WATCH: Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby recaps Maroon and White spring game

On Saturday Mississippi State wrapped up spring practice with the annual spring game at Davis Wade Stadium. With a different and pre-planned scoring system, it was the offense holding the upper hand with a total of 67-53.

Following the game, first-year head coach Jeff Lebby met with the media to share his thoughts on the spring game and his first spring with the Bulldogs, in general:

Q: What did you think of the offense and their ability to stretch the field today?
Lebby: Good to see. That is going to be a huge part of who we are, creating explosive playsand I think that is obvious. But we have to continue to get a lot better and continue to get better in a lot of different areas. But I was proud of our guys to be able to make some competitive plays. There were a couple of others I thought we could have made that we got to make.

Q: Overall this spring, what stood out to you the most on both sides of the ball and what needs the most work?
Lebby: I think what stood out the most was our guy’s eagerness to go work every day and their attitude and effort coming into the building. We’ve had great energy every single day. That’s been a huge stress of ours, just making sure it’s not just another Tuesday morning, not just another Wednesday meeting, not just another Thursday walkthrough. Being incredibly present every single moment, being incredibly intentional and finding ways to get better. So that’s what I am most proud about.

There’s a lot of differnt areas to work on. We’ve got to continue to create depth here in the next couple of weeks with everything that is going on and we will do that. But again, proud of where we are at but totally different sight of where we are going.

Q: Where do you feel like this offense is after the spring?
Lebby: I do like where we are at. I do think it is going to be completely different come fall, just from the standpoint of understanding. I love that we got to live a bunch of game situations whether it was today or earlier in the three scrimmages we had in the spring. Our guys understand what this thing needs to look like. We are nowhere close to where we are going to be. Again, we’ve got guys that have played a lot of ball, maybe not here but all over the country, that are going to play a lot of ball for us next year. I like that about our unit on offense.

Q: As a first-year head coach, how comfortable is it to see quarterback Blake Shapen fitting in so well so quickly?
Lebby: It’s a huge deal for us. Obviously, as we move forward quarterback play is going to give us an opportunity to be in a bunch of football games and go win a bunch of games. That is how I will always view it. Proud of Blake’s demeanor, his toughness, his edge and how he’s worked. Love the fact he took care of the football today. He’s got a ton of work to do. I think he’s got a chance to not be a good player but be a great player. He is serious about being great and that is probably what I am most proud of.

Q: Who stood out to you on the offensive line?
Lebby: I think there’s a couple of guys that have really done a nice job. Those first five guys that went with Blake today, again, there’s so much work to be done. But when you look at those five, they’ve played a lot of football. Whether it is Mack Pounders, Albert Reese, Ethan Miner, those guys have played a bunch and Marlon (Martinez) and Leon (Bell) has done a nice job at right tackle. Those first five guys have gotten better every single day and we’ve got guys behind them that have to continue to get better just like they do. I like where that unit is at. We’ve got a ton of work to do but they are going to be willing to do it.

Q: How important was this spring just to lay the groundwork for the season?
Lebby: I think we have a good foundation set from the standpoint of guys understanding what it is going to take to be great inside our system. We have coached that every single day, every single minute and our guys understand that. Their energy, their attitude, their toughness and to get better and take coaching is what’s going to give us the chance to grow over the next three months before we kick it off live.

Q: It seems like the offense was in sync today. Was that your takeaway, too?
Lebby: We talk nonstop about non-playing penalties. We are going to play with a ton of tempo and we are going to change the tempo at times. So being able to play really clean football is a huge deal. I love the fact that we had no non-playing penalties today. That’s got to continue to trend that way for us to do what we want to do. That is something that was a huge point of emphasis and we played pretty dang clean football with that one group except for Kevin (Coleman’s) fumble down there on the one (yard line).

Q: These older players have been through a lot of changes in their career but they also seemed excited this spring. How big was that for you to hear their excitement?
Lebby: That’s been fun. Our very first team meeting the first thing we talked about was the biggest goal for us in spring ball was to become a better team. Not an offense, not a defense, not a special teams’ unit but coming out of 15 practices being a better team and being a closer team. I think without a doubt we’ve gotten that done. So I am proud of that and our guys have been intentional in how they’ve come into the building every single day. We’ve got to continue to build on that but I like the foundation that’s been laid.

Q: Did you notice the attitude today on both sides of the ball?
Lebby: They did want to go play football. That’s another thing that stood out and I think it goes in line with what I’ve been talking about with their energy coming into the building. We’ve got guys that are serious about being really good. I think that shows when they play with energy and passion. It shows up when they step on the field.

Q: Your thoughts on linebacker Stone Blanton this spring?
Lebby: Stone played a little bit today and he was limited. I like where Stone is at and he wasn’t able to practice all 15 practices so he was in and out at times. But he’s done a nice job taking to the system. This is a guy that has played a ton of football. So he has great experience and he has great experience inside this league. I like where he is at. Our initial pieces and our original foundation starting just a few months ago is really good. We’ve got a ton of work to do and we’ve got to get a lot better. But again, our guys are willing to do that.

Q: What are your remaining needs in the spring transfer portal?
Lebby: We’re looking at a couple of different things. We’re looking the running back situation. We’ve got to ability to take one more offensive lineman, maybe take another edge player on defense and a corner. That is where it is at. We are looking to fill some needs and do a great job of creating a ton of depth over these next 12-15 days. I think we are going to be able to pull that off.

Q: Your thoughts on the tight ends today and their role in this offense?
Lebby: They’ve got a huge role inside the offense. We ask those guys to do a ton. There’s a lot of pressure and stress put on them from a mental standpoint and then from a physicality standpoint. We want guys to be able to play on the (line), be able to play on the perimeter and do a lot of different things. So they are going to be a huge part of who we are.

Q: Blake Shapen and others talked about working together a lot before spring ball started. Did you see that leadership with Blake from the start?
Lebby: There’s no doubt that part is huge. But on the other side of it, we’ve got guys that have taken to that. Kevin Coleman has had not a good spring but a great spring. A guy that is incredibly trusted inside our building. Kelly (Akharaiyi) is the same way. JaMo has done a really good job of creating depth and playing really fast. A guy that hasn’t played a lot of ball but had 15 good workouts. They’ve taken to that. Seydou (Traore), the same thing. There’s a lot more pieces outside those guys but they’ve wanted to be led and they’ve wanted to buy into that. So it’s a credit to them as well.

Q: What’s the message to the fanbase now that you have finished your first spring?
Lebby: I think for us it’s still about climbing this thing one day at a time and finding ways to get better. And, everybody involved understanding that we’re going to be better together. We need everybody. In the world that we live in today as we go out and talk to different groups all across the Southern part of the United States, I want people to understand that we need them. And we need their support every single day to be able to get done what we’re all trying to get done.