FAYETTEVILLE — The thinking down in Starkville, Miss., for the 2020 SEC football season might go like this: Thank goodness for Arkansas.
That would be two programs seemingly in a rebuild, with Mississippi State clearly restarting from a stronger position with three consecutive wins over the Razorbacks, the last two by hefty margins, and seven victories in the past eight games in the series.
Just like Arkansas, Mississippi State is transitioning to a new coaching staff under quirky Air Raid offensive operator Mike Leach.
Leach, who also interviewed with the University of Arkansas in December, has a two-decade history of leading conference outposts Texas Tech and Washington State into prominence, and he’s looking to enhance that career theme in Starkville.
The Bulldogs finished fifth in the SEC West last season, but they were gutted on defense with a host of NFL-caliber players lost. They also have an interesting quarterback duel taking place in camp.
Garrett Shrader, who got a much-publicized black eye late last season after a fight with a teammate, is back for his sophomore year. He’s engaged in a battle with transfer KJ Costello, who racked up 6,151 passing yards and 49 touchdowns in 29 games at Stanford (2017-19).
Shrader started four games in 2019, played in 10 and showed his dual-threat prowess with 1,170 passing yards, 587 rushing yards, 6 rushing touchdowns and 8 passing touchdowns.
Another potential factor in the quarterback derby is Will Rogers, an in-state talent who attended Brandon High School, the alma mater of Gardner Minshew, who had a hugely productive season at Washington State under Leach before moving on to the NFL.
“I doubt we will name a starter until maybe as late as the week before game week,” Leach said last week. “I hope it doesn’t extend that far, but it certainly could. It will be more of a sudden decision than I will like because you’d like to see more body of work out of all of them.”
Leach termed Costello, who has a 62.6% career completion rate, as a work in progress.
“I think KJ’s experience helps some,” he said. “I think he does a really good job of taking charge of the huddle, and I think he does a good job of knowing the offense on the run.”
Whichever quarterback wins the starting job will have a built-in advantage with the return of tailback Kylin Hill, a 1,350-yard rusher who initially announced he was declaring early for the NFL Draft before electing to return.
Hill, a 5-11, 215-pounder, led the SEC in rushing during the regular season, scored 10 rushing touchdowns and averaged 5.6 yards per carry.
The skill players will operate behind a line that brings back three returning senior starters in guards Dareaun Parker and Stewart Reese, and tackle Greg Eiland.
Osirus Mitchell is the top returning wideout for a group that has three players listed at 6-5 in Mitchell, and tight end/ slot men Brad Cumbest and Geor’quarius Spivey.
“Big targets,” Leach said. “You know, big targets, the better they catch the ball the stronger they’ll be. We are still all over the place with our routes, but you know, that’s on us as coaches to sharpen that up.”
On defense, the strength looks to be up front in the 3-4 base scheme, with players such as ends Kobe Jones and Marquiss Spencer, and tackles Nathan Pickering and Jaden Crumedy back with solid experience.
Senior middle linebacker Errol Thompson should be an anchor for the unit as he has been productive ever since earning SEC All-Freshman honors in 2017.
Senior strong safety C.J. Morgan is the lone returning starter in the five-man defensive backfield, though fellow safety Marcus Murphy has gotten significant playing time. Projected starting corners Martin Emerson and Tyler Williams, and nickel back Fred Peters will be tested early in the opener at LSU.
Leach, the 2008 national coach of the year while at Texas Tech, spent part of last week educating the Bulldogs on the strength of football in Mississippi.
“A lot of it starts with why did I come to Mississippi, because for years I’ve understood that some of the best football in the entire nation is played in the state of Mississippi,” Leach said. “I know the emphasis of it, and I know what it means to the people here. Per capita, often times more players go to the NFL from the state of Mississippi than any other state.
“Players need to understand the legacy they’re a part of and take ownership in upholding that. That comes through hard work. And there’s none of this ‘Aw shucks, I’m from Mississippi” stuff. I mean, this isn’t one of those deals where, ‘Well I figure I’m average and half the states are better and half the states are worse.’ No, no. There are great players who come from here and greatness comes out of here on the football field, and I wanted all of them to realize that.”
Leach talked on Saturday about the pluses and minuses after one week of camp.
“They really like football,” he said. “They really embrace football and the challenges of football. I really like that.
“I think we’ve got to be more polished. Right now we’re not as polished as we could be. We’re explosive but we’re not polished with execution. Not just where to be when but also the technique we need to do it on all sides of the ball.”
Mississippi State at a glance
LAST SEASON: 6-7, 3-5 (5th in SEC West) COACH Mike Leach (1st season at Miss. State; 139-90 in 19th year overall)
RETURNING STARTERS: 9 – Offense 5, Defense 4
KEY PLAYERS: RB Kylin Hill, MLB Erroll Thompson, P Tucker Day, WR Osirus Mitchell, DE Marquiss Spencer, DT Nathan Pickering
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Leach (1st year)
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Zach Arnett (1st year)
BOWL SCENARIO: The Bulldogs lost a huge batch of NFL-caliber defenders and are undergoing a transformation to a new staff, so expect a step back on that side of the ball. But, given Leach’s ability to produce big passing numbers combined with the return of ace tailback Kylin Hill, the Bulldogs should have a chance in shootouts.
Mississippi State's 2020 schedule
SEPT. 26 at LSU
OCT. 3 Arkansas
OCT. 10 at Kentucky
OCT. 17 Texas A&M
OCT. 24 Open date
OCT. 31 at Alabama
NOV. 7 Vanderbilt
NOV. 14 Auburn
NOV. 21 at Georgia
NOV. 28 at Ole Miss
DEC. 5 Missouri