Takeaways as Mississippi State football's struggles continue in Knoxville

Mississippi State football returned to its losing ways Saturday night. They Bulldogs fell 33-14 to #7 Tennessee in Knoxville. There were a few moments where State looked like they were capable of competing with the Volunteers. But overall, the far better team handled them without too much stress.

Here are some takeaways...

The Bulldog defense made some good plays, but the overall performance was still not ideal

In the first half, State's defense was playing about as well as you could realistically expect them too. Some untimely coverage busts lets to Tennessee points, but during a time where the Bulldog offense wasn't moving the ball, they managed some stops. On consecutive drives, they had a redzone fumble recovery and goal line stand to keep the Vols out of the endzone and followed that by forcing a 3-and-out. It looked like real progress! Unfortunately Tennessee still finished with 452 yards and scored 33 with their starting QB not playing the second-half. Even when it was obvious the Vols would lean on the run, they couldn't get off the field. This group has made minor improvements, but they still can't do enough to make winning realistic.

Michael Van Buren reminded us that he's still a freshman

QB Michael Van Buren has been a bright spot for MSU this season with outstanding play as a true freshman. Well, he looked like a true freshman in the worst way against Tennessee. Van Buren completed just 10/26 passes for 92 yards and an interception and fumble. He looked rattled for much of the game. He was uncomfortable in the pocket and put the ball in harms way. While in recent weeks a lot of the offensive success State has found has been on his shoulders, when State moved the ball, it was largely in spite of him. This is not to overreact and bash him. He's been great overall, and again, he's a true freshman. Bad games are going to happen, especially against a defense the caliber of Tennessee's in that environment. But he definitely still has a long way to go with his development.

State can build around its run game on offense

For all the issues Mississippi State had offensively, they actually ran the ball effectively against Tennessee. State's 179 rush yards on 4.7 yards per rush was the best anyone has done against the Volunteers this season. And when you adjust for sacks, State ran for 207 on over 6.0 yards per carry. Davon Booth went for 125 yards and a score. Johnnie Daniels ran well too. And again, they did this against a team that's been strong against the run all year. State is finally at the point where they can run the ball effectively in this offense, and that's something to build around.