STARKVILLE — The 2020 college football season is wearing on Mississippi State’s lead man.
Monday, Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach went on a nearly three-minute sermon regarding the challenges of the 2020 season and how all that has affected his roster. Ranging from schedule changes and varying testing protocols to recruiting and his belief that politicians are looking to use the COVID-19 pandemic to their advantage, Leach hit just about every bullet point on the list when it comes to this fall.
“In the end, together with all the emotion and clutter, we’ve created one of the most joyless seasons on Earth, and hopefully we have the presence of mind to not repeat it this way again,” he said at the close of his two-minute, 53-second answer. “Other than that it’s been great.”
In a year in which college football coaches that tend to border on control freak-level attention to detail and regimen in their day-to-days, the 2020 season has clearly worn on the first-year head coach in Starkville. Sitting at 2-7 and having won just one game since the calendar turned to October, Leach, who has remained relatively tight-lipped and upbeat this fall despite his gunslinger persona in press conferences throughout the years, offered a slight look into the frustrations he and his staff have run into regarding this fall.
Among the more pressing and large-scale points Leach took issue with Monday was how others outside college football have perceived the pandemic. Racing through his laundry list of concerns, he pointed specifically to politicians and bureaucracy as some of the reasons this year has been trying.
“Determination — yeah, we’ve got some problems we’ve got to deal with, and then anytime you get committees involved in something it’s going to be convoluted, twisted up,” he said. “And then the politicians are trying to beat their chests and maximize on this at every step.”
Despite the varying issues Leach voiced Monday, he did back up senior linebacker Erroll Thompson’s and junior receiver Austin Williams’ comments Saturday following a loss to Auburn that MSU would like the chance to play in a bowl game. At present, MSU is a near lock for a bowl game as it’s expected three teams from the Southeastern Conference will be selected for the College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six bowls. Assuming that happens, that would leave nine bowl slots to be filled by the remaining 10 SEC teams, not including LSU — who instituted a self-imposed bowl ban due to an ongoing NCAA investigation. It’s also anticipated winless Vanderbilt, who had its season finale against No. 10 Georgia canceled Monday due to COVID-19 related issues, will not be chosen.
“That’s been enough of a moving target that we haven’t addressed much of it,” Leach said as to whether any players might not play in a bowl game should MSU accept an invite. “I think we’d all be excited, with rare exception. There’s always probably an exception or two. I think we’d all be excited to continue to work together and have another game.”
MSU is slated to close its season Saturday against Missouri. The Tigers come to Starkville following a blowout loss to Georgia but have won three of their past four contests.
The game is currently scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on SEC Network Alternate.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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