Three Weeks Wrapped In Maroon And White
October 08, 2022 | Football, Joel Coleman
Bulldogs use homestretch to make emphatic statement.
STARKVILLE – There is no place like home.
If you ever doubt that, always think back to the last three weeks of Mississippi State football.
The last three weeks have seen the Bulldogs host three different opponents – including a pair of Top 25 foes. The end result? MSU has a three-game winning streak over the course of which the Dawgs outscored the opposition 127-55.
Dominant. Consistent. But nowhere near satisfied.
Perhaps those three things best sum up the recent trio of games at Davis Wade Stadium where MSU wrapped three solid weeks in Maroon and White and made a resounding national statement that head coach Mike Leach's Bulldogs have a whole lot of bite.
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Now you might be wondering how this group got to this point where they're racking up the wins and rising in the national polls, considering it wasn't all that long ago – down at LSU – when State was dealt a disappointing blow.
No one needs reminding of what happened in Baton Rouge when MSU suffered its lone loss of the season, but part of this squad's makeup was revealed in the final seconds of that game.
MSU quarterback Will Rogers walked along the bench on the sideline down in Death Valley when the contest was decided and all that was left to do was to wait for the remaining time to run out. Rogers spoke to each of his offensive linemen and every other teammate on his path.
In the darkest moment of the year, Rogers was a shining light. Rogers recalled the moment on Saturday shortly after leading State to its 40-17 win over Arkansas.
Said Rogers of his message that night in Louisiana: "I told the guys, told the offensive line, 'That [LSU game is] over. This has got to light a fire under us, and I think it did.'"
All State has done since then is win and win convincingly. The Dawgs topped Bowling Green 45-14. They beat then-No. 17 Texas A&M 42-24. Then came the triumph over the ranked Razorbacks.
Do the math and the average final score the last three weeks is 42-18 in favor of Mississippi State. In all three games, MSU got itself a two-score lead in the first half and maintained it (or increased it) the rest of the way.
The LSU loss might've destroyed some teams. It somehow made Mississippi State stronger. Rogers thinks he knows why.
"I think we're a mature team now," Rogers said. "I think the past two years, we were considered a young team. A young team might come in here and drop a game at home still thinking about what happened at LSU or something like that…These past three games, the homestretch has been really good."
In another sign of maturity, Rogers adds: "But we still have a lot to work on."
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Ah. It's exactly the type of attitude Leach wants his guys to adopt. Never settle. Keep getting incrementally better.
After three years in Starkville, it's becoming more and more apparent with each passing day State is now made in the image of its head coach. They've been listening. They've been learning. They've been leading. Leach has seen it and now the nation is, too.
For all the promise and memorable moments of 2020 and 2021, 2022 has a different feel. The Bulldogs' foundation appears solid.
Leach noted after the Arkansas win that the most consistent team won the game. Thing is, MSU is becoming more and more and more consistent every single time out.
"We're less erratic," Leach said. "You're not begging some guy to be up and bring energy. We used to kind of be on a rollercoaster all the time. Something bad would happen and you'd have to coach everybody to be happy. Something good would happen and you'd have to refocus them in. We've got a more steady nature to us, which I think has definitely helped."
Leach continues on his team's mentality: "They have a bad series, they'll come back swinging. You have a good series, and you know your chances are pretty good to have another high-effort series…I think as a result, all three sides of the ball, in a lot of cases, have complemented one another."
They sure have.
In the last three weeks, State's offense has shined – from Rogers racking up 300-plus-yard passing games, to the best rushing performance of the Mike Leach era, to the State offensive line not allowing a single sack against either Texas A&M or an Arkansas defense that came to Starkville leading the Southeastern Conference in sacks.
Special teams saw multiple strong returns, punts and even a 53-yard field goal that was only a yard shy of tying the school record. Don't forget Emmanuel Forbes' blocked punt that Decameron Richardson returned for a Bulldog score.
Speaking of Forbes and Richardson, they've both been a huge part of coordinator Zach Arnett's defense that has frustrated the opposition and forced multiple momentum-building turnovers for State.
As a result, State now heads into the second half of the season with a 5-1 overall record, a 2-1 mark in SEC play and every single goal still right there for the taking.
"It feels great," defensive lineman Randy Charlton said. "We know, right now, we're doing the right things. We're going to practice every day doing whatever the coaches say and doing our part of the puzzle. Everybody is doing their job. Everybody is just plugging together and working as a team."
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For State, maybe the most promising thing of all this is absolutely no one is resting on all the recent success. Leach wouldn't allow it anyway.
But the veteran leader doesn't have to do any preaching to his guys. These Dawgs, like Leach, are driven all on their own to make sure the last three weeks aren't merely highlights of a season, but instead, the beginning of something even more special.
Everyone's aware there's no time to take the foot off the gas.
"It's nice to have some momentum rolling into [upcoming] games, but obviously we all know it's a very hard league," linebacker Jett Johnson said. "If you take breaks, you'll get exposed, and you'll get beat very easily. We have to take each week and each moment with great preparation."
The next hurdle for Mississippi State to clear is a tough road test at Kentucky.
"They're going to be ready to play next week," Rogers said of the Wildcats. "We've got to answer the call."
It won't be easy. In the SEC, it never is. But the last three games have shown Rogers and the Dawgs know all about rising to the occasion. So, don't be surprised if there's more Maroon and White wrapping in the weeks to come.
