Bulldogs turning the page after tough loss at Arizona State
Getting back to the Leo Seal Jr. Complex after Saturday night’s game was much different for Jeff Lebby and his team this week.
After Mississippi State routed Eastern Kentucky in week one, the Bulldogs were humbled in their road trip to Tempe, Ariz., on Saturday night in a 30-23 game. Although it was a much tougher film study and a bad taste was left in the mouth of every person involved with the program, Lebby was intentional about making sure that the Bulldogs focused on getting better.
“They’re not going to get somebody new or different in the building,” Lebby said. “The trust and culture we’ve created over the last seven months is for these times. It’s not for the easy times. The family, the trust, the connection is for the times when it is really, really hard. To me, that’s when things get exposed.”
There was plenty exposed for MSU on Saturday evening, however.
The Bulldog offense couldn’t rush for more than 30 yards and they gave up over 300 yards on the ground. It all started fairly early in the ball game as the Sun Devils set the tone in the matchup and built a lead that the Bulldogs couldn’t survive.
Despite falling behind 30-3, State did come back in the game. Lebby’s squad finally put together some stops on defense and the offense began to get cranked up as they cut the disadvantage to seven points in the fourth quarter. That’s a good starting point as the squad tries to move forward this week.
“You want to play a heck of a lot better earlier so you don’t dig yourself that 30-3 hole. Again, incredibly proud of the guys for fighting and staying with it and continuing to play the next play,” Lebby said. “In the second half, created a little momentum, had the ability to cut it to a one-score game. But I think our guys, after watching the tape and having our Monday workout, just them understanding the fine line of being on the right side or wrong side.”
Toledo presents another challenge for State
After being dealt their first loss of the season, the Bulldogs have to rebound on Saturday night at Davis Wade Stadium (6:30 p.m. ESPNU). The next team challenging the Bulldogs is Toledo and the Rockets come to Starkville off to a 2-0 start.
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One of the best teams in the MAC each year, the Rockets have won a lot of games with coach Jason Candle, including his second 11-win season last year when the team won the conference. Toledo has lost some big pieces since that time, but the offense is still dangerous and they have experience on defense.
“Their program is incredibly established, and they’ve had a ton of success,” Lebby said of the Rockets. “For them to be able to come down here Saturday night, it will be no big deal for their program. So, stressing that for our guys and understanding exactly who we are going to get.”
With a bowl game still the goal for the Bulldogs, opportunities are running low as the schedule toughens next week.
It’s a must-win for Lebby’s squad to stay the course in the bowl hunt, but it’s especially big for the team’s morale. The early returns on preparation shows a team that’s ready to turn the page.
“Their energy in the building (Monday) morning was good. Our intent in practice was good, people incredibly locked in and talking about being our best on Saturday night,” Lebby said. “Protecting our home field is something we are going to talk about inside our program non-stop. Our guys understand that, and they know the importance of playing well Saturday night.”
