Jeff Lebby is willing to adapt for Mississippi State football

If Jeff Lebby has been known for one thing as a coach, it's tempo.

During his stints as an offensive coordinator at UCF, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma, Lebby's offenses played at a blazing speed, snapping the football as many times as possible throughout the game. It's an approach that he learned as an assistant at Baylor, and it's a foundational part of his scheme. When Lebby has spoken on his offensive philosophy, tempo is one of the first things he discusses. In his own words, "more snaps, more opportunities to score".

But when his Mississippi State Bulldogs team last took the field against Texas, there was noticeable difference in their approach. They weren't nearly as deliberate to get back to the line after plays and took the play clock down between snaps. It was clear they were intentionally looking to slow their pace and eat up as much time as possible, something you practically never see with a Jeff Lebby offense.

When asked about playing slower on offense during his Monday press conference, Lebby said it all comes down to what gives his team the best chance to win.

"For me, it's what allows us to create an advantage...it's what gives us the best chance to win the game. The ego part, you have to set it aside, know who we want to be, but what gives our football team the best chance to have success is what matters."

- Miss State HC Jeff Lebby

Going on the road against the nation's #1 team with a true freshman quarterback making his first ever start and a struggling defense as massive underdogs, it makes perfect sense why Lebby would choose to slow things down. The slower tempo meant less pressure on QB Michael Van Buren in terms of leading the offense, and it gave the Texas offense less chances against a bad defense.

That approach worked well for the Bulldogs. They were able to stay competitive with the Longhorns for much of the game. And while Lebby did say their approach to tempo will be "week to week" based on situation, I'd expect you see a similar speed offensively this week at Georgia.

The most important takeaway, though, is that it's clear Lebby is willing to adapt to help his team succeed. His philosophy has always made tempo the base of what his team's do, but when that approach wasn't best for his team, he went the other way. That's a great sign for Lebby as a coach moving forward, even during a rough debut season.