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Remembering the Pirate: Mike Leach’s Top 5 Games at Mississippi State

By Andrew Miller

Nov 24, 2022; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Mike Leach walks onto the field after the game against the Ole Miss Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 24, 2022; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Mike Leach walks onto the field after the game against the Ole Miss Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach
Oct 30, 2021; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Mike Leach watches during the first quarter of the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 5: 2021 Mississippi State football vs Kentucky Wildcats

Good things seem to happen when the Bulldogs wear special helmets to honor legends. Just like there was no way Mississippi State was going to lose when honoring Mike Leach, there was no way Mississippi State was going to lose when honoring the first national championship winning team in school history.

The M-over-S logo found its way onto football helmets and the Davis Wade Stadium turf for the first time ever as MSU celebrated their Diamond Dawgs breaking through for a long-awaited national title hosting the No. 12 ranked Kentucky Wildcats.

It was a complete game for the Bulldogs.

Will Rogers had his most efficient night ever as a passer, completing 36-39 passes for 344 yards and a touchdown. His 92% completion percentage set a SEC record for completion percentage while attempting at least 30 passes. But the story of the night offensively was actually the MSU rushing attack. Woody Marks and Dillon Johnson combined to carry the ball 31 times for 99 yards and three touchdowns.

On defense, Zach Arnett’s squad got after Kentucky QB Will Levis all night, forcing four turnovers. And they held a potent Wildcat rushing attack to just 66 yards as State got the win 31-17. This win all but assured Mississippi State would go bowling for a 12th-consectutive season. And, it was the Bulldog’s first win over a 10-win Power 5 team since 2000.

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