Everything head coach Jeff Lebby said after Saturday's 49-27 loss at Missouri

Turnovers and an inconsistent offense spelled doom for Mississippi State on the road again Saturday with a loss at No. 22 Missouri. Afterwards Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby met with the media to discuss another setback:

Q: Just your perspective on both sides of the ball and what Missouri was able to get done early?
Lebby: The first drive of the game we had the sack on third down. again frustrating for that to be the first 3rd down of the game. The way we started on that drive, I thought we bounced back in a decent way. What really frustrates me is the way we started the game, offensively, on that drive.

Then defensively, we talked non-stop all week and stressed all week that we don’t defend the run the way we need to, don’t tackle the way we need to and it is frustrating to go out there and play the way we played. We had some really good moments and then we were not able to sustain and that is frustrating.

Q: You went with a lot of quarterback runs in the first half. Was that something you saw on film?
Lebby: I felt like it gave us some answers the way their defense is structured and they play with a heavy box. So having the ability to play 11 on 11 was something that was necessary. Depending on what the C-gap did, that was going to dictate whether we were handing the ball or pulling the ball. That way we had the ability to have hats in the run game.

Q: What happened on the field goal in the first half?
Lebby: Just a really bad snap. Gotta find a way to handle it and then get the guy on the ground. To me, obviously, an unbelievable huge momentum swing inside the game. We snap the ball seven times down there, don’t get in the end zone. So many errors inside that drive that keep us from scoring a touchdown. We’re not good enough to not score touchdowns right there against a good football team. That was the piece of it to me that I just talked about it with the team. Having the ability to sustain when you have opportunities. You gotta take them and when we don’t, things happened the way they do.

Q: Struggling with pass protection tonight, how do you manage your quarterback situation?
Lebby: For us, we tried to continue to change it up today with a lot of different chis, changing the picture on those guys, changing so many different things throughout the week than we’ve done in the past to try to give us a chance. We ended up moving Albert (Reese) back out to tackle and not playing Jimothy (Lewis) there in the second half because of some things that went on. But we got to find a way in the last one to protect the quarterback. To keep him clean enough and long enough so we can throw and catch.

Q: Defensively, not defending the run. What are you seeing? Is it coaching or personnel?
Lebby: We’ve all got a part in it. I’ve talked about that non-stop. When things are really good it is because of everybody. When things are not it is because of everybody. We talked about it to our football team. To a man, we got to have a great talk with ourself and see if we are doing everything we possibly can to leave no doubt. You got to be obsessed with it Monday through Friday. I thought we had good week of work. I thought our leadership showed up this week.

Really frustrated with the explosive runs we gave up after we talked non-stop about it. I thought we had a physical week of practice and did not execute the way we need to.

Q: What does Blake Shapen provide at quarterback right now that warrants him still being the starter?
Lebby: It is his decision-making and having the ability to not waste a play. We knew we had to come in here and not play perfect but give ourselves a chance to not waste plays. That is the reality of it. No. 1 (KaMario Taylor) does some great things and we all understand what kind of player he is going to be. In a setting like this I don’t think it is fair to have him go play 75 snaps. Blake gives us the opportunity to not waste a play. Frustrated at both interceptions and both interceptions for touchdowns that end up in their hands and end up spotting them 14 points. That is a huge piece of the game.

Q: This team was in position to take advantage of Missouri mistakes. How do you eliminate that?
Lebby: I think for us, offensively, it’s about us being able to sustain. We’ve got to be able to run the ball and that’s part of the pass protection issue. We have not had the balance that we needed. Did not run the football the way we needed to today. That is a huge piece of it. We’ve got to find ways to create that identity and when you opportunities, you got to take them against good football teams. Missouri is a really good football team. We need to be able to come in here and not turn it over a single time. Play better against the run than we did and take advantage of opportunities when we got them. We didn’t.

Q: You got one week left to get a sixth win. What do the next two weeks look like preparing for the Egg Bowl?
Lebby: It’s important to a lot of people. It’s dang sure important to me and it’s dang sure important to a ton of guys in the locker room. My stress is to everybody in there, are you doing everything you possibly can to not leave it up to chance? We need to be obsessed with it, all day, every day, to be able to go chase this thing and play the way we need to play Friday morning at 11 to be able to go win.

Q: Any update on Brenen Thompson?
Lebby: I don’t. It was early and also that was frustrating for us. But I don’t have an update.

Q: How do you feel about your team going into the Egg Bowl?
Lebby: For our guys and I will continue to talk about it. We have a ton in front of us. We all understand what that football game means. It also gives us the ability to be bowl eligible in Year 2 as we’re building this thing. It’s a huge game for us, huge game for our university, our program, everybody individually and collectively. I great belief that our guys will respond the right way. We need to play in a way that gives us the opportunity to go win. But that will happen through the preparation.

Q: Seems like there hasn’t been that third receiver step up this year. Are you still looking for that?
Lebby: We are looking for that. I thought Ayden (Williams) did a couple of things. We had a couple of drops that were frustrating in some moments when you have the chance to make the play on third and 5. We have to make the play and don’t. It’s such a fine line for us, not that we have to play perfect, but we have to play really consistent. We got to play complementary ball to give us a chance.