Air Raid Posts a Goose Egg at Half

[CougPatrol]

Good points...although I am not sure MSU will be as patient as we were. Will be interesting to see how this plays out.

WSU didn't have reason to be impatient with Leach. He turned around our program almost instantaneously, and delivered a consistant run of success that we had never seen before.

 

[spongeandshoot]

WSU didn't have reason to be impatient with Leach. He turned around our program almost instantaneously, and delivered a consistant run of success that we had never seen before.

Agreed. I just don't think MSU will be that patient.

 

[chipdouglas]

He could definitely suck....but if you look how we did in 2012 (or frankly, 2014), who would have thought we would eventually go 11-2 in 2018? After gacking against Portland State in 2015, a lot of people were ready to write Leach off. He should be fine once he gets his guys in place and system fully installed. At some point, the offense will be efficient enough to make the drop eight defense a problem more often than not. A well run Air Raid attack can move the chains against most teams. The top level teams with the best talent will always be a problem for Leach, but Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Missouri and South Carolina aren't going to be running out players that are far superior to Mississippi State. As long as the SEC goes back to its eight team conference format with four creampuffs (Leach will insist on no P5 OOC games), Leach is going to win 7+ games every year at MSU. Will he win a conference title? I wouldn't bet on it happening.

You're right to be patient: 2012 and 2013 would not have suggested the highs of Gardner Minshew. The big unknown is: what role will talent play in the SEC? He will have better talent - and he will also be competing against better talent (which is oriented toward defense anyway). Also, is a Minshew-type QB lightning in a bottle, or something he can expect to find every couple of years?

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

You really think? I get your thoughts....but they'll look at Tech and us....and from history, know that he'll eventually turn the program around. Although.....on the flip side...there are guys that say the Air Raid won't work in the SEC. Every opponent drops 8. Maybe he gets blown in 2021....but I think they'll at least give him a couple of years.

"Beggars can't be choosers", or so the saying goes. WSU were definitely beggars, taking a maligned coach off the scrap heap.

Well, MSU aren't beggars, they were just impatient. And they'll continue to be impatient as Leach goes .500 over the next 2-3 years. Will they wait for a 4th? Who knows, but my guess is it'll depend on who else is on the market over the next couple of years.

Additionally, will MSU pony up to keep his assistants on staff? And can/ will he find a DC that can make a dent in the SEC?

 

[Flatlandcoug]

You're right to be patient: 2012 and 2013 would not have suggested the highs of Gardner Minshew. The big unknown is: what role will talent play in the SEC? He will have better talent - and he will also be competing against better talent (which is oriented toward defense anyway). Also, is a Minshew-type QB lightning in a bottle, or something he can expect to find every couple of years?

It's hard to say. Although I think Leach will be okay in the SEC, Leach coached teams have had double digit wins only twice in eighteen years. And it's important to recognize the relatively easy schedule we had in 2018. Depending on how you look and where you look, we didn't beat a single team that finished in the Top 25. We had the combination of the perfect QB for our situation and a schedule that allowed us to make some early mistakes as he settled in. Unfortunately for us, we played USC too early in the season before Gardner was really getting it figured out and before they realized how much they sucked. Refs did their part of course. That's a long winded way to say that I'm not expecting a 2018 Wazzu kind of year at Mississippi State.

Even if they get a great kid like Gardner, I think their schedule is going to be too tough to get to 11 wins anytime soon. Of course, nobody would have picked Tech to go 11-2 in 2008 or Wazzu to go 11-2 in 2018. I wonder if Mississippi State fans are willing to wait until 2028 for 11 wins?