The Dog Days Are Over: Dawgs Clinch 4-0 Streak

Mississippi State capped off its non-conference schedule Saturday, beating Northern Illinois 38-10 to move to 4-0 for the first time since 2014. It’s a milestone win that reflects just how far this team has come under head coach Jeff Lebby.

But Lebby isn’t ready to take his eye off the ball and kick his feet up just yet. “[Finishing non-conference play undefeated] was our goal from a team-goal standpoint,” Lebby said. “Now we’re gonna settle back in and get ready for next Saturday.”

MSU has debuted a blazing offense—outscoring opponents 55-6 in first quarters. Equally formidable is their defense: The Bulldogs have given up only 47 points, the program’s fewest points surrendered through four games since 1999.

Even when the Bulldogs falter, they’ve demonstrated a remarkable ability to keep calm and regroup. “We have a good group of guys that are able to wipe the slate clean, whatever happens, and move forward,” said quarterback Blake Shapen. “I think we do a really good job of that and not worrying about the scoreboard.”

Mississippi State doubled its win total from its crumbling last season in only four weeks, defeating Southern Miss on the road, upsetting then-No. 12 Arizona State in a raucous victory, and then rolling past Alcorn State and Northern Illinois.

Like Lebby and Shapen, linebacker Nic Mitchell is staying cautiously optimistic: “That was one of our goals – an undefeated non-conference. We can check that off…That’s not our final goal. So we keep on moving forward.” After so many seasons of defeat, the team’s sparse celebration is to be expected. 

So far, it seems that the Bulldogs caution is making them better. Rather than relying on recent success, MSU is playing with something to prove. The 2025 team is sharper, faster, and playing with fierce confidence, even when things don’t go perfectly.

Lebby and his team now stand on the hinge between non-conference and conference play, a time to look back and plan ahead. “There’s been moments when things haven’t been perfect,” Lebby reflected. “Our guys responded in the right way. Good football teams do that. Tough football teams do that. We’re going to have to continue to trend that way to go get done what we want to get done.”

MSU opens SEC play next week against the Volunteers, the first of eight straight conference games—six of which are against teams currently ranked inside the Top 25. Can the Bulldogs maintain this momentum? is the question buzzing around Starkville. Of course only time will tell, but the Bulldogs have already accomplished more this season in four weeks than they accomplished all of last season. Even if conference games don’t go as planned, it’s clear that Lebby is hitting his stride as a coach. Every comeback story has to start somewhere, and it seems that the 2025 season may be the harbinger of things to come.

Author contributor Faith Ellington