Leach votes in favor of Mississippi State’s execution

Mastermind. That was the phrase Commissioner Greg Sankey selected to explain Mike Leach as a part of an extended, distinctive introduction of the Mississippi State coach Tuesday at SEC Soccer Media Days.

The descriptives have been many and different. Former professor of rebel warfare and soccer methods. Writer. World traveler. Barbecue knowledgeable. Mastermind behind the NCAA record-setting Air Raid offense.

“Respect that,” Leach mentioned. “Any questions?”

Leach, true to his offbeat self, was the one coach to not make a gap assertion and dive straight into Q&A. A variety of these questions targeted on Leach’s signature offense. Maybe probably the most related inquiry needed to do with the problem of constant to put up file numbers as his tenure within the SEC extends and rival defenders and coordinators develop extra conversant in his plan of assault.

As with most topics, Leach’s reply landed on the nook of bemused and unfazed. As he famous, “so many individuals are adopting Air Raid ideas,” and “unfold managed passing video games” much like his have unfold all through faculty soccer and the NFL.

After which he mentioned a curious factor – in his managed comedic approach – for an acknowledged “mastermind.”

“Soccer has at all times been a sport of execution,” Leach mentioned. “There’s not plenty of Roadrunner/Wile E. Coyote, who you ambush, idiot the opposite man, you then stroll away laughing like Muttley after the rock fell on the man or one thing like that.

“It is at all times been a sport of execution.”

Not many soccer coaches can execute a sentence that features three totally different species of cartoon animals. Leach simply did.

His profession demonstrates that giving him, his workers and their gamers extra time to excellent their execution outweighs giving opponents extra time to familiarize themselves together with his scheme. It took him three years at Texas Tech and 4 years at Washington State to assemble a nine-win season. At every cease, there could be extra.

His first two Mississippi State groups completed 4-7 within the COVID-altered 2020 season and 7-6 in 2021 with bowl journeys each years. Regardless of enjoying the nation’s hardest schedule final 12 months, the Bulldogs turned the primary workforce at school historical past to beat three opponents that completed within the closing rankings.

Hat tip to quarterback Will Rogers for placing the air within the Air Raid. Now a junior, his 4,739 passing yards final season as a sophomore ranked third within the nation and third in SEC historical past. His 73.9 completion proportion ranked second within the nation. His 36 landing passes broke a college file held by present Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

“I believe Will’s going to get higher and higher,” Leach mentioned. “The higher he synchronizes with the opposite offensive gamers, the higher everyone is.”

And the higher the Air Raid executes, the much less it issues that opposing defenses have seen it earlier than.

Any questions?