More In The Tank
October 10, 2022 | Football, Joel Coleman
Leach firm believer his Bulldogs can be even better.
STARKVILLE – To the victors go the spoils.
Mississippi State has seen as much the last three weeks as the Bulldogs have reeled off a dominating three-week stretch that has seen them go from unranked to No. 16 in the country.
The folks that weren't talking about the Dawgs before are sure discussing them now. You're starting to see chatter of Will Rogers' Heisman Trophy chances. There's praise for the performance of Leach's Air Raid offense as a whole and love being shown to coordinator Zach Arnett's aggressive defense.
Most importantly, Mississippi State sports a 5-1 overall record and 2-1 conference mark headed into this coming weekend's game at No. 22 Kentucky. The Bulldogs have beaten their previous three opponents (which included a pair of then-Top-25 foes) by a combined score of 127-55.
Everything seems to be clicking for the Maroon and White. Still, even with as well as the Dawgs are playing and producing in every phase of the game, is it possible they could have even more in the tank?
"I think quite a bit because you're talking about every position on the team where you can get a little bit more," Leach said at his weekly press conference on Monday. "We're finishing runs better than we did last year, but we could certainly do better. We're blocking the second level better than we did last year, but we could certainly do better. We're playing faster than we did last year, but we could certainly play faster. Then defensively, we do a lot of good things, and we are kind of explosive and powerful on defense, but some of the big plays we could definitely shut down, too."
Ah, Leach. Like many coaches, he's ever the perfectionist. There's always one more step to take. There's never a time when Leach isn't looking for just a little extra.
It's why, starting with Kentucky on Saturday, the back end of MSU's schedule is full of so much promise.
Imagine it. What if these Bulldogs can improve on an offense that's already featuring the Southeastern Conference's top passing attack, along with a running back in Dillon Johnson that is one of only three SEC players to log 200 or more rushing yards with three or more rushing touchdowns in league games?
What if the offensive line can get even stronger coming out of a pair of games in which the group didn't allow a single sack – including one of those contests against an Arkansas team that entered the matchup leading the conference in sacks?
What if Arnett's bunch, which has forced an SEC-best 12 turnovers and ranks 19th in the nation in red zone defense, gets even stingier?
Imagine all of the above happening and you'll start to realize why there's so much buzz in Starkville right now. You'll understand why MSU now finds itself in the national spotlight.
Through six games, Mississippi State has been really, really good. As a result, every big Bulldog goal is attainable as they head into the last half of their 2022 slate.
To accomplish their missions though, there can be no letting up.
"You're constantly trying to pull slack out of the rope," Leach said. "If each position gets a little better then the team gets a lot better, and I do think we have quite a ways to go."
As great as the year has been so far, if the Dawgs do as their leader wishes, the best could very well be yet to come.
