Kevin Coleman feels Bulldogs have turned a corner as team returns home

When Jeff Lebby arrived in Starkville, one of the first things that the coach did was assess Mississippi State’s roster and look for ways to improve it.

It didn’t take long for the coach to see that Louisville wide receiver Kevin Coleman was a player that could help jumpstart things right away. The former Jackson State star helped Deion Sanders to big things and then was a major weapon for the Cardinals last season.

Coleman showed what he could do as a pass catcher and a returner through the first few games with Blake Shapen as his quarterback, but the starter went down with a season-ending injury in the Florida game on September 21. Now, the chemistry has begun to grow with freshman Michael Van Buren.

“The chemistry is definitely growing,” Coleman said. “Since we got here in January, we were throwing with Mike and Blake so we already had chemistry with Mike. That was always important to have chemistry with Mike. That was always important to get chemistry with him and (Chris Parson).”

Coleman back to making plays for State

Coleman had 16 catches for 268 yards and three touchdowns through the first three games as he showed his big-play capabilities, but his yards per catch dropped tremendously against Florida and Texas with 12 catches for just 76 yards.

Last week, Coleman was a favorite target for the freshman Van Buren. He brought in a season-high eight catches and had his second 100-yard receiving game with 103 yards. It was a shot in the arm for him but also the entire team as State went to the wire with No. 5 Georgia in a 41-31 loss.

Even then, it wasn’t a win which is the ultimate goal.

“As a receiver group, we feel like we can do better. We’ve been playing ok, but we haven’t come up with the W,” Coleman said. “The goal as the receiver room is to make plays and put our team in the best position to win.”

Coleman had a big game but others would show out in the loss to UGA as well. One of the best developments of the game was the emergence of outside receiver Kelly Akharaiyi.

Like Coleman, Akharaiyi was brought in from the transfer portal to help change the Bulldogs’ offense in one year. An injury set him back, but Akharaiyi looked like the receiver State fans have been waiting for with his three catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns.

“He’s getting in his groove,” Coleman said of Akharaiyi. “Kelly makes plays for us. He’s an older guy that we knew was going to come in and be an impact. When he had an opportunity to do it and make a play, I was excited for it.”

Akharaiyi starting his climb helps take pressure off of all the receivers in the offense and especially Coleman. The junior receiver Coleman is the team’s leader with 36 catches for 447 yards and three touchdowns and there hasn’t been a shortage of targets his way.

What has been frustrating has been the lack of opportunities on punt returns. After having five punt returns for 115 yards in the first game against Eastern Kentucky, Coleman has had just one return the rest of the season.

Part of that has been Stat’s lack of punts forced and also teams making sure that he doesn’t have those opportunities. Either way, he’s ready to have his shot again.

“I’m always trying to make a play for the team and put us in the best position to win,” Coleman said. “I told my coach that I’m tired of fair catching. If I get a little bit of room, I’m going to return it. I’m trying to put us in position to help us go score and flip the energy.”

There shouldn’t be a shortage of energy inside Davis Wade Stadium as the Bulldogs (1-5, 0-3 SEC) return home for the first time in nearly one month to take on the No. 14 Texas A&M Aggies (5-1, 3-0 SEC) at 3:15 p.m. on Saturday.

Coleman and his teammates left Starkville last month with three-straight losses and they return back on a five-game losing streak but the feeling has changed. The Bulldogs went on the road and put together two hard-fought performances against No. 1 Texas and No. 5 UGA and the hope is that a corner has been turned.

“We’re excited. On the road with no fans, you’ve just got yourself and your teammates,” Coleman said. “I’m so happy to get in front of the fans and show out. We’re getting better and playing to win. We haven’t won since week one so we’re trying to bring one back for the fans.”