STARKVILLE — When Mike Leach arrived at fall camp, the first year Mississippi State head coach had no predetermined expectations. He simply wanted to see where everyone was at, good, bad or ugly.
On Saturday, MSU had its first team scrimmage of fall camp. The result left a favorable impression on the former Washington State and Texas Tech coach, as Leach said the practice was one of the best the Bulldogs have had in camp, and perhaps even the best one. He praised both the secondary and the offensive line position groups for their performances.
“A positive about the scrimmage, and why it’s hard to say, is everything was contested,” Leach said. “All sides, both offense and defense, had plenty to be pissed about. And that’s usually pretty good news for a competitive team, as long as it wasn’t a slopfest and it was not. There were some well-executed things out there. And there were a lot of plays that either side won by just a couple of inches. So, the competitiveness I was very pleased with.”
While competition for starting spots has yet to wrap up, Leach noted some players are standing out more than others.
“You try to channel the reps around the guys that are starting to separate themselves,” he said. “That would be the biggest thing. There’s no scheme overhauls, in fact, we’ll probably cut some plays rather than add some plays. We’ll identify what we’re really good at and polish that up.”
Leach to name quarterback ‘Before game week’
In his Saturday media availability, Leach praised graduate transfer quarterback K.J. Costello and freshman Will Rogers for their performances, while not mentioning last year’s starter Garrett Shrader.
“I thought K.J. had a really good day today,” Leach said. “I thought Will did an admirable job as far as a lot of times a freshman will go out there in their first scrimmage and flinch a little bit, but he came out of it fast. He did some good things. I thought the others were competitive, they can line up and play to a point. But I thought those two had the best scrimmage.”
Leach added the quarterback competition is “still open, but less open that it was.” While many Southeastern Conference experts expect Leach to tab Costello the starter, the former Washington State coach said he will likely name a starting signal caller before game week. The Bulldogs are slated to open the season against defending national champions LSU on Sept. 26. in Baton Rouge.
Last season at Stanford, Costello threw for 1,038 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions following a breakout 2018 campaign where he accumulated 3,540 yards, 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Hill standing out in practice
Considering he led the SEC in rushing yards in 2019, many wondered how Columbus native Kylin Hill would factor into Leach’s famous air raid offense.
Through the first few weeks of fall camp, the senior running back has left a favorable impression on his new coach.
“He’s a real physical guy,” Leach said. “When he triggers on a play, he goes full throttle. And everyone knows the intensity he runs with. He’s got great hands. The thing that’s impressed me most is on pass protection, blocking, he hits those guys with an energy. He has pretty good technique and he explodes into them. That’s key for a back.
“Running back is the toughest position to play. You’re asking those guys to do everything. That’s why people put the best athletes there. He fills that role.”
COVID stoppages have yet to reach Bulldogs
Elsewhere in the SEC, Tennessee had to reportedly cancel a scrimmage last weekend because 44 players were unable to practice because of concerns related to COVID-19. According to Leach, the Bulldogs have been fortunate to avoid any major COVID-19-related issues and have been able to keep their regular practice schedule in place.
“Knock on wood, we have,” Leach said. “We’ve had a pretty complete group. I don’t know if it’s luck and circumstance, but our trainers have been very vigilant in everything they do as far as the testing, the masks, and routines for separation.”
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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