Week 7 SEC Football Recap: Mississippi State's Budding Star Quarterback

Mississippi State lost to Georgia Saturday, but there were wins this program can build off down the stretch.

Oct 12, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. (0) throws a pass against the Georgia Bulldogs in the second quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Mississippi State lost its fifth straight game in Week 7, bowing to Georgia in Athens. But there were positive takeaways from the 41-31 defeat that Jeff Lebby and the staff can point to moving forward.

There was no quit in the Bulldogs, and Lebby's offense is showing signs of being ready to break out. After back-to-back trips to Texas and at Georgia, MSU is road-tested and poised to amass some confidence in the second half of the season.

Week 7 in the SEC: What We Learned

6. Brent Venables Has Lost Traction

Oklahoma was outmanned Saturday in Dallas, so there's no shame in losing to top-ranked Texas. But Venables has clearly lost momentum after winning 10 games and finishing No. 15. The offense has not sufficiently replaced QB Dillon Gabriel, relegating the Sooners to a second-division SEC team.

5. It's DJ Lagway SZN in Gainesville

Florida showed a lot of fight in Knoxville, falling to No. 11 Tennessee in overtime, 23-17. The Gators suffered two tough losses, as QB Graham Mertz went down with a season-ending injury. Enter the franchise, Lagway, who threw the game-tying strike in the fourth and will command the offense moving forward.

4. Vandy Is Here to Stay

Shocking Alabama two weeks ago was incredible. Following that up with a road win over Kentucky was almost as impressive. The Commodores ditched talk of a post-Bama hangover by holding the Cats to 13 points to move to 4-2.

3. MVB Brings Hope to Starkville

It may be mid-October, but everything Mississippi State does over the next 45 days will be about building momentum for 2025. One of those building blocks will be QB Michael Van Buren Jr.

The rookie was named SEC Freshman of the Week for his performance against Georgia, throwing for 306 yards and three touchdowns.

Mississippi State true freshman QB Michael Van Buren made his first two career starts vs No. 1 Texas and No. 5 Georgia — both on the road.

MVB accounted for 450 passing yards, four total TDs and just one INT - including 306 and 3 TDs vs UGA.

QB1 🔥 pic.twitter.com/kMZVYLERwb

— Tru Maroon Nation (@TruMaroonNation) October 13, 2024

2. Alabama Has No Identity

Ever since those first four TD drives in the Sept. 28 Georgia game, Alabama has become an inconsistent mystery. The defense has been unusually soft and the offense sputtered in Saturday's close call with South Carolina. Hard to figure this was the top-ranked team just a few weeks ago.

1. LSU An Unlikely Playoff Contender

LSU opened with a loss to USC, which has since fallen three times. But the Tigers have cobbled together a five-game winning streak to climb to No. 8 in the polls. Saturday's thriller over Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss in overtime put the Rebels on CFP life support.

LSU LEFT NO DOUBT.
Garrett Nussmeier to Kyren Lacy for the WALKOFF OVERTIME VICTORY pic.twitter.com/lfN5odD9uP

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) October 13, 2024

Mississippi State Football Shows Promise Despite Loss to Georgia