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Mississippi State football: Can Mike Leach fix Bulldogs in 2020?

By Michael Hanich

STARKVILLE, MS - SEPTEMBER 21: Members of the Mississippi State Bulldogs run on to the field prior to their game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Davis Wade Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - SEPTEMBER 21: Members of the Mississippi State Bulldogs run on to the field prior to their game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Davis Wade Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /
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Mississippi State football will face a fresh installation in 2020 with their new offensive scheme and their new defensive philosophy.

Year after year, the Mississippi State Bulldogs have been in the race for the SEC West. They have been looking to take that extra step to get back to the 2014 season when they finished 10-3. The Bulldogs look to get back to the same success with their new head coach in Mike Leach.

After only two seasons of Joe Moorhead as head coach, the program decided to go in a different direction. Moorhead had a 14-12 overall record and was 7-9 against SEC competition. Moorhead failed to surpass expectations on and off the field at Mississippi State.

Last year, the Bulldogs went just 2-6 in eight games after Week 2. They had a four-game losing streak at Auburn, at Tennessee, against the eventual national champions in the LSU Tigers, and finally at Texas A&M. Their only wins in the SEC West were at Arkansas and a close 21-20 home victory over Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl. The game was very controversial that would given the victory to Ole Miss had it not been for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

The Bulldogs not only needed an experienced and strong-willed head coach but they needed someone to help them become a threat again. Mike Leach is one of the most expressive, yet comical, coaches in college football. Washington State was a program that stood out and were at the center of attention often in the Pac-12 under his reign.

The Bulldogs needed to separate themselves with their image as they had to compete with powerhouse programs in the SEC West like Alabama, Auburn and LSU. The Bulldogs feel they can soon make themselves competitors in the SEC West once their recruiting settles in.

They will have to prove themselves this year with Leach going into his first year as the head coach. The SEC West is projected to have six of their seven teams, including Mississippi State, reach bowl eligibility with six wins.

That may all change with a trimmed schedule.

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