WATCH: Ethan Miner Talks Home Field Advantage and the Season Opener

The veteran center discusses his personal experiences at the group of five levels.

Ethan Miner #67 / Mississippi State Athletics

STARKVILLE, Miss. — The Mississippi State offense has experienced the most change since new head coach Jeff Lebby took over the program late last year. The Bulldogs signed four guys out of the portal who are expected to make an instant impact.

Center Ethan Miner will anchor the new-look group. The sixth-year senior will bring a ton of experience to the group, having accumulated 24 starts in the past two seasons at Arkansas State and North Texas.

The new faces got a further chance to elevate their chemistry in August, as the Bulldogs underwent a three-week camp in preparation for the season.

"I think we are ready," Miner said. "You are never done preparing."

Closing out camp is a joyous day for players, as they have finished grinding against their teammates and can now focus on an actual opponent.

"It is nice to finally be getting into the game prep instead of just going against the defense," Miner said. "I am looking forward to going against someone who is not a teammate."

Coaches have many different ways of practicing their guys during camps. Some opt to make practice more physical and demanding, hoping the team will acclimate to the violence when the season opener rolls around.

However, some coaches choose to keep the players fresh and healthy for the season instead of banging them up. Lebby has chosen to slowly acclimate his team, hoping they will be fresh to start the season.

"He (Lebby) is really doing a good job of being smart and efficient with our practice," Miner said.

It will also be Miners' first chance to hear the cowbells inside Davis Wade Stadium, one of the most unique traditions in college football. The West Hartford, C.T. native played four seasons at Arkansas State and a season at North Texas, so he understands the impact the fans can make on the game, but this will be his first season with his own home-field advantage.

"I am just looking forward to having a home crowd that is gonna be the way it is," Miner said. "I have heard about the cowbells and the crazy fans. I am coming from the group of five where, in games like this, you gotta lock in because the crowd will play a factor, so it is nice to have it to our advantage."

However, the MSU opponent on Aug. 31st, Eastern Kentucky, is hidden behind all the pomp and circumstance. The Colonels are an FCS program that truthfully has a very minimal chance to beat State, but they will not be overlooked.

Miner, a leader on this team, explained to his guys a different perspective that Eastern Kentucky will have that he is familiar with.

"I was just talking to the offensive line about that," Miner said. "I was saying when I was at Arkansas State when these games would come up, I knew I gotta show up because scouts will wanna see how I play against this competition…. The worst thing you can do is underestimate them."