Three Offensive Players to Watch for Mississippi State vs. Eastern Kentucky

With the first game just a day away, who are three players that Mississippi State fans need to watch out for in Week One?

Jul 17, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Mississippi State quarterback Blake Shapen speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

With Mississippi State's matchup with Eastern Kentucky just a day away, all eyes will be turned toward Davis-Wade Stadium for the first test of head coach Jeff Lebby's offense.

Test is the operative word here, considering that MSU will still welcome an FCS school to Starkville, but with any trial run, there are things and players to look out for, and the first is obvious.

Blake Shapen - Quarterback

After transferring in from Baylor, Shapen has drawn eyes to Lebby and company before the season has even kicked off.

Shapen's tenure as a Bear was a troublesome one. When he was on the field, his live arm brought electricity to an offense that was tough to stop for anyone in the country, no matter the conference. However, he wasn't able to be on the field as much as he would have liked.

The former composite three-star recruit came to Baylor as a dual sport athlete in football and baseball, and chose Baylor over programs like USC and Arizona. Shapen put up just over 2,000 yards through the air last season and tossed 13 touchdowns to only three interceptions in just eight games last season for the Bears.

Lebby brought in Shapen as the quarterback to command his offense in the former Oklahoma OC's first year in Starkville, and from someone who spent the last year working with Dillon Gabriel, Lebby's got experience working with certified ballers. Shapen might be just that, and this weekend will be the first litmus test.

Keyvone Lee

This entire fall camp, Keyvone Lee has looked his best in a Mississippi State Uniform. Lebby said one of the biggest reasons he was tapped as one of the co-starters along with Davon Booth was his "consistency."

Ever since transferring in from Penn State, Lee has won the eye test in the running back room. At 6-foot tall and 225 pounds, Lee has the stature and the physicality to be the bell cow back for Lebby in year one, at least between the tackles.

He may not have Booth's breakaway speed, but with Lebby's reliance on zone run to keep defenses honest, Lee could see his largest carry total ever in a Mississippi State uniform this Saturday. The talent has been there - bad running backs typically don't get recruited to play for Penn State. It's all about putting it together for Lee, and that starts this weekend.

Seydou Traore

Seydou Traore has been arguably the most circulated name for the Mississippi State offense for two years not, and he hasn't even seen the field.

The Colorado transfer came to Starkville after a short stint in Boulder, which caused him to have to sit out last season. Traore has an NFL build, and was dominant in spurts at Arkansas State, his previous stop before Colorado. On last year's team, which was in dire need of any red zone threat with a pulse, Traore was sorely missed.

Consider him missed no more. He and Justin Ball were announced as co-starters on Mississippi State's week one depth chart as a result of their work through fall camp. Traore's physical abilities will of course be under the magnifying glass, but it's how Traore might be used that should make him a fun player to zero in on come Saturday.

Lebby's offense works off a lot of screens around the numbers. Some of these will come from bunch sets, some bubble looks. On bunch looks, Traore makes an excellent case for the lead blocker - the player that sets the tone for the play itself. With Traore able to come in on the line and block, his ability to play receiver and his blocking potential on the outside, Traore might just be the engine that makes State's offense go.