Santa, The Grinch, Ducks And A Clear Goal
December 26, 2021 | Football, Joel Coleman
Mississippi State’s Liberty Bowl preparations are off to an entertaining start.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – It was no ordinary Saturday evening in Memphis.
It was about 5:15 p.m. when Mississippi State's five-bus caravan rolled up to The Peabody hotel. A buzz was in the air as head coach Mike Leach and his Bulldogs entered the building as the sun set on Christmas Day.
Not more than 10 minutes after arrival, Leach was whisked away to meet with reporters. In simple terms, Leach outlined what he's hoping to see from his football team in the coming days and in Tuesday's AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Texas Tech.
"Just improve," Leach said. "We want to constantly improve as a team and play the best game that we can."
It's perhaps a mission much easier stated by MSU's resident pirate than accomplished by the Bulldogs. For again, this is no ordinary time in Memphis.
On Saturday evening as the Maroon and White family enjoyed a Christmas dinner together, Santa Claus himself made an appearance and posed for pictures with Leach and others. The Grinch later roamed the premises.
By Sunday morning, there were new celebrities amongst the State contingent. The Peabody is well-known for its daily duck march.
At 11 a.m. each day, five North American mallards march down a red carpet to spend the day in the hotel's lobby fountain. The ducks were just making their grand entrance as many Bulldogs finished up a late breakfast on Sunday, giving the opportunity to observe.
Santa. The Grinch. Ducks. Then, coming later Sunday, a team outing to Dave and Buster's for food, fun and entertainment. At every turn, there's something to see or somewhere to go. It would seem easy to forget an important football game is just ahead.
Isn't it hard to balance all of this with the mentality needed to earn a postseason victory?
"Yes it is," Leach admits. "It can be. You just try to focus during the practice and the meetings."
Of course very few have as much experience with this kind of thing as Leach. The Liberty Bowl marks Leach's 18th bowl game in his 20-year head coaching career. If anyone knows how to find a perfect mix of fun and business, it's Leach.
Not to mention, this is a Bulldog bunch that is wise beyond its years. Despite many key contributors being sophomores or younger, Mississippi State has developed into a team that knows how to compete with veteran savvy.
The Bulldogs play the next play – a teamwide mantra emphasizing the importance of staying in the moment. They don't panic when they're down, as evidenced by how the two biggest comebacks in Mississippi State history both happened this season.
It sure seems like a safe bet it'll take a lot more than Christmas personalities and ducks to get this team's eyes off the grand prize.
"If you're the right type of team, you're always working as hard as you can," Leach said.
And so the Bulldogs keep right on working, blocking out distractions. They held one final practice in Starkville just before the buses pulled out of town on Christmas Day. MSU has practices scheduled at Rhodes College in Memphis on Sunday and Monday.
Then will come Tuesday when the Bulldogs square off at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium against the Red Raiders.
All the hoopla on this trip is nice, but it'll make for a much sweeter memory if Mississippi State can stay locked in and handle business.
"Just gotta play good," Leach said.