What Mississippi State first-year head coach Jeff Lebby said after his team’s 33-14 loss to No. 7 Tennessee Saturday night at Neyland Stadium: Mississippi State’s slow starts in recent games “For us there’s no explosive plays.

Jeff Lebby coached with, for and against Tennessee coach Josh Heupel and now the two will face off on opposite sidelines as head coaches of SEC programs.

At Oklahoma, where Lebby was the offensive coordinator in 2023 before being hired by the Bulldogs, the Sooners didn’t have an issue with slow starts. Oklahoma scored seven opening-drive touchdowns in 12 regular season games, punted four times and had one turnover. In those seven touchdowns, Oklahoma had five drives with a play of at least 30 yards.

Jeff Lebby installed Mississippi State’s offense in spring ball and fall camp with the expectation that the Bulldogs would be an explosive group with the ability to

The opportunity was there for Mississippi State football. The Bulldogs (2-8, 0-6 SEC) didn't play a clean first half, but only trailed by two possessions with Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava knocked out of the game at halftime with an injury.