Mike Leach’s Mississippi State Bulldogs beat Vanderbilt 24-17 on Saturday to improve to 2-4 and snap a four-game losing streak, but the coach is not completely happy.
Leach’s tenure at his new school started off well with a win at LSU. As the season has moved on, LSU has been proven to be below average, while MSU has completely sputtered. Vandy, meanwhile, is 0-5 and this is the first time since their opener that the Bulldogs haven’t been blown out.
Leach ripped his players after the win for playing “timid,” among other things.
“They pressured us some and basically watched us take turns screwing up, playing timid and sitting on the sideline with blank, wide-eyed faces. And I’m getting sick and tired of that,” Leach said.
This has been part of the theme for Leach lately. He began doing a “purge” within the program as he shuffles players off the roster and puts in guys who buy in. He’s also trying to bring in the Air Raid offense, which is a transition that takes a while.
This first year for Leach is going to be a long and rough one. The Bulldogs have four games left on their schedule, and it’s plausible they lose all four (vs. Auburn, at Georgia, at Ole Miss, vs. Missouri). Mississippi State’s 24 points were their most since their opener, which is a positive.
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