A 4-0 Start And So Much More
September 20, 2025 | Football, Joel Coleman
Wins aren’t the only thing the Bulldogs have gained ahead of SEC play.
STARKVILLE – For weeks head coach Jeff Lebby and his team have made no secret of one of their primary goals. Mississippi State wanted to complete its non-conference schedule with an undefeated record.
Mission accomplished.
With Saturday's 38-10 victory over Northern Illinois at Davis Wade Stadium, the Bulldogs are 4-0 for the first time since Dak Prescott and company were putting Maroon and White on top of the college football world back in 2014.
How sweet it is, but one can make the case a perfect start, at least from a record standpoint, really isn't the whole story. For MSU, it's validation. It's motivation. And it's a foundation for a year that Dawgs have given themselves a chance to push from feel-good, to fantastic.
"That was one of our goals – an undefeated non-conference," linebacker Nic Mitchell said. "We can check that off.
"It's always great to win. It's always great to achieve one of your goals, but that's not our final goal. So we keep on moving forward."
Coaches and players have to quickly turn their attention to a Tennessee team that'll come to Starkville next weekend most likely boasting a top-15 ranking and College Football Playoff aspirations. That's understandable. But in this space, let's take a brief moment to appreciate what Mississippi State has done so far this year.
About that validation…MSU has proven this isn't your Bulldogs of a year ago.
State went on the road down to Hattiesburg and made a Mississippi statement. The Bulldogs then stared then-No. 12 Arizona State in the face and let them know neither the devil, nor Sun Devils, are welcome down in Davis Wade. They whipped Alcorn State and most recently wrapped a MAC team in Maroon and White. MSU doubled last season's win total in four weeks' time.
The first four games have proven a new day has dawned in Starkville. In one year, Lebby has his squad looking differently on the field and thinking differently under the helmet.
"I feel like the whole team was different since this offseason," running back Davon Booth said. "It felt different."
Booth's offseason observation has become an in-season revelation. The Dawgs are jumping on foes early, outscoring them 55-6 in first quarters this season and then keeping the offensive foot on the gas.
Defensively, MSU has surrendered only 47 points – the team's fewest allowed through four games since sockless Joe Lee Dunn's boys were making life miserable for opponents way back in 1999.
To be fair, things haven't been perfect. There have been penalty problems and plenty more to clean up. But in a way, that's motivating. This imperfect team is 4-0, and even on days like Saturday that featured a sluggish first half, they're still finding ways to regroup and win.
"We have a good group of guys that are able to wipe the slate clean, whatever happens, and move forward," quarterback Blake Shapen said. "I think we do a really good job of that and not worrying about the scoreboard. So, you look at the best teams in the country and they do a really good job of that."
They sure do.
That's not to say this MSU team has accomplished enough yet to put itself up there with the country's elite, but State certainly shares some of the same traits. The good news is all the Bulldogs have accomplished so far will now give them the chance to prove just how good they are and how they stack up against the nation's best.
When the Volunteers come to Stark Vegas next weekend to begin Southeastern Conference play for MSU, it'll be the start of an eight-game gauntlet that features six teams that entered this past Saturday inside the top 25. Five of those teams were ranked in the top 15 and three were inside the top 10.
Nothing ahead is easy – at all. What lies ahead is tough to say the very least.
The good news is, what lies ahead is also hope. What lies ahead is optimism. What lies ahead is potential. That foundation has been laid. This team has earned it.
The first four weeks of the season guarantee nothing, but they set the stage for everything. What's this team's true ceiling? Who knows? However, everything remains on the table.
The 4-0 start is nice, but it's also so much more. It proves the Dawgs are back ready to fight with the best. It proves this program is ascending.
"I think for us we've got a tough football team," Lebby said. "We've got a team that will respond the right way when things aren't perfect. There's been those moments in a lot of different ways [so far this season]. There's been moments when things haven't been perfect. 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.
"[Finishing non-conference play undefeated] was our goal from a team-goal standpoint. Now we're gonna settle back in and get ready for next Saturday."
