barnes, he emphasized that communication. Playing our man and doing our own job was a key role tonight. Communication was the main thing and we kept it the main thing.”

Naturally, Smith and his secondary mates also heard the questions about their position group. It hasn’t been an easy journey but they found success in Saturday’s opener.

“It definitely took time,” mentioned Smith. “We had our ups and downs in the spring. Summer ball came around, we got better in fall camp and we really dialed in. We took to coaching and did what they wanted us to do. Being coachable was the main point. Of course, it was difficult for a bunch of a guys because we had new players, new coaches. But as a whole we came together in fall camp and came together as one.”

The Bulldog linebackers also contributed well against the visiting Colonels of the FCS ranks. That included the likes of juco transfer Branden Jennings as well as sophomore Zakari Tillman, who had six tackles in the second half and made the most of his opportunities.

“The jack position in our defense is very versatile player,” said junior Branden Jennings, who had six tackles, one PBU, one QB hurry and .5 tackle for loss. “We are asked to do a lot and I really like it. We can play on the ball, off the ball or blitz a lot and different things.

“We knew what they were going to come out and try to do. They were trying to hit some zoom cuts. But we were prepared for it and we came out and executed tonight.”

And Smith showed his gratitude for Jennings’ style of play.

“It’s great to have guys like that,” noted Smith of Jennings. “I kind of look at him as a psycho. He is always flying around to the ball. You look up and there’s No. 44 flying around, putting his hand on the ball. It’s great to have a linebacker like that since we lost two great linebackers last year.”

Yes, it was an expected blowout over a lesser foe. But for a program desperate for success and stability, Saturday was a step in the right direction.

“It taught us how to handle adversity well,” Smith remarked of last year. “I think we brought that over to this year. With injuries and some people not being able to play and coaching changes, I think that all just lit a fire under all of us and helped us today. This whole week and all camp fired us up to show people we can get back and play how Mississippi State football is supposed to play.”