Reflecting On A Record-Breaking Day
November 20, 2021 | Football, Joel Coleman
Will Rogers and other Bulldogs continued their assault on the MSU record book in a lopsided win over Tennessee State.
STARKVILLE – Will Rogers was nearly speechless.
Mississippi State's sophomore quarterback sat at a table for his postgame press conference following MSU's 55-10 win over Tennessee State on Saturday. A reporter asked Rogers the question that had the signal caller searching for words.
Rogers had just passed Bulldog legend Dak Prescott's MSU single-season record for both passing yardage and passing touchdowns. So Will, what does it feel like to now have eclipsed the guy who's currently the leader of the Dallas Cowboys and one of the best-known athletes in the world?
"It's tremendous," Rogers ultimately said. "Anytime you have your name in the same company as Dak Prescott, it's pretty incredible. I never really imagined that would happen honestly. I've been watching Dak since I was in fifth, sixth, seventh grade. The things he did here were amazing – taking the team to No. 1 [in the country] and all that. So just to have my name in the same company as Dak is truly incredible."
Incredible is a good word for it. It's also a good word for what Rogers has done this season.
He's the first-ever Bulldog to pass for more than 4,000 yards in a year. He sits at 4,113. And that single-season touchdown record? He hasn't just broken it. He's shattered it. The previous high was 29. Rogers threw for five scores on Saturday, so he now has 34 touchdown passes and counting.
With 391 passing yards against Tennessee State, Rogers has now thrown for 300 or more yards 10 times this season and 12 times in his career. Yep, you guessed it. Both of those are records, too. Rogers also increased his single-season completions record. He's now up to 435.
All of this is coming from a guy who, just two years ago at this time, was playing high school football. Again, to use Rogers' own word, it's incredible. But not surprising, at least not to head coach Mike Leach.
"I'm pleased, I'm not really surprised," Leach said. "We're out there every day in practice. We're a very young team, so the more reps we get, they improve quicker when they're younger. I think [Rogers has] done a really good job of staying focused.
"He works incredibly hard. I think he's become more consistent, but where his improvement [began] – and the improvement of the linemen, the backs and the receivers – is hard to define. He's more used to his personnel and they've become more consistent. It allows you to execute better."
As Leach alluded to, it's not just Rogers shining. His teammates are too, and they're making their own marks in Bulldog history.
On Saturday, receivers Makai Polk and Austin Williams both put their names at the top of lists. Polk caught nine passes, giving him 88 total this season. He's now tied Fred Ross' school record for the most receptions in a season.
"He does such a great job," Rogers said of Polk. "The way he gets open, I mean he's probably one of the best route runners I've ever seen in person."
Then there's Williams. He had three touchdown catches, tying the school mark for the most in a one game.
"I can't say enough about him," Rogers said. "He's probably one of the hardest workers on the team, if not the hardest worker…He just does his job every single play. He knows how to get open. He's not the fastest guy. He's not the strongest guy. But he knows where to sit in the defense, and he knows where to be."
Along with all the records set and records tied on Saturday, there was a milestone. The victory was the 150th of Leach's career. It's the second-most among active Southeastern Conference coaches and fifth-most among active Power Five coaches.
To celebrate following the contest, MSU had cupcakes in the locker room. There were, fittingly, 150 of them.
It was a literally sweet ending to what was an all-around sweet day for the Bulldogs.
