Mississippi State football opened up the 2024 season with a dominant victory, routing Eastern Kentucky 56-7. The Bulldogs were up 14-0 before anyone could blink and cruised the rest of the way. Here are some big takeaways from their win...
Blake Shapen is going to be fun to watch
All eyes were on Bulldogs QB Blake Shapen in this one, as everyone was eager to see how he'd operate State's new offense. Shapen shined, completing 15-20 passes for 247 yards and three TDs and scrambling for another score. He showed off some effortless passing and the ability to extend plays with his legs, things State fans have been desperate to see. He did show a tendency to put himself in harms way while running, which he'll have to be careful about. But he displayed a play-making ability that is going to be a ton of fun to watch.
The receiving corps can be dominant
Even with presumed #1-target Kelly Akharaiyi out, the MSU wide receivers shined. Jordan Mosely, Kevin Coleman, and Mario Craver all hauled in TDs and had at least 50 yards receiving. Coleman in particular showed out with a highlight reel grab and several electrifying punt returns. This is a dynamic room that's going to be a problem for defenses.
Run blocking has to improve
The one real concern from the offense outside of typical week one sloppiness (which was amplified because of the weather) was run blocking from the offensive line. State's team rushing stats look fine with 203 yards on 5,8 yards per rush, but 41 yards came on an end-around to Creed Whittemore and all Shapen's 44 yards were from scrambles. Take those away, and it's just 118 yards at 4.4 a carry. The EKU Front 7 had no issue clogging up running lanes and stuffing MSU's RBs. Lebby's offense can't be effective against better defenses if they're getting shut down on the ground. That has to improve.
Jury is still out on the defense
The quality of State's defense is very much up in the air after Saturday. That may seem unfair after a performance in which EKU was held to seven points and under 300 yards of offense, but it was a very mixed bag from the defense. The Bulldog defense made some big stops early in the game and held EKU to 0-3 on 4th down. But they also allowed EKU to go 8-20 on 3rd downs and certainly didn't dominate up front the way you'd like to see outside of clear running situations. That said, they didn't show much on defense either. We'll need to see more to get a better idea of this group.