Bulldogs fighting to get over SEC hump

A year after Mississippi State looked helpless in SEC competition on the way to 2-10, there is something to be said for Bulldog fans being upset again that the team is capable even in a loss.

Anger, sadness, depression and all of the negative emotions popped into every Bulldog fan’s mind but it was even worse for head coach Jeff Lebby. After his team’s 4-0 start to the year, the Bulldogs have prevented themselves from ending a 15-game SEC losing streak and Saturday was the most frustrating of all.

As the Bulldogs were driving down the field with a chance to go win the game in the final minute, State had marched into field goal range. Lebby wanted an easier kick for Kyle Ferrie so he elected to throw the ball down the field when Blake Shapen found a Florida Gator and an interception ended the game with a 23-21 loss for the Bulldogs.

For Lebby, that play was devastating, but the coach also noted there were chances early in the game for the Bulldogs to put their foot on the gas pedal and get out to a big lead. Those missed opportunities hurt as bad if not worse than the final play.

“There’s so many plays inside the game that create a different outcome. One of the biggest frustrations that I had after the game was we didn’t take control of the game in the first three drives. The zero to negative plays when we had the opportunities to score,” Lebby said.

 All these opportunities to take control of the first half of the game because of how we played, defensively. The way the game ended was frustrating, to say the least. But there’s so many moments you take control and you never put yourself in that situation.”

State fighting three-year losing streak in SEC play

With all of the improvements that Lebby and the Bulldog program have made over the course of the last two seasons, State is still fighting a losing streak.

For three different seasons, MSU has strung together 15 SEC losses in a row. Lebby got the Bulldogs over the hump in a big non-conference win over Arizona State earlier this year, but he’s still trying to get his team to a conference win. Until that happens, he won’t find any satisfaction in progress.

“I know for me and for us in this building, there’s been zero talk of last year. That’s not this year’s football team,” Lebby said. “You think about the improvement and how much better we’re playing the game right now. It’s not even in the same spectrum. That’s the stress for our guys. There’s a lot of noise. From what I’ve been told through text messages that I receive, they are incredibly supportive. I mean, I’m like we’re 4-3 and two plays away from being 6-1. We’re not.

We lost those games and been on the wrong side of it. I’m focused on this team. What’s happened has happened. But these guys sitting in this meeting room every day, it’s night and day. There’s been unbelievable improvement and now we need to go find a way to go win the game.”

Despite the tough losses early in the SEC schedule, the goal of bowl eligibility is still in view for the Bulldogs. They can get closer to it on Saturday and get another top 25 win in the process as No. 21 Texas (5-2, 2-1 SEC) comes to town for a 3:15 kick on SEC Network.

The Longhorns have had their own problems, but are still among the most talented teams in the country and are coming off of a College Football Playoff berth. If the college landscape has shown anything to this point, however, there are big moments there for the taking for the Bulldogs if they take care of themselves.

“They’re out there in front of us. Our guys understand that. As we got back into the building and watched the tape, not to short anybody, we got all kinds of opportunities to come out on the right side,” Lebby said. “It’s time to take that step for us. But this team has got nothing to do with the years in the past. So it’s about finding a way to go 1-0 Saturday to get to 5-3. We’re going to be good enough to go do it but we got to go play with them.”