Where Mississippi State football coach Jeff Lebby saw improvement in preseason scrimmage

Pre-snap penalties appear to be a point of emphasis for Mississippi State football and first-year coach Jeff Lebby.

After the Bulldogs’ first preseason scrimmage , Lebby voiced his displeasure with the team’s abundance of them. He said that area was better following Saturday’s second scrimmage.

MSU is in the process of installing Lebby’s new up-tempo offensive scheme with 11 new starters.

“I think it's the non-playing penalty part of it,” he said, “just being able to play clean before the snap, being able to play clean from a substitution standpoint, getting guys on and off the field as game-like as possible. So again, we've got to continue to trend that way.”

Both of Mississippi State’s scrimmages have been closed to the media.

“I like where we're at,” Lebby said. “I'd also like that we got two weeks left to be able to clean stuff up and dial in on some of the detail and get ready for an opponent.”

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Jeff Lebby likes Mississippi State's wide receiver depth

Mississippi State’s top five pass catchers from last season are gone, though that doesn’t seem to be a concern.

“I think we got good players in that room, and I think we've gotten to the point where we've got some quality depth,” Lebby said. “I think between Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, as we get into it, I think we're going to be able to play seven to maybe eight guys from the receiver room and count on those guys to play winning football.”

The Bulldogs added transfers Trent Hudson, Kevin Coleman and Kelly Akharaiyi and signed three four-star freshmen in Braylon Burnside, JJ Harrell and Craver.

Mississippi State nursing injuries on defense

Two cornerback transfers — DeAgo Brumfield and Montre Miller — arrived in the spring, but Lebby said they are limited with injuries. He didn’t reveal what those injuries are, but described them as “nothing major.”

Lebby also said defensive linemen Kalvin Dinkins and Trevion Williams are still recovering from their season-ending injuries suffered last season.

“They'll both play a huge piece,” Lebby said. “Both those guys, we're trying to be really, really smart as we're getting them back. Dink's done a little more, but Trevion's done some really good things early, and we're trying to be smart with him right now as we're trying to get him back in the fall.”

Mississippi State still deciding on kicker

Lebby said he isn’t ready to name a starting kicker between Kyle Ferrie and Nick Barr-Mira.

“We've got one more week of some competition to work through and go through before we dial in on one guy and name him a starter, from a kickoff standpoint or from a field goal standpoint,” Lebby said. “I like where both of them are. Neither one has just created a ton of separation, which I really do, I think that's a good thing, because both have been solid.”

Sam Sklar is the Southern Miss beat reporter for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Where Mississippi State football coach Jeff Lebby saw improvement in preseason scrimmage