Mississippi State's Jeff Lebby proud after Bulldogs overcome slow start to win

Few programs, if any, where in more desperate need of a win on Saturday than the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Losers of seven-straight, MSU welcomed UMass to Starkville hoping to snap their losing-streak and finally handle business against a lesser opponent.

And that's what the Bulldogs did, winning by a final score of 45-20. It was a sign of things moving in the right direction under first-year head coach Jeff Lebby. In his postgame press conference, Lebby said it was important for his team to finally feel victory and be able to celebrate after weeks of tasting defeat.

"Just a happy locker room. For our guys to experience a win and to feel good; could not have been more proud of our togetherness. The team we are creating, the foundation we're building, for those guys to feel victory is important. "

- Miss State HC Jeff Lebby

The win didn't come without struggles though. The Bulldogs got off to a poor start, unable to move the ball on offense and unable to slow down UMass defensively. As a result, State found itself trailing 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.

But a switch was flipped after the first 15 minutes, as the Bulldogs would score three second quarter touchdowns to take a 21-10 halftime lead. They'd keep that momentum in the second half, leading by as much as 32 points late in the game.

Lebby was proud of his team's resilience to overcome a bad start and then seize control for the remainder of the game.

"Certainly proud of how we came back. The way we started was not what we wanted at all on both sides of the ball. I was proud of our guys for playing the next play, finding a way to create some momentum, and then keeping momentum. "

- Jeff Lebby

Of course, that's what a SEC team should do to a program like UMass. Even after trailing early, you'd expect Mississippi State to secure an easy win in this situation. But for a Bulldog program that's struggling through its worst season in more than two decades, being in a situation to close out a game in the second half, regardless of who the opponent is, was something Lebby sees that can be built upon.

"For the first time in a long time, we go into halftime with a lead, and we found ways to go finish the game. We haven't been in that situation, so for me, it was good to see our mentality coming out at half. "

- Jeff Lebby

It's going to be tough for MSU to turn Saturday's result into more wins down the stretch. The Bulldogs close out the season with Tennessee, Missouri, and Ole Miss, all of whom are far superior teams. But if getting this win helps create momentum towards more competitive play in the final month, that would be positive as the program builds for the future.