STARKVILLE — Saturday wasn’t supposed to end this way.
Rather than a persistent reminder of the dangers of facing the lauded Mike Leach air raid, it was a night in which starting running back and Columbus native Kylin Hill — whom Leach didn’t offer any details or update on postgame — exited the contest after one carry and never returned, Stanford wunderkind quarterback K.J. Costello looked flustered and erratic and MSU fell to an Arkansas team that hadn’t won a Southeastern Conference game since 2017.
But Saturday night was not completely for naught.
With Hill out and Costello’s effectiveness limited, the freshman trio of wide receiver Jaden Walley and running backs Dillon Johnson and Jo’quavious Marks offered a brief bright spot on an otherwise forgetful night in Starkville.
“I’d say both those backs got at least 40-50 reps apiece,” Costello said postgame. “That’s incredible tape to learn from. They’ll be watching that, if not tonight, early tomorrow morning.”
For months, Leach and his staff have chimed that the air raid offers flexibility in who is a go-to target week after week based on what the defense affords. In the Bulldogs’ upset in the bayou, it was the senior trio of Hill, Osirus Mitchell and JaVonta Payton. But consistency be damned.
Saturday, Costello connected with nine different receivers. The top three? Marks, Johnson and Walley.
Throughout camp, Walley received rave reviews from coaches and teammates alike for his ability to separate and slice past defenders out of the slot. During Saturday’s first half, he offered onlookers evidence of such praise as he skyed into the air just past the second level of the Arkansas defense for a highlight reel snag and gain of 16 yards.
With MSU mounting its failed comeback attempt, Walley also proved a spark plug in an MSU return game that has been more listless than productive in recent years. Following a fair catch on his first return in the early minutes of the fourth quarter, the converted high school quarterback snatched an end-over-end Arkansas punt and dashed through the Razorback coverage team to set up MSU at the Hogs’ 30-yard line.
One week after Hill burst onto the 2020 college football scene with 192 all-purpose yards, it was Johnson and Marks who did the heavy lifting after Hill exited following his first and only carry of the night out of the backfield.
In what MSU lacked in an actual finishing blow, Johnson perhaps provided as he converted a trio of fourth-down conversions as the Bulldogs clawed their way back to no avail. Boasting a 6-foot, 215-pound frame and a bruising running style that almost exactly mirrors that of Hill, Johnson bullied his way up, down, around and through the Arkansas defense.
Churning his legs that are as well suited to be tree trunks as they are football-playing advantages, his 6-yard touchdown offered among the few glimmers of hope in an otherwise dim and subdued outing.
“I mean, I felt great out there,” Johnson said. “I mean, I play versus one of the best defenses in the country every day in practice, and they get me ready for times like this when I’m needed out there.”
For Marks, Saturday was a reinforcement of his limited opportunities in Baton Rouge seven days ago. Dicing an Arkansas defense that stymied Costello through the air, he led all pass catchers with 10 receptions for 50 yards as Razorbacks defensive coordinator Barry Odom seemed content to drop eight men into coverage and allow Marks space to work.
With a swift burst and agile change of direction, the Atlanta native responded, concluding his night with 20 touches for 87 yards between carries and receptions.
“I thought the young backs played admirably as far as not having played very much,” Leach said postgame. “I don’t have a perfect knowledge of how much they played in the past, but I know it’s not very much. But I do think it was pretty good being pressed into service there.”
This isn’t to say Saturday was perfect. Marks was slammed to the turf on a fourth-and-2 at the Arkansas 7-yard line with just under eight minutes remaining and the Bulldogs down a score. Following Walley’s dynamic punt return, the freshman offered a reminder of the special teams woes of years past, fumbling the a return with 2:35 remaining as MSU’s hopes at a comeback quite literally slipped through his fingers.
But for a night in which Leach’s air raid was grounded in debilitating fashion, MSU received a glimpse at its future — one rooted in a pair of talented tailbacks and a slot receiver and punt returner who gives the Bulldogs a home run hitter they’ve long lacked.
“Just thinking back in my career the first game, the second game, third game, fourth game where you really take starter type-reps, that’s where you make your biggest improvement,” Costello said. “So from Walley, to (Marks) … and then obviously Dillon, there’s a lot on the tape to learn from. I’m eager to go check it out and see what’s up.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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