STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football opened the Jeff Lebby era at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday with its annual spring game.

It didn't take long to see why the Bulldogs hired the former Oklahoma offensive coordinator in November.

The offense cruised to a 67-53 victory against the defense with a custom scoring system put into place for both sides to post points. While the defense held the early advantage, quarterback Blake Shapen quickly flipped momentum in his first action while donning an MSU jersey.

Despite only playing in the first half, the Baylor transfer completed 18 of his 22 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns.

Kelly Akharaiyi ignites Mississippi State offense

When Mississippi State landed former UTEP receiver Kelly Akharaiyi, it was evident what Lebby was looking to add to his offense. After ranking fourth in the country last season with 21.52 yards per catch, the Bulldogs got big-play potential in Akharaiyi.

That was on display during the first-team offense's third drive.

After the offense fell behind 22-6, Shapen connected with Akharaiyi for a 40-yard touchdown in the first quarter to ignite the offense.

Akharaiyi's play was complemented by another transfer opposite of him. Former Louisville receiver Kevin Coleman made the first big play of the contest – on the first-team offense’s second drive − before Akharaiyi’s touchdown catch.

However, he was a reason the defense jumped out to an early lead. Coleman fumbled at the goal line a few plays after his 43-yard catch.

Mario Craver emerging as freshman

Mississippi State was without sophomore receiver Creed Whittemore who was moving around on a scooter with his right ankle taped up. Filling his role in the slot on the first-team offense was freshman Mario Craver.

He’s part of an exciting 2024 class of receivers, though he was a late addition. Craver didn’t commit until Dec. 10 after Lebby was hired to replace Zach Arnett. He finished as the highest rated prospect in the class, coming in as a four-star, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

He was among the top targets for Shapen. On the game’s opening drive, the two nearly connected on deep touchdown attempt. In the second quarter, Shapen completed a 15-yard pass to Craver for a first down before finding him on a screen on the ensuing play.

To open the second half, sophomore quarterback Chris Parson connected on a 60-yard pass to Craver for a touchdown.

Justin Ball impresses at tight end

In part due to the late Mike Leach not utilizing a tight end and last year’s offense being among the SEC’s worst, the Bulldogs haven’t had a tight end catch a touchdown since 2020.

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That’ll likely change under Lebby.

Justin Ball, a transfer tight end who spent the last five years at Vanderbilt, caught a pair of touchdown passes in the first half – including a 22-yard reception just before the break.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State football shows off Jeff Lebby offense in spring game