Jeff Lebby's offense is often associated with a wide open passing game. Matt Corral and Dillon Gabriel put up lofty numbers through the air playing for Lebby, and last season, Blake Shapen was on pace to have a strong year statistically throwing the ball prior to injury.
There's no doubt quarterbacks can have plenty of success passing in Lebby's offense. But going into 2025, Mississippi State QB Blake Shapen says that if the Bulldogs are truly to thrive offensively, they've got to build around the run game.
"For us we want to be very explosive, but at the same time we want to be able to run the football. That's where it starts, is running the football so it can open up avenues for us in the pass game."
Despite the pass-happy perception, Jeff Lebby's scheme is built around a strong ground game. His offenses at previous stops regularly averaged north of 200 yards a game rushing. Much of their passing game is designed to be set up by the run game.
Without the ability to consistently make defenses pay on the ground, it's hard to get the passing game rolling in this offense. According to Shapen, State's inconsistency running the ball last year held them back, and they need that ground game to open up the explosive passing attack Lebby's known for this fall.
"I feel like at times last year we struggled with that, so I feel like running the football is where it starts, to be able to open up the touch game and screens and explosive plays down the field with the play-action game."
Shapen's not wrong about the Bulldogs' struggles. MSU finished under 100 yards rushing on four occasions, including an embarrassing home defeat to Toledo. Their 138 rush yards per game was the worst by a Lebby offense. Though their ground game improved over the course of the season, it never was good enough to fully open up the offense.
Mississippi State has the running backs to field a dominant ground game
The good news for Mississippi State entering the 2025 season is there's confidence that the run game will be a strength. The biggest reason for that optimism is the Bulldog running back room, which Jeff Lebby calls the deepest on the roster.
"I'm excited about the running back room...That room right now is probably the deepest room on our roster. There's a great expectation for production from that group."
The explosive Davon Booth, the SEC's second returning leading rusher, is back after breaking out over the back-half of last season. Johnnie Daniels also returns after performing well alongside Booth. Xavier Gayten is a promising sophomore who seemingly made big plays each time he touched the ball in 2024.
And then there's South Alabama transfer Fluff Bothwell, a bruiser who posted 7.5 yards per carry and 13 TDs as a true freshman last season. Booth and Bothwell are expected to lead the way, but Daniels and Gayten are more than capable of carrying the load as well.
Lebby's right - it's an incredibly deep and talented room, and it's a group they can build the offense around for 2025. Of course they'll still need quality blocking in front of them, and that was a major issue last year. But with the offseason upgrades made to the OL group, run blocking should improve.
Defenses didn't fear the Mississippi State rushing attack last season, and that held them back from being a much stronger unit. But going into Jeff Lebby's second year, all signs point to a significantly improved ground game and, as a result, a significantly improved offense.