There was no point in putting any lipstick on this pig.
And that is not what No. 16 Mississippi State did after its 31-0 loss to No. 22 LSU on Saturday.
“Nobody likes it,” MSU coach Jeff Lebby said after the game. “I don't like it. Our players don't like it. It ain't good enough. That's the reality of it.”
The Tigers were able to nickel and dime their way down the field against Mississippi State’s 3-3-5 scheme (screens, short routes, etc.), taking whatever open space the Bulldogs gave them. That not only amounted to 289 passing yards and four touchdowns, but also 204 yards after the catch.
“We did not tackle well. That was the biggest, most frustrating part of it,” Lebby said. “We had guys in position at times to be able to go tackle, and they bled us and created some chunks because of winning those one-on-ones, and when that happens, it just makes it really, really hard.”
It may have been hard for someone watching outside of the field of play to see the effort necessary to win a game like this, but Lebby instated that wasn’t the issue against the Bayou Bengals.
“Our guys' mentality has been really good with their understanding of me individually doing everything I possibly can to win my one-on-one every single snap and get my cleats back in the ground and go and do it.
“We didn't do near enough of that today, but I don't think it was our mentality or the way guys are perceived going and playing.”
Not long before the game, the Bulldogs learned that they would be without both quarterback Kamario Taylor and starting running back Fluff Bothwell. Both have been integral to State’s success so far this season.
Marcus Williams did not believe that had any impact on the team’s energy heading into the contest.
“That's football, at the end of the day,” Williams said. “I've never seen a team stay completely healthy throughout the full season, so that's why you have a team. … So just trusting our teammates, trusting our preparation, trusting the coaches, trust everything they got going for us. That way, when we come out here on Saturday, there's no second thinking, no hesitation. We just go out there and get it.”
The season isn’t even halfway over for Mississippi State despite the blowout loss, and the team understands that and is ready to act on it.
“Everything that we want to get done is out ahead of us, and our guys, they'll understand that,” Lebby said. “They're frustrated right now. I'm frustrated right now. That's part of it. You step in the arena. These things happen.”