Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Postgame Quotes: Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach (Sept. 26)
September 26, 2020 | Football
On K.J. Costello's Mississippi State debut…
ML: "I thought it was a really good debut. I mean, some of his turnovers were his fault and some weren't. But I think that it's a good start, I think that we have to take care of the ball better, no question about that, but the biggest strength and I really saw out of him was that he's the same guy every play. He would have the disappointment, and something would happen, but he would come back the same guy. Ready to go, ready to pick the unit up. He went through a stretch there and it was as bad as I've seen a quarterback go through, but he was right there and kept everybody inspired and we got that key drive at the end."
On why the passing game was so successful…
ML: "Trial and error, I guess would be the best way to describe that. Going into the game I guess we thought they would play looser than they did. They've got a lot of four across in their arsenal and we thought they'd play looser. It turned out they didn't play so loose, then the space was getting crowded, so we felt like we ought to go over the top. K.J. (Costello) threw some good balls and we made some really good catches too."
Where K.J. Costello's performance ranks in his all-time performances…
ML: "Well, it's really high when you consider playing at LSU and versus the defending National Champions, so it's really high that way. I thought his composure this game was outstanding. It felt like our team, offensively, defensively, and special teams, all had each other's backs. I mean, because we had our share of adversity and just slugged through it. Everybody was in there and stuck with one another, so I thought that was maybe one of the strongest things about our team. We just kept playing and kept supporting each other."
On the magnitude of a win against LSU…
ML: "Well, I think it was outstanding. I mean this one went down to the wire, so I was pretty locked into the game. And then, they wanted me to go to the media right away, so I did. In the meantime, the players were all excited and I don't know if maybe it's a ritual, it is a lot of places, but to go up to the fans and that sort of thing. I wasn't acquainted with all of it, so after that, I kind of played it by ear. I just sort of followed along and if the other guy was doing something then I did it. Hopefully, we didn't get me in trouble. Like my mom said, if somebody tells you to jump over a cliff, sometimes you can, you know?"
Players Mentioned
QB
/ FootballFOOTBALL | Jahron Manning Game Week at Florida
Monday, October 13
FOOTBALL | Brenen Thompson Game Week at Florida
Monday, October 13
FOOTBALL | Kalvin Dinkins Game Week at Florida
Monday, October 13
FOOTBALL | Blake Shapen Game Week at Florida
Monday, October 13