State Now ‘Holding The Pen’ To Write Own Story
September 27, 2026 | Football, Joel Coleman
The Bulldogs are 4-0 and wanting more after topping No.19 Missouri.
STARKVILLE – Parents experience it all the time. One minute, a baby is crawling around on the floor. Then, after a few blinks of the eyes, that same little one isn't so little anymore.
For the last couple of years, the head coach Jeff Lebby era at MSU was growing. The program was getting its feet under it to run.
Then, we all blinked this offseason, and standing before us on Saturday night was a program that's passed the driver's test, moved out of the house and is now ready to stand strong.
The 24th-ranked Bulldogs defeated No. 19 Missouri 31-24 in front of a sold-out, absolutely rocking Davis Wade Stadium. Suddenly, State is 4-0 with a 2-0 mark in Southeastern Conference play.
Lebby's Dawgs are all grown up. And the college football world is their oyster.
"We've got a very competent football team that understands we can be as good as we want to be," Lebby said. "We're the ones holding the pen, and it's about resetting…and getting ready for next Saturday [against Alabama]. I have a ton of confidence in our guys to be able to get it done."
State was 4-0 a year ago, too. But this 4-0 just feels different.
This MSU team left Starkville to face a Big Ten opponent a couple weeks back and dominated at Minnesota. It overcame a 16-point deficit on the road in the SEC opener to win convincingly at South Carolina. Now, add a Top-25 victory over Missouri to the list.
Every week, the tests have gotten tougher. Every week, Lebby's State bunch is finding a way to be up for the challenges. It hasn't always been pretty, but it has been effective.
That's essentially what Lebby told his team in the locker room postgame on Saturday.
"Find a way to win – that's what good football teams do," Lebby told his squad. "We can be so much better, but do you know what good football teams do? They find a way to win. That's what good football teams do, and we've got a [really] good football team, and we're just getting started."
All of the excitement and confidence is a testament to the talent in the locker room, but it's also a credit to the culture that has permeated Mississippi State football under Lebby. Even as MSU hit speed bumps the last couple of years, there was belief inside the walls of State's Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex that something special was building.
There was positivity day after day, no matter what the record was. Lebby orchestrated a commitment to consistency inside the program that's now paying off.
Stacking good days. Getting better practice by practice. Improving week by week. It wasn't flashy, but it was absolutely effective.
There's little doubt all that was the foundation of what's happening now. While State's talent level has increased through player development, recruiting and the transfer portal, Lebby's message has been unchanged.
Win, lose or draw, it's about going 1-0, week to week. The big picture is promising because State's culture is to keep it simple and paint one stroke at a time.
"We're 1-0 on the day and [now] we're 4-0," Lebby said after beating Mizzou. "We will reset and try to do the exact same thing next Saturday."
A gauntlet of an October slate awaits. It features next weekend's home tilt against Top-10 Alabama, plus road trips to LSU and No. 1 Texas. Nothing comes easy in the SEC and not a thing is ever guaranteed.
But the 2026 Bulldogs have given themselves, their fans and anyone watching reason to believe they can stand toe to toe with anybody on any Saturday. Because they already have. They just have to keep going 1-0 week to week.
Who's to say they can't? The guys in the Maroon and White helmets certainly aren't putting limits on themselves. Nor should they.
At this point, it really feels like anything is possible and a good start to the year has the real potential to develop into something so much more.
"Our guys understand as we go climb this mountain, we've got a lot left in front of us," Lebby said. "But I think that's the most exciting part. We can play a lot better. There's a ton of meat on the bone, and we've got to find ways to capitalize."
