Jeff Lebby can feel the Bulldogs are close with another SEC opportunity on the way against Arkansas
Saturday was another step forward for Mississippi State as the Bulldogs competed with No. 14 Texas A&M, but it was also another loss.
The Bulldogs (1-6, 0-4 SEC) are now losers of six-straight games and are searching for that elusive victory to give the team some momentum the rest of the way. To do so, State has to find a way to be better on the defensive side of the ball.
As State moves into week nine of the football season, the Bulldogs are among the worst defenses in the country in almost every defensive category. The most frustrating part of the defensive side against A&M for head coach Jeff Lebby was the team’s work on first and second down but inability to get off of the field.
“As we look back, defensively, again, our normal first and second down defense was as good as we’ve played all year long,” Lebby said. “Being able to create 16 third downs, then not being able to get off the field on third down was the difference in playing really good defense. That’s where our strain will be this week.”
This week seems like a pivotal one in the Bulldogs’ push for a successful finish to the season. State has gotten through the most difficult part of the schedule and now has some more favorable matchups on the way.
While more favorable than the last three weeks, that doesn’t mean Saturday’s matchup will be an easy one. Arkansas comes to town on Saturday morning at 11:45 (SEC Network) and the Razorbacks will have an improved team.
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Coach Sam Pittman’s squad is 4-3 with a 2-2 SEC mark as they’ve already evened their overall record from a season ago and have one more SEC win. Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino is a big reason for the improvement as the former head hog was brought in to revamp that unit to some success. The results are big wins over Auburn and Tennesse and a close double overtime loss on the road at Oklahoma State and at a neutral site against Texas A&M.
“You see a physical football team that plays with a ton of effort. It’s all over the tape and it’s in all three phases,” Lebby said of Arkansas. “Another really good SEC opponent that has won two SEC games. They’ll be coming in here Saturday morning and we’ll have to go play for victory.”
As for Lebby’s team, they’re playing tough as well but still searching for the pay off. Three relatively close calls won’t move the needle for Lebby as he wants to win now.
Saturday is the team’s chance to show just how far they’ve come and where they’re going.
“I feel it. Our guys inside the building feel it every single day. It is an incredibly fine line where we have a chance to have a happy locker room if two things are different inside the game. It’s that close,” Lebby said. “Us understanding that with our preparation, dialing in to that piece of that and out-preparing our opponent starting today and finding a way to make that jump. There has been great improvement. We’ve gotten better but we need to get better and need to win. That’s what were striving to go do.”
