Mississippi State football: Three things to watch for vs Eastern Kentucky

Mississippi State football begins the Jeff Lebby-era Saturday night against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels. Here are three things for Bulldog fans to watch for in their team's first game of the 2024 season...

Does Blake Shapen look comfortable?

Baylor-transfer QB Blake Shapen has been tasked with leading Jeff Lebby's offense this fall. The veteran passer has seen success over the past three seasons in Waco and has the tools to excel in Lebby's system. But this is a new system for him, and Saturday will be the first time he's running it in a real game against an actual opponent. He seemed in command of a bare-bones version of the offense back in the spring. Will he look even more comfortable against EKU?

How much of an impact do State's younger receivers make?

State had to reload its WR room and helped accomplish this by signing the best freshman WR class in school history. It's a talented bunch, and if any of them are ready to contribute, it'd go a long way in making this offense click. Two true freshman receivers, Stonka Burnside and Mario Craver, are listed as #2s on State's initial depth chart. They're going to play, and with expected top-target Kelly Akharaiyi out, there's even more of an opportunity for the Bulldogs' young wideouts to show that they deserve significant playing time this fall.

Does the defensive front dominate?

The Bulldogs have some questions along the D-Line and at LB. Last season, with a more highly-touted group, they struggled to create havoc against opposing offenses. Now with far less proven players, they'll need to be better. EKU has a solid OL, but there's no reason for a SEC defensive front to not dominate against a FCS opponent. The MSU Front 7 needs to be consistently in the backfield, clogging up lanes in the run game and getting after the QB in the pass game. If they can't accomplish that against EKU, they probably won't against better competition.