Mississippi State's defensive line has improved, but real test still to come

The Bulldogs still run a defense with a three-down front, but is more effective now with transfer additions and healthy returning players.

Mississippi State Bulldogs' defensive lineman Whill Whitson during game with the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles in Hattiesburg, Miss. | Mississippi State Athletics

A year ago, Arizona State running Cam Skattebo said he felt insulted by Mississippi State’s defense that lined up with three defensive linemen on the front line.

“We all felt disrespected with them in a three-down front,” Skattebo, who is now with the New York Giants, said. “Can't come in here and put five guys in the box and expect to stop six.”

The three-down front has drawn some ire from fans and last year it didn’t work. Afterall, we did start to see more four-down fronts after the Sun Devils ran all over the Bulldogs.

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The biggest problem, though, was the scheme; the problem was not having the right players to run the scheme. That doesn’t appear to be the case this year.

With transfer additions like Jaray Bledsoe and Will Whitson, as well as other transfers and returning players like Kedrick Bingley-Jones who are healthy now, the Bulldogs are in a much better position to run the defense Coleman Hutzler wants to run.

One play in Saturday’s game against Southern Miss showed how a three-down front can work.

Mississippi State, on a first-and-10 from the USM 41-yard line, lined up with three defensive lineman and two hybrid defenders on the left and right side them. They faced an offense with five offensive linemen, two wide receivers to each side, and a running back lined up to the right of quarterback Braylon Braxton.

Coastal Carolina transfer DL Will Whitson makes the list of PFF’s Top National Performers in his Week 1 debut with the Bulldogs🔥

Whitson amassed 4 tackles, 2.5 TFL, & 1 sack against the Golden Eagles on just 25 snaps pic.twitter.com/fePAwgfDaD

— HailStateMuse (@HailStateMuse) August 31, 2025

Anyone who has played football, whether in real life or in a video game can instantly recognize Southern Miss is running a counter. There aren’t too many plays an offense can run when its right guard and tackle pull and the other three lineman are making down blocks.

Furthermore, there’s a run-pass option with the twin receivers to the offense’s left side. In hindsight, Braxton maybe should’ve thrown it out wide. Without knowing his specific read/key, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

At the snap, the left tackle lined up in front Will Whitson at the right defensive end position too a down block step towards the interior of the (and kind of stood straight up, which is never a good thing in the trenches).

On a counter play, the pulling guard’s responsibility is to “kick out” the defensive end/edge player and the tackle is more of a “lead” position. (Or something similar to that).

But with the formation the Bulldogs lined up in, the defender that got kicked out was Isaac Smith, not Whitson. The Golden Eagles’ tackle was likely looking for a defender up field to block (probably Nic Mitchell lined up as the only linebacker) when Whitson appeared in the lane, cut inside and stuffed the running back for one of his TFLs.

It was a great play by one of the newest Bulldogs, but it should also validate Mississippi State’s decision to use a three-down linemen defensive front.

Run that play back with Mississippi State in a four-man front and at least two linebackers. Whitson, if lined up as defensive end, would be the target for the pulling guard before the snap. There might be a linebacker filling the hole or maybe the defensive tackle is lined up as three-technique DT instead of further inside where it’s easier to block him with a double team, and another Bulldog makes a similar tackle for a loss.

But, in this writer’s opinion, what made this play work was having Smith lined up outside of Whitson. It was still a six-man box, but with five defenders at the line of scrimmage. You can see at the snap Smith does his job and crashes down the line, eating up the guard’s block.

That left Whitson available to surprise the pulling tackle and make the stop.

The early returns on Mississippi State’s (alleged) $15 million investment into its offensive and defensive line are positive. But the first real test will come Saturday against Arizona State.