By Bill Burrus
Sports Editor
Mississippi State has shown much-needed improvement on defense, but just how far has the SEC’s worst unit from 2024 come?
The Bulldog defense has been better but far from dominant for a couple of halves en route to the school’s best start since 2014. MSU has already doubled its win total from last season, Jeff Lebby’s first as head coach.
MSU is 4-0 after sweeping its non-conference slate, including a 38-10 rout of Northern Illinois last weekend. The upset against then No. 12 Arizona State was the biggest win; it also has wins against Southern Miss and Alcorn State.
The Bulldog defense will no doubt face its toughest challenge of the season Saturday against No. 15 Tennessee, which is averaging 53.5 points per game through the first four weeks of the season. That includes a 41-point outburst in an overtime loss to Georgia two weeks ago.
Mississippi State has only allowed 47 points this season, the fewest through four games since 1999. It hasn’t given up more than 20 points in a game.
It’s a giant leap from last season’s defense that was by far the worst in the SEC. At the forefront has been Mississippi State’s pass defense that hasn’t allowed more than 200 passing yards in a game. MSU is No. 14 nationally with 129.0 passing yards allowed per game.
The numbers clearly tell the story:
MSU was 94th in the FBS in total defense at this point last year but is 27th in the country.
State surrendered an averaged of 26 points per game over last year’s first three affairs, ranking 90th in the FBS at the time. This season, the Bulldogs are giving up just 12.3 points per game, good for 23rd in the FBS.
“I think for a lot of these guys, it’s year two in the system,” Lebby said. “That’s a huge thing. People don’t think about that and how important that is. To be able to be coached by the same guy in year two in the system and have great understanding of where the shortcuts are inside our defense [like] what’s the stress of [a particular] call and how do I protect the stress? That’s about understanding the system.
“Whether it’s Nic Mitchell, Hunter Washington, Brylan Lanier, Kelley Jones, Deonte Anderson, Zakari Tillman — the list goes on. Guys are playing much better than earlier times in their career, but also understand our success is because of their knowledge of what we’re trying to get done has sped up.”
But the Vols will be a much more talented offense than any team State has seen so far. Speedy wideouts Chris Brazzell, Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews have proven to be explosive threats — meaning the MSU secondary is about to get a major test
Bulldog cornerback Kelley Jones embraces the challenge.
“I look at it as a dream come true. It’s good going against good. Who wouldn’t want the opportunity to go out there and play the best? So it is a challenge for me and I look forward to it each and every day,” said the Clarksdale native, who is blossoming in his second season in Starkville.
The 6-foot-4, 195-pounder, one of the only returners from last year’s group, has allowed the lowest catch rate in FBS at 14.3 percent and ranks sixth amongst all SEC cornerbacks. He is starting to receive first-round NFL draft projections.
His coaches say Jones has two things you can’t coach — length and speed.
Jones and the Bulldog defense will get a chance to show just how far they have come Saturday against the 3-1 Volunteers, who rank fifth nationally in scoring.
