Everything head coach Jeff Lebby said during Monday's press conference

Mississippi State (2-8 overall, 0-6 in the SEC) closes out its home slate on Saturday when Missouri pays a visit to Davis Wade Stadium. The Bulldogs are coming off a bye week while Missouri lost a heartbreak at South Carolina last Saturday.

On Monday, Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby held his weekly press conference and discussed the Missouri matchup among other topics:

Q: What was the focus at practice during the bye week?
Lebby: For our guys, understanding we have the opportunity to go finish the way we need to finish. So creating that vision and what it needs to look like with these last two games on the schedule. Unbelievable opportunity against a really good team here at home this weekend. So for us that was the focus. It was focusing on handling what we have a chance to handle and go find a way to play our best football of the year this Saturday.

Q: Signing day is just a couple of weeks away. Your thoughts on the new recruiting calendar for the Class of 2025 and moving up signing day this year?
Lebby: I think for us, again, it is the first time doing it from the standpoint of how the calendar is laid out. How I feel about it, at the end of the day those are the rules and the rules we’re going to play by. For us, I feel good about where our high school recruiting and where our junior college recruiting is. Got a chance to finish out on a couple of these guys here late, which will be huge. This weekend will be a huge weekend for us with some guys in town. Again, those are the rules and playing by them like everybody else. I’m excited about this class we got going.

Q: Your thoughts on Ethan Miner and his play this year?
Lebby: A guy that’s been incredibly steady and he’s played well. He’s played well against really good competition. He’s done a lot of good for himself being inside this league. Things haven’t gone the way we wanted them to go but that’s a young man that has this incredible story. He’s played at some other places and has the ability to come do it on this stage. For him that’s a huge thing. Getting to do it against some of the best in the country for those guys at the next level to be able to look at.

Q: What do you want to see from your team the final two weekends?
Lebby: I’m looking for us on Saturday to play the best we’ve played all year. That is the expectation. That is what we need to go get accomplished and for us, as simple as it is, have the best Monday we’ve had all year. We had a really good practice this morning and we need to have another great practice tomorrow. But it’s about being the best we’ve been individually and collectively on Saturday to give us a chance to go win.

Q: Your thoughts on your seniors playing their final home game Saturday?
Lebby: I’ve seen guys be incredibly unselfish. Again, the frustration and the disappointment that’s been throughout the year, I’ve seen older guys have a bunch of energy, have great appreciation for opportunity. Guys that I think when they look back as we finish this thing up, understanding they were parts of laying the foundation in Year 1 and giving us the ability to build something to sustain. That’s why it is so important to play our best and be at our best on Saturday and for these older guys that are inside these walls.

Q: Albert Reese won the Kent Hull Award today. Your thoughts on him this season?
Lebby: A guy that has been incredibly steady, incredibly unselfish. Playing at tackle, playing some at guard and doing a lot of different things for us since last spring. A guy that I took with me to (SEC) Media Day because of who he is inside the building every single day. The model of consistency, is hard on himself and has his best football ahead of him. I believe that and what he is today and what he has a chance to be is pretty dang special. Proud of him for that and proud of exactly who’s he been throughout this entire year.

Q: When you watch Missouri on film, what sticks out to you?
Lebby: Both sides of the football they’ve been dominant in third-down situations. They’ve been really, really good. That will be huge for us on Saturday. We have to stay on the field on third down, offensively, and be able to pitch and catch, play with great anticipation at the quarterback position. Then defensively, we’ve got to be able to get into some third and longs to be able to get off the field.

Q: Without being bowl eligible this season, does that change any of the goals personnel-wise going into the last two games?
Lebby: No, for us we need to be able to finish the way we need to finish and that’s up to the people inside the building. Again, focusing on that and we choose how we finish. It’s a choice we’re making every single day. So for us to go play our best on Saturday, the choices we are making all throughout the week give us a chance to go do that. That’s been the goal and that’s been the focus. We’ve got a bunch of young guys playing on both sides of the ball. All those guys will continue to play on Saturday so that won’t change.

Q: With the early signing day, does that complicate things with the transfer portal opening around the same time? And have you had any discussions with your players about the portal so far?
Lebby: I don’t think that necessarily changes the way we’re recruiting high school kids. For high school kids out there, they want to make sure they don’t sign in February. They want to take their spot and understand that this signing day for them (in December) is what they need to go do. That’s where I think changes the most. The February signing is something now that will be non-existent. For us that’s how we’ve looked at it. Conversations have been constant inside our building and understanding the expectation of how we want to do things moving forward.

Q: With guys like Tyler Woodard and DeAgo Brumfield, they are close to passing the number of games where they can’t redshirt. Has that been discussed with them?
Lebby: We’re not all the way there. Both of those guys have obviously played in four (game). As we continue to talk about it, those decisions will be made later on today and into tomorrow.