Mississippi St. demolishes E. Kentucky starting Lebby era with a 56-7 win (2024)

Updated Aug. 31, 2024 10:59 p.m. ET

Associated Press

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — From the moment Jeff Lebby arrived in Starkville, the first-time head coach has preached that a show is coming to Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs certainly put on a show for game one of his tenure, as MSU had 450 yards of total offense and ran away with a 56-7 victory on Saturday against Eastern Kentucky. It gave the coach his first career win and kicked off a new era of football.

“One of the coolest things for myself and my family, the fans showed out. Over 10,000 students showed up and hung with us through the rain. They did an unbelievable job creating the energy," he said.

All three phases scored for the Bulldogs with touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams.

ADVERTISEMENT

On offense, quarterback Blake Shapen debuted the new scheme with a 15 of 20 showing as the Baylor transfer found the end zone three times through the air and had 247 yards. On the ground, Shapen led the team with seven carries for 44 yards and a rushing score.

“I felt like it was a good day for us,” Shapen said. “There are obviously some things we can clean up and get better at, but overall it was a great start to the season. I’m just thankful for this opportunity at a new place and I know a lot of guys feel that way.”

The Bulldogs (1-0) had four wide receivers score touchdowns as Jordan Mosely had five catches for 104 yards and a touchdown and Kevin Coleman had five catches for 88 yards and a score. Coleman also had five punt returns for 117 yards.

MSU scored touchdowns on its first two possessions before a rain storm dampened the progress. The Bulldogs were back in the end zone in the second quarter on a Creed Whittemore 41-yard end around and then back-to-back touchdown passes to Coleman from 23 yards away and freshman Mario Craver for 54 yards.

Special teams got in on the mix with a blocked punt from JP Purvis — recovered by Craver — and another true freshman in defensive back Elijah Cannon who had a 51-yard pick-6.

“It’s fun to see those guys go out there and make some plays. It’s a players’ game, players have got to make the plays,” Lebby said. “Fun for our sideline, fun for our guys to be able to see them make plays late in the game like this.”

EKU (0-1) scored a touchdown in the final seconds of the first half but was held scoreless in the final two frames. The Bulldogs allowed 130 second half yards. Despite running 19 more plays than State (76-57) the Colonels were outgained 450-285 with the Bulldogs averaging 7.9 yards per play.

“There are plenty of things that we have to clean up. We’ve got to play better, we’ve got to play cleaner,” Lebby said. “So much good, but so much to clean up. That was the message in the locker room.”

BIG PICTURE

EKU: The Colonels were simply overmatched, but the Colonels have a manageable schedule coming down the line.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs have been searching for excitement and the team has it – at least for game one. State picked up nearly 500 yards of offense and showed explosiveness on that side of the ball as Lebby’s offense did its thing. There is a rough schedule on the horizon, but it appeared fun again for the Bulldogs.

UP NEXT

Eastern Kentucky travels to Western Kentucky on Sept. 7.

Mississippi State travels to Arizona State on Sept. 7.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

share

recommended

  • 2024 College football Week 1 predictions, best bets by Chris 'The Bear' Fallica Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter help Colorado hold off North Dakota State 31-26 2024 college football rankings: RJ Young's Ultimate 134
  • College football Week 1 preview: Top 5 games to kick off a loaded weekend 2024 SEC football predictions: Projections and players to watch College football Week 1 preview: Top games, players and position battles to watch
  • 2024 College Football Week 1 action report: 'We need Clemson to show up' 2024 Big 12 football predictions: Projections and players to watch New staff, same challenge: Inside James Franklin's quest to lead Penn State to the CFP

in this topic

College Football

Mississippi State Bulldogs

SEC

Baylor Bears

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Mississippi St. demolishes E. Kentucky starting Lebby era with a 56-7 win (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Arielle Torp

Last Updated:

Views: 5347

Rating: 4 / 5 (61 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Arielle Torp

Birthday: 1997-09-20

Address: 87313 Erdman Vista, North Dustinborough, WA 37563

Phone: +97216742823598

Job: Central Technology Officer

Hobby: Taekwondo, Macrame, Foreign language learning, Kite flying, Cooking, Skiing, Computer programming

Introduction: My name is Arielle Torp, I am a comfortable, kind, zealous, lovely, jolly, colorful, adventurous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.