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STARKVILLE — More teams across college football are beginning to slash traditional spring games, but Mississippi State is still holding one.
The Bulldogs’ spring game is scheduled for April 19 at Davis Wade Stadium.
“Our guys need to play,” coach Jeff Lebby said Tuesday after MSU’s first spring practice. “We’ve got such a new roster and different roster. There’s been so much turnover. Our guys need to be in competitive situations and go play and be put in positions to make the play or guys not make the play. We need to be able to evaluate that for 15 true practices. The more game-type situations I think we can be in, the better for us.”
Mississippi State, which went 2-10 last season, added 24 transfers and signed 27 freshmen and junior college players.
A handful of power conference teams such as Nebraska, Texas and Southern Cal have canceled their spring games. Other teams, like Ole Miss, have converted the spring game into a fan fest rather than an actual scrimmage or open practice. The teams have various reasons, but mostly stem from fears of tampering with the spring transfer portal arriving April 16-25. Injury risk is also a factor, and so are the finances of hosting a spring game.
Where Jeff Lebby sees improvement in Mississippi State defense
The Bulldogs had the worst scoring defense in the SEC last season, allowing 34.1 points per game.
They retained coordinator Coleman Hutzler. There are eight new defensive linemen on the spring roster after MSU had only 10 sacks all season.
“The biggest improvement is the body type,” Lebby said. “The length, the size, the guys that are over 300 pounds that have the ability to move weight in this weight room inside the rack. The guys that have had a production playing the position at other places, that’s what’s in the room right now.”
MSU also hired…
Source link : https://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/college/mississippi-state/2025/03/18/mississippi-state-football-spring-game-jeff-lebby/82407700007/
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Publish date : 2025-03-18 19:40:00
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