HOOVER, Ala. — Aaron Brule didn’t hear as many cowbells at Davis Wade Stadium in 2020 as he’s used to.
The Mississippi State linebacker couldn’t help but notice the effects of COVID-19 attendance restrictions during last year’s football season. Behind limited crowds all fall, the Bulldogs struggled to a 3-7 regular-season record before beating Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl.
But Brule and his teammates hope the cowbells — and the momentum Mississippi State picked up toward the end of the year — return in full force to Starkville in tandem in 2021.
“I think there’s a lot of potential,” wide receiver Austin Williams told reporters Wednesday prior to his session at 2021 Southeastern Conference media days at The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama. “Going into camp, I know we’re really excited. I think the sky’s the limit, and I certainly can’t wait to see when we get on the field.”
The Bulldogs enter their second season under coach Mike Leach, who said Wednesday his team’s experience — or lack thereof — caught up with them in a season featuring separate losing streaks of three and four games.
But there was promise in the start and in the finish. Mississippi State opened up the season by shocking defending national champion LSU in Baton Rouge and closed the year by beating Missouri and taking down a ranked Tulsa squad in the bowl game.
“We got better as the year went on,” Leach said.
Now with a full spring under their belt, the Bulldogs are not only more practiced but a year older, which can sometimes make all the difference. Perhaps the team’s two most important offensive players — wide receiver Jaden Walley and quarterback Will Rogers — are no longer true freshmen.
Walley, who totaled 718 receiving yards in 2020 to break a single-season school record for a freshman, is poised to make a big impact this fall no matter if it’s Rogers or Southern Miss transfer Jack Abraham throwing him the ball. The D’Iberville product reportedly sprained his MCL in the Maroon and White spring game April 17, but Leach confirmed Walley is fully healthy.
“He’s had a great offseason,” Williams said. “Once he really learns all the intricacies, the ins and outs of being a receiver, he’s going to be a great player.”
Williams praised the leadership of Rogers, the Brandon High School alum who became a leader quickly when he took over the starting job from scuffling Stanford transfer K.J. Costello.
Leach did not say if Rogers will be the Bulldogs’ starter but called the signal-caller a “tireless worker” and a “student of the game” in addition to praising his play in 2020.
“I thought Will did a really good job,” Leach said. “True freshmen don’t start very often, and part of the reason is they’re true freshmen. But in Will’s case, we needed a guy that could go out there and play. I thought he did a very good job, especially as far as being composed … at times (he) looked more experienced, certainly, than he was.”
Rogers’ targets will include Walley, former JUCO transfer Malik Heath, Cal transfer Makai Polk and running backs Jo’quavious Marks and Dillon Johnson (the position is always a big part of Leach’s Air Raid scheme.)
But it’s still up in the air who will get the most snaps when the season begins Sept. 4 against Louisiana Tech. Williams said there’s competition not only at wide receiver but at practically every spot on the field on offense and defense.
“The best player’s going to play, and I love that about Coach Leach and the staff,” he said. “Everything’s open, everybody’s been fighting, and it’s going to make us a better team.”
Brule said he thinks the Bulldogs’ defense can be at the top of the SEC under standout coordinator Zach Arnett — and that the competition on that side of the ball is particularly important.
“Iron sharpens iron,” Brule said. “We’re looking forward to getting after each other and making things look good for everybody.”
And the Bulldogs know the more people they can pack into Davis Wade, the better things will be. Leach said the cardboard cutouts that filled bleacher seats throughout the nation last season reminded him of “The Twilight Zone,” saying getting fans back into the building and approaching “normal” during the COVID-19 pandemic is paramount.
“I think it’s critical, not just to us and because we want it that way,” Leach said. “I think it’s important to our fans and everybody else to get in the normal routine where you kind of elevate and everybody feels enriched by having the opportunity to watch and participate in football in a normal fashion.”
So with fall practice beginning in early August and the 2021 season not far beyond, the Bulldogs know it’s critical to put the best team they can on Scott Field by the time Sept. 4 comes around.
“We improved a great deal from the season to spring, and now we need to take another jump between spring and when we start camp here,” Leach said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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