STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby met reporters in Starkville on Monday with a third straight loss to explain. He put Saturday’s 23-15 defeat to Oklahoma on turnovers, missed defensive stops and an offense that could not stay on the field on third down.
The box score tells the same story. The Bulldogs went 1 for 11 on third down and converted just 2 of 5 fourth-down tries. The swing came in the second quarter: trailing 3-0 and sitting at the Oklahoma six yard line, State lost a fumble, and the Sooners drove the other way for a touchdown. A fourth-quarter interception ended any late hope.
That kind of fade has become a habit in October. Across his seasons in Starkville, Lebby has gone 9-3 in each year’s opening four games and only 2-16 the rest of the way, and both of those late wins came against teams that finished 2-10.
Injuries keep stacking up, too. Quarterback Kamario Taylor, who guided a 4-0 start, came back from a foot injury against Oklahoma but left after one quarter, having hit 2 of 5 throws for ten yards. Lebby said the staff should know more within 48 hours. Backup Puckett finished 17 of 24 for 158 yards with a touchdown and a pick.
Linebacker Jalen Smith, who led the defense in tackles before getting hurt against Alabama on Oct. 3, will miss the rest of the year after knee surgery. The good news was running back Fluff Bothwell, back from his own injury, who carried 17 times for 111 yards.
Next up is a road trip to Texas on Saturday, and the league’s first injury availability list for that matchup is due Wednesday evening. After that, the Bulldogs host Vanderbilt on Nov. 7 at 3:15 p.m. in the 25th meeting between the schools, their first since 2021.
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