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Mississippi State

Increased depth aiding Mississippi State's defensive efforts

Paul Jones Mississippi State Bulldogsby: Paul Jones09/18/25PaulJonesOn3
branden jennings4
Mississippi State LB Branden Jennings (Photo by Jared Thomas, Maroon and White Daily)

In the offseason, the Mississippi State coaches and players talked often about the increased depth on the team. Just three games into the season and that depth has been evident, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

It has also made a difference to those guys in the starting lineup with less wear and tear early in the schedule. Earlier this week senior linebacker Branden Jennings discussed that increased depth and the program of the Bulldog defense:

Q: After three weeks now, how do you feel the defense is progressing?
Jennings: I love the energy. I feel like the energy has gone up. I feel like everyone is trying to reach a standard. I feel like each week we are going to get a little closer to that standard.

Q: A lot of talk this offseason about adding more depth. After three games, can you see a difference in that depth with maybe less wear and tear?
Jennings: I feel great right now, obviously. I feel like everyone in our room feels great. Just having the depth, guys coming in that are actually ready to play, are helping us now as a group and as a team.

Q: Along with the depth and talent, what have you seen from yourself being in this defensive system for two years in a row now?
Jennings: Now I am able to help other guys and help the younger guys. I am able to tweak the small areas and fix the little things instead of big problems. I Feel like that’s helping me execute better.

Q: What’s the feeling within the defense about where that side of the ball is headed?
Jennings: I feel like everyone is trying to stay level-headed and keep everything week to week. We feel like our defense can lead our team to having a lot of success. We want to be defensive-oriented.

Q: How would you access the confidence level of this defense right now?
Jennings: I feel like our preparation is going up each and every week. I feel like our execution is going to go up. So i feel like that’s going to be a big part to how we carry on throughout the season and all week with our prepping. I think we need to carry that on through the season with our weekly prep. We need to carry that on.

Q: What stands out to you about the Northern Illinois offense?
Jennings: Well, they are heavy run-oriented. I feel like they have a really good run game. They play a tough defense and I’ve seen that side of the ball, too. I feel like they have a good defense and a good run game as a team.

Q: How much from a scheme standpoint has this defense shown so far?
Jennings: I feel like we have a lot of things we haven’t seen. Coach (Coleman) Hutzler is going to dial things up from week to week. I feel like we will install some new stuff this week to stop the run, some different pass situations and also some tricks plays we have to be ready for. I think we will have it done by the end of the week.

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