Four Reasons for Concern About Mississippi State After the Oklahoma Loss

Mississippi State’s 4-0 start provided reasons to believe the Bulldogs were turning a corner during a critical third season for Jeff Lebby.

But after being shut out by LSU, trailing Oklahoma 10-0 at halftime and failing to score until midway through the third quarter, there are now reasons to be concerned for fans in Starkville.

Losses to the Crimson Tide and the Tigers exposed the distance between the Bulldogs and two of the conference’s stronger programs, but Oklahoma provided a major opportunity to respond at home.

Here are four reasons for concern as the 4-3 (2-3, SEC) Bulldogs enter the final stretch of the regular season.

1. Passing Defense, Passing Defense, Passing Defense- and the Pass Rush

Against Alabama and LSU, Mississippi State allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 49 of 62 passes for 593 yards without a single interception.

The Sooners came into this game ranking among college football’s worst in several statistical categories on the offensive side of the ball.

Instead, State’s pass defense remained a concern, threatening the Bulldogs’ fading hopes of a Top 25 finish or a season with seven or eight wins.

Against LSU, defensive backs looked out of position on deeper throws, struggling to maintain leverage and stay in phase with receivers. On short passes and screens, they took poor pursuit angles, failing to stop plays that should have never made it much further past the line of scrimmage. Mississippi State allowed unnecessary momentum and gave up extra yards after the catch.

On John Mateer’s touchdown pass to Isaiah Sategna with 39 seconds remaining in the second quarter, State’s defenders appeared to lose their positioning as Mateer extended the play.

A blown coverage by cornerback Kelley Jones and poor pursuit angle by safety Dre Riley helped Sategna beat the remaining defenders to the end zone.

Jones continued to retreat instead of closing on the reciever's break, leaving space to execute the comeback route.

And State’s secondary was simply beaten vertically for an easy 32-yard score by tight end Rocky Beers. State struggled to match Oklahoma’s size and athleticism downfield.

After offensive momentum from trick plays drawn up by Lebby, including an 18-yard touchdown pass from tight end Sam West to Camden Capehart, momentum was still in the building at Davis-Wade Stadium despite all that had gone wrong for State. But the Bulldogs once again failed against the deep pass, with a John Mateer bomb to Sategna for a 54-yard gain.

If Rocky Beers hadn’t dropped the pass, perhaps the Sooners would have gone up 24-7 at this point, but they settled for a field goal to go up 20-7 with 3:33 remaining in the third quarter.

To be fair, Jett Jefferson did have an excellent pass breakup on a deep throw at the start of the fourth quarter, helping force a field goal attempt that Oklahoma missed. However, Mississippi State could not capitalize.

On top of this, Mississippi State has struggled to generate consistent pressure from the defensive line.

The defense looked slow and exhausted when pursuing John Mateer at times, and LSU and Oklahoma demonstrated physical advantages up front against the Bulldogs.

2. Missed Scoring Opportunities

Fluff Bothwell put a shot of electricity into fans at Davis-Wade Stadium when he took a run up the middle for a 37-yard gain to Oklahoma’s 46-yard line in the first quarter, giving the Bulldogs an opportunity to score.

Kamario Taylor was injured, and the drive faltered. Mississippi State’s defense held strong throughout the remainder of the quarter, with Oklahoma missing a field goal early in the second quarter.

On another drive in the first quarter, Billy Puckett showed the best version of himself, executing an excellent pump fake, breaking away from multiple defenders, and ripping off an incredible run inside the Sooners’ 10-yard line. But Puckett fumbled away a quarterback draw the very next play.

Once again, with 8:49 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs still had life and were inside the Sooners’ 30-yard line. Puckett delivered a pass to Zion Ragins, and the wide receiver showed off his impressive athleticism and speed, nearly getting to the goal line and putting State back into this ball game.

However, a holding call erased the gain, and Puckett threw an interception on the very next play.

Those were opportunities to change the game. Instead, State left potential points on the field through a turnover and a costly penalty.

3. Quarterback Health Remains a Concern

It was Kamario Taylor who once again went down with an injury late in the first quarter.

As he tried to escape pressure, Taylor appeared to favor his right leg. He did not return for the remainder of the game.

State had already experienced how different its offense could look without Taylor. His latest exit raises another question about whether the Bulldogs can keep their starting quarterback healthy down the stretch.

Puckett has a similarly exciting skill set to Kamario Taylor, with great arm strength and the ability to run. His flashes against Oklahoma showed why State can still create opportunities with him at quarterback.

But the Bulldogs need stability at the position, along with enough protection to give either quarterback a chance to operate.

4. Complex Issues on a Talented Yet Inconsistent Offense

Even with injuries complicating the picture, Mississippi State has shown enough offensive talent to make its inconsistency frustrating.

Anthony Evans had an incredibly athletic catch in the first quarter, and receivers showed off their speed and athleticism throughout. Many of State’s most exciting plays put the Bulldogs in position to score. But turnovers and mistakes killed momentum.

The inability to finish drives and protect the football has plagued this team since the Alabama game. Those problems have continued regardless of who has been at quarterback.

State also converted just one of 11 third downs against Oklahoma, making it difficult to sustain drives.

The Bulldogs outscored the Sooners 15-13 in the second half, but that response came after another scoreless first half. Following the LSU shutout, that extended offensive drought should serve as a major concern for State.