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

Mississippi State closes out the 2024 season on Friday with the annual Egg Bowl matchup with Ole Miss. On Monday, Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby held his weekly press conference and talked about the Rebels’ matchup along with other topics:

Q: What does this rivalry mean to you at this point of your career?
Lebby: I think for me, there’s this great understanding that this game is a huge deal. Knowing what it means to our fanbase, to our university, to our community in Starkville, it’s a big deal. From a recruiting standpoint and how we recruit against each other in this state, on Friday afternoon we got a ton to play for and we need to be at our best.

Q: Any update on Mario Craver?
Lebby: (Craver) was back with us in the building yesterday. Had a good day, had a good morning this morning. Hopefully we can continue that trend and move forward.

Q: Ole Miss has an impressive pass rush. Your thoughts on their defensive play?
Lebby: Yeah their rush defense is pretty good, as well. I think our guys understand and when you watch the tape, I don’t think there’s any question about it. The most talented roster we will have played all season long. It’s on the tape, exactly what it is from a personnel standpoint. We’ve got to find ways to finish in a great body position. We’ve got to fight and strain like heck to create air in the run game. Then we’ve got to give Mike (Van Buren) just enough time with some different things from a protection standpoint to give us a chance to go throw and catch.

Q: With Keyvone Lee and Kalvin Dinkins missing most of the season, is there a chance they can get this year back?
Lebby: Yeah we will have to look at those things. But there will be a possibility from that standpoint. Feel good about Keyvone and obviously, Dink getting hurt in the first one. So feel good about and definitely things we will work through and try to get accomplish.

Q: What’s your approach to manage the emotions of the Egg Bowl?
Lebby: The day to day and how we practice, how we do what we do from a meeting standpoint, it is the exact same. But I do want our guys to have a heightened awareness and understanding of what this game means. It is a huge rivalry and that matters in a big way. I don’t take that lightly. I don’t take it for granted. I think it’s important for our guys to understand that. They understand the history of it but they also have to make sure they’re not getting emotionally hijacked by the energy and the atmosphere and what goes into it. We have the ability to go focus really small and go execute.

Q: What areas do you think your defense has improved this year?
Lebby: For us, you look at Saturday the way we started the game with two 3-and-outs and then in the second half having the ability on the first two drives to hold them to three points. I didn’t like that they were on the field, offensively, as long as they were. I think you’ve seen spurts of us playing good team defense. We have not been able to sustain. I put that partially on us, offensively, not being able to continue to hold momentum at times. We found ways to create it the other day and then we don’t keep it. For me, it’s both sides of the ball and special teams, playing complimentary football and that will be huge on Friday.

Q: You have several Mississippi guys on the roster like Isaac Smith. What do you think Friday means to them?
Lebby: Very similar to what I’ve talked about. Understanding the importance of it and understanding it is a huge rivalry game. There’s no way around it. Our guys that have grown up in this state, came to State, chose to come to State, they understand that. Now there need to be a heightened sense of awareness for everybody that has not played inside this game. That’s what we talked about yesterday and what we talked about this morning.

Q: You talked often about Van Buren taking care of the ball. How can he improve that?
Lebby: As you look back to that one specific play (against Missouri), we talk about how we hold the football in the pocket and when we decide that we need to go move or climb or whatever it is, you’re always doing it with two hands on the ball. It’s always the one you don’t see. So for him, it’s such a great learning moment. I hate that that was the learning moment because it was seven points the other way. We had really good momentum. We had really good field position. For us, learning from that, that should stick with him for the rest of his playing career. And understanding what we do from a pocket-moving standpoint and why it is so critical.

Q: Since you left the Ole Miss program, how have you seen their offense change?
Lebby: I think they’ve just continued to grow in a way where they’re constantly trying to put their guys in position for success. Right now they’re throwing the football more than they normally have. They’ve run the ball incredibly well since (Lane Kiffin) has been there. Right now they’re throwing it around a little more than they have. I have a ton of respect of Lane and for what he’s done with the roster he’s built and the roster we’re getting ready to go play. I think one of their strengths is constantly putting guys in position for success. We’ve got to find ways to get the ball out. We got to find ways to get off the field on third down and be successful on first and second down to give us some good third-down situations.

Q: Have you and Kiffin talked much during the season?
Lebby: Not this week. We’ve traded texts throughout the season and had communication. As we’ve gotten into it, no, not this week. He will continue to find ways to have fun on social (media) and that’s who he’s always been and who he will always be. But no, I haven’t had a conversation this week.

Q: What stands out to you about Jaxson Dart?
Lebby: His toughness, without a doubt. He can do a lot of things but the way this guy plays with incredible toughness, I do think it inspires their football team. I think guys play incredibly hard for him as a leader. That’s what it is all about. He can make all the throws. He can make things happen with his feet, obviously. But to me it’s about what he does to create inspiration for the guys around him. That’s a quarterback’s job. I think Mike has done a pretty good job of playing really tough and that’s probably the thing I’m most proud of with Mike. The way he’s gone about it and how tough he has played in some really hard moments.

Q: What’s the plan leading up to the game and then signing day next week?
Lebby: We’re up and at it all day every day. That doesn’t change. We got to make sure we’re closing this thing out the right way with our high school and junior college class next Wednesday, getting them signed as we get ready for the portal season. There’s nothing more critical outside of Friday afternoon for us doing an unbelievable job closing this class out, keeping the ones we got and continuing to just add a couple as we get closer to next Wednesday.