Lebby, Bulldogs not accepting moral victories as State searches for win

Saturday was the same song and a different verse for a Mississippi State team in the wilderness searching for a win.

Each of the last three games have looked different from the first three losses this season as the Bulldogs have shown progress in each contest. State had a point spread of 36 points against No. 1 Texas on the road and lost by 22. It was a 34-point spread against No. 5 Georgia on the road last week and State lost by 10.

Another 10-point loss followed this week against No. 15 Texas A&M after the line grew to 20 points and the Bulldogs came through with another productive game. All that matters in the end, however, is that State lost another game.

“That’s where the frustration lies – the fine line of being on the right side of it and the wrong side of it. All of the different plays in the game that have the ability to change the outcome of the game,” head coach Jeff Lebby said. “It’s disappointing, it’s frustrating. Our guys had incredible belief that we had the ability to go out and win. Being close is not why we do what we do.

“Getting better every week is incredibly important. As we continue to build the foundation of the program, there’s no doubt about that. Finding a way to make the play to win the game is something we have to do.”

Some good and bad for Bulldogs in another loss

Each week’s frustrations have centered around different aspects of the game. Defense has certainly carried the brunt of the issues and the Bulldogs had some tough moments.

In one hand, the Bulldogs could feel good about holding A&M to 353 yards of total offense after surrendering over 500 yards in each of the last two weeks. State had two more interceptions and forced a punt as well.

But the Bulldogs’ inability to get off the field on 3^rd downs proved to be a major issue in the game. In the first 11 3^rd downs, the Aggies converted nine of them for 146 yards while the other 32 plays netted 113 yards. It built a lead for A&M that State couldn’t survive and creates another week that the defense has to power through.

“Losing will either break or make a team. I feel like it’s teaching us a lesson on adversity and how we should stick together as brothers,” sophomore safety Isaac Smith said. “It’s going to come a point in time where we’re going to start winning. We know what we’ve got to do to get it fix and we’ve got to just pull together and win.”

On the offensive side, there was more progress from freshman Michael Van Buren. A week after earning SEC Freshman of the Week at Georgia, Van Buren was 22-of-41 for 242 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

The Bulldog rushing attack had 125 yards against one of the best rushing defenses in the country and got 79 on the ground on 12 carries from Davon Booth. But even that unit missed some chances in the game and had trouble blocking the elite defensive line.

Van Buren can still see how far State has come in a short time. It hasn’t made it any less frustrating to continue to lose.

“I feel like we’ve made great progress, especially in these games I’ve been playing. The bottom line is we came here to win and we didn’t get to do that,” Van Buren said. “We’ve just got to stay together throughout these hard times.”

Covering the spread, scoring touchdowns and just being competitive isn’t the goal of Lebby’s program. It’s a nice step forward for the Bulldogs in a tough year, but the coach is ready to win now.

After three-straight games against top 15 teams, that opportunity will get a little bit more manageable in the back part of the schedule. The Bulldogs have home games against Arkansas, UMass and No. 19 Missouri with tough road trips at No. 11 Tennessee and No. 18 Ole Miss.

“We’ve gotten better. I think we’re starting to find a little bit of an identity at times. We’ve got to create more consistency, be able to sustain and make the play that has the ability to change the outcome,” Lebby said.

“We’re going to continue to get better, I’m going to continue to get better. The thing that I hate is these old guys in the room that this is their last year and they’re helping set the foundation. They’re not getting to feel good right now. They’re fighting every single day for us, for State, for me and not getting to feel good.”