Emotions simmer during MSU’s bye week

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STARKVILLE – Frustration looms inside the walls of the Leo Seal complex, but so does belief.

Mississippi State has ample time to deal with both of those emotions and more during its second bye week.

“I've got confidence in our group to be able to go play the way we need to play to go win,” coach Jeff Lebby said during his press conference on Wednesday. “And our guys inside our walls believe that.”

The most recent cause of frustration came on Saturday in State’s 49-27 loss to No. 22 Missouri. The Bulldogs trailed by just four early in the third quarter, but a 72-yard rushing touchdown by Ahmad Hardy and a pick-six put the Bulldogs in a deficit that was too much to overcome.

“That's where we have to take control of the game,” Lebby said. “And our guys, again, are really eager, as they've gotten in the building and are ready to go to work, to be able to go finish the way we want to.”

The touchdown run was part of a long night for Mississippi State’s defense, who has started to look more vulnerable in recent weeks. The Bulldogs have allowed an average of 42.9 points and 466.5 total yards per game.

For the season, MSU is allowing 6.53 yards per play, according to secstatcat.com. It’s the worst mark in the SEC.

“We've got to quit giving up the explosives, and we’ve got to tackle better,” Lebby said. “And those go hand in hand.”

The offensive line, meanwhile, continues to struggle protecting the quarterback. State allowed five sacks and 13 tackles-for-loss against Missouri. Lebby cited a combination of many different lineups and a lack of execution as the biggest culprits.

“The most frustrating ones are the ones where guys are getting free runs and clean hits on the guy holding the football because that affects the game in a great way, and those are the things that we got to make sure do not happen next Friday.”

“We're trying to guard against that nonstop. We play great fronts inside this conference. That's the reality of it. We need to play the best we've played next Friday.”

MSU faces Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl on Nov. 28.

Thompson nominated for state honor

Wide receiver Brenen Thompson was named Mississippi State’s representative for the Conerly Trophy. The award is given every year to the best college football player in the state.

The senior transfer from Oklahoma leads the Bulldogs with 868 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 47 catches. All three are career highs.

“He's going to have this incredible life because he's got great consistency, he's tough, he works his butt off, and he's all about the right things, so that's what went into that,” Lebby said. “His production is his production, and that's been elite, but man, who he is is pretty special.”

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