WATCH: Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby recaps second scrimmage of training camp

On Saturday morning at Davis Wade Stadium, Mississippi State held its second scrimmage of training camp as the Bulldogs are just two weeks away from the season opener against Eastern Kentucky.

Following the scrimmage, head coach Jeff Lebby met with the media to share his thoughts on what he saw among other topics:

Q: What were your general thoughts of Saturday’s scrimmage and was it cleaner this week?
Lebby: It was similar from the standpoint there was a lot of back and forth. Both sides of the ball had success. We were much better today from a non-playing penalty standpoint, which was good to see on both sides of the ball. Got to continue to stress that and move that in the right direction.

Q: Last year injuries cut the season short for defensive linemen Trevion Williams and Kalvin Dinkins. How have they responded this year and how big of a role will they play this year?
Lebby: They will both play a huge piece. Both of those guys, we’re trying to be really, really smart as we’re getting them back. Dink has done a little more but Tre has done some really good things early. We’re trying to be smart with him right now as we’re trying to get him back in the fold. But both of those guys will have major, major impacts this fall.

Q: How has Joseph Head handled the transition from jack linebacker to defensive end and what have you seen from him?
Lebby: I’ve seen a guy that’s got great physicality and a really high motor. He plays the game the way you want them to play. You got a guy that has a lot of ball ahead of him that you love his temperament and personality and how he goes about it.

Q: Where did you see the biggest improvement and progression from the first scrimmage to the second scrimmage?
Lebby: I think it’s the penalty part of it. Just being able to play clean before the snap, being able to play clean from a substitution standpoint and getting guys on and off the field as game-like as possible. We’ve got to continue to trend that way.

Q: How would you access the talent level of the receivers group?
Lebby: I think we’ve got good players in that room. I think we’ve gotten to the point to where we got some quality depth. Between Week 1 and Week 2 and Week 3 as we get into it, I think we will be able to play seven, maybe eight guys, from the receivers room and count on those guys to play winning football. It’s like what I talked about last week. It’s not just guys that can go play. It’s guys that can go win. I feel good about where we’re at in that room.

Q: What do you like about Keyvone Lee and his running style?
Lebby: Just a guy that’s a plus 2 guy. He finds a way to where he can gain six (yards) but he’s going to fall for eight. He’s got to continue to do that and continue to give us that physicality at that position. But it’s not just Keyvone. We’ve got some other guys that can do it, as well. But just love having the big, physical part of who Keyvone is and having that is huge.

Q: What did you see from the offensive line today?
Lebby: Again, we’ve got guys in that room that are doing a really good job of getting better every day and being intentional when they’re in the building. We’re moving some guys around to make sure we have the best eight or nine with position flexibility as we get into it. I think we’re finding the right ones. I’m proud of that group. We’ve got a lot of work to do and a long way to go. But that group is in a good spot.

Q: How much of an impact has strength coach Shaud Williams had with your team since the spring?
Lebby: I think when you look at it today compared to January, I think our bodies look incredibly different. That’s a credit to our guys committing but it’s a credit to what we’re doing with the strength and conditioning. We’ve made great strides in there and Shaud and his staff have done an unbelievable job getting us to this point. They will a huge part of it in-season, as well.

Q: From a measuring stick of your team is ready to play the opener or not ready to play it, where would you say your team is right now?
Lebby: I would say we’re right there in the middle. I do. I like where we’re at but I also like that we’ve got two weeks left to be able to clean stuff up and dial in on some of the detail and get ready for an opponent. That’s something I think all of our guys are looking forward to.

Q: After getting here in June, how have corners DeAgo Brumfield and Montre Miller progressed?
Lebby: Both of those guys have been fighting a couple of things. So haven’t had them the entire time but nothing major. Guys that have played a bunch of football so there’s a maturity level and an understanding of how we do what we need to do. That’s exactly what we needed for the room being as young as we are in there. Proud of where they are at and we need those guys to be 100 percent healthy to get where they need to get. But they’ve been a good addition.

Q: How would you access the kicking game competition?
Lebby: It’s neck and neck and I think I talked about it last week. We’ve got one more week of competition to work through and go through before we dial in on one guy and make him the starter, from a kickoff standpoint or a field-goal standpoint. I like where both (Kyle Ferrie and Nicholas Barr-Mira) of them are. Neither one has created a ton of separation and I think that’s a good thing because both have been solid. We will see how this week unfolds.

Q: You had a walk-through on Friday. What does that say about the detail of getting ready for game week?
Lebby: Our guys, everything is still going to be their first time to do it. Yesterday or Thursday was the first time they’ve ever done anything like that. So them understanding what that needs to look like as we get into the season, how important those days are, how much we can get done in a walk-through setting and operate with great urgency as we get ready to play while physically wanting to be fresh and fast on Saturday. That was good for us and we will continue to do that as we get closer.

Q: What will next week be like in camp with the focus?
Lebby: We will be a lot more scouting stage next week. More 1s on 1s, 2s on 2s, as we get into it. It will be much more of a game week and get good work as we get closer to Wednesday and Thursday of this next week with our mock game next Saturday. Really dial in on what we want it to look like over the next two weeks and it will be more game week than fall camp.

Q: Do you like the effort of the defensive backs so far?
Lebby: We got to get some guys back. We’re in the mode right now where we got some dings. We got to get some guys back. We’re going to get them back and we look forward to that. That is a group that again, be able to roll quite a few guys similar to how we are at the receiver group. There has been some growth. I think they’re been some good developments because some guys have been down over the last few practices. In the long game it is probably going to benefit us as we get these other guys back.

Q: What kind of things are you looking for from the defense?
Lebby: Energy, toughness, physicality and getting the ball out. That’s what we want. We want guys that play the game in a violent way. We want to get the ball out and get the ball back and have guys that play with relentless effort. I say it all the time but I’ve never seen a great play made without great effort. I think our guys understand that. That’s what we’re looking for. We want it to look like a defense that’s playing with its hair on fire every single snap.