Five Things to Watch for from Mississippi State Football in their Spring Game

What would be some encouraging signs to see from the Bulldogs this Saturday?

STARKVILLE, Miss. — The Mississippi State Bulldogs  are welcoming Jeff Lebby to Davis Wade Stadium this weekend, and fans will get their first look at the new offense. The defense is also undergoing extensive changes under first-year defensive coordinator Coleman Hutzler. 

There will be many new faces and looks on Saturday, and only a little can be taken from a spring game in modern college football. However, seeing how a few things shake out will be interesting. 

What are they? 

Offensive Line Rotations 

The Bulldogs signed four transfer offensive linemen out of the portal, and all could have an instant impact. However, a few guys who have been at MSU for a while could compete for jobs. 

Albert Reese and Leon Bell are a couple of guys who will compete for spots over some of the transfers. It will be interesting to see who gets reps where and when. 

The first team reps will likely fluctuate, but it will give an idea of who the staff has liked in spring practice. 

Offensive Chemistry

While the offense will not be flawless, it will be intriguing to see how well it operates. Lebby and his staff have been installing their new offense for the past three months. 

The scheme will be vastly different from what most guys are used to and with a fast tempo. A bunch of transfers will also be working together for the first time in front of fans, and it will be bumpy, but it is noteworthy to see how the offense meshes for the first time. 

If the Bulldog offense can execute well, even just the basics, that will be a positive sign. 

Defensive Scheme

The biggest mystery in the spring game is how the defense will align and what their scheme is. This will be Hutzler's first time having sole control of the defense, so there is less film on him than with Lebby. 

He will likely utilize multiple looks and stick to the basics on Saturday. However, it can give an idea of how aggressive he will be and how he uses his linebackers and defensive linemen. 

John Lewis has received a lot of praise from his teammates and coaches throughout spring practice, so it will be nice to see some of the hype surrounding the linebacker. 

Secondary Play

The most significant question mark on this defense is the secondary, not necessarily due to a lack of talent but moreso a lack of experience. The Bulldogs added Traveon Wright, a cornerback from Memphis, out of the portal, and receivers have mentioned how he has done well during the spring. 

The offense will likely test them, as Lebby will want to put on a show for those in attendance. Kelley Jones and Isaac Smith were consensus 4-stars coming out of high school, and the rising sophomores need to step up this year. 

It will be nice to see where those guys fit into the rotations and who else is getting first-team reps. It is always wise to take a good performance in a spring game with a grain of salt, but a lousy performance should be taken more seriously. 

These guys are competing for jobs and trying to avoid getting recruited over with transfer portal recruiting ramping back up. 

Defensive Line

Much like the secondary, this group is talented but not experienced. They also signed a pair of pieces from the transfer portal, and players and coaches have mentioned them as guys who have played well. 

Trevion Williams and Kalvin Dinkins are two talented interior linemen. Keep a close eye on where these guys are in the lineup on Saturday.

It is unclear if three or four defensive linemen will be used in this scheme, and hopefully, more light will be shed on that this weekend.