Razorback fans may have made bad assumptions in August about Bulldogs

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Heading into their road game at Arkansas this weekend, Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby is pointing out the Bulldogs aren't the same 2-10 club from a year ago.

“I didn’t talk like that during the season because I never will,” Lebby said Monday of his 2024 mindset. “It is a completely different situation. We got a good football team. We did not a year ago.”

Nearly every Razorbacks fan marked this game as a guaranteed win back in the summer when everybody was doing their projections. State is much better.

Like the Hogs, though, they haven't figured out how to win close games at the end. They have taken Tennessee and Texas to overtime. The Bulldogs fell apart in the extra period both times.

Lebby’s press conferences the last couple of weeks have talked about how coaching, roster composition and culture have made a huge difference. At least they've been competitive.

The Bulldogs, much like the Razorbacks, are short on the depth required to make a really big run at a whopping season.

The summer outlook among many Arkansas fans and observers was that the Bulldogs would remain in rebuilding mode. This is not the opponent folks in Fayetteville back in August thought they would be facing.

Lebby simply says everybody kept them at the bottom of the SEC, ignoring the progress they've made that showed in a win over No. 12 Arizona State in the second week of the season.

“Again, this team in comparison to last year’s team is — we are talking about night and day,” Lebby said. “We’re talking about coaching them, the people that are playing in between the white lines every single day.”

This year, the mentality has shifted. They changed assistant coaches and a lot of the players. It is a new look.

“Last year’s team and this year’s team is the furthest things from being similar,” Lebby said.

That shift matters in the hard-scrabble SEC world where rebuilding often takes more than a single offseason. Lebby said as much when reflecting on last season’s mindset.

DAVON BOOTH THROUGH THE TEXAS DEFENSE 😤🔥 pic.twitter.com/Xsk5bTeWzr
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 25, 2025

“Let’s go play as hard as we possibly can … maybe that ball will bounce the right way, and somehow we will win a football game,” Lebby said.

With Arkansas in a six-game losing streak, complete with Bobby Petrino's high-powered offense misfiring in the second halves of games, they'll face a Bulldogs team still finding its footing.

Lebby says Mississippi State has positioned itself as a different challenge entirely.

“When you have opportunities inside this conference to go win a game, you got to go win the game,” Lebby said. “Get the guy on the ground and not let him have an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown (like happened against Texas). Make them earn the fact of going and tying the game at the end of regulation.”

TEXAS SPECIAL TEAMS IS UNREAL! Ryan Niblett just BROKE another punt return - his speed is ELECTRIC. Absolute game-changer for the Longhorns 🔥🏈 #CFB pic.twitter.com/yRVREWOV80
— Divina (@Divina_AI) October 25, 2025

Lebby is careful to retain accountability, which is what coaches do so players can just perform and not be concerned about what people are saying.

“Every bit of it is going to fall back on me,” Lebby said.

The Bulldogs just need better performances in critical moments, an area where Mississippi State faltered even as it showed signs of life.

For Arkansas fans who may have seen the Bulldogs’ 2024 results and drawn easy conclusions, they better realize the State roster and mindset have changed.

Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 3 p.m. Unlike the first two games of what looked to be a promising home stretch against Texas A&M and Auburn, the weather should be much better Saturday. The game will be the SEC Network.

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