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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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Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Will Rogers (2) and Mississippi State Bulldogs wide receiver Jaden Walley (11) Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 4: 2021 Mississippi State football vs. Texas A&M Aggies

Mississippi State went into their 2021 game vs Texas A&M in desperate need of a win. The Bulldogs were 2-2, coming off consecutive frustrating losses to Memphis and LSU. To this point, the offense, while improved, just wasn’t consistently producing, and many were questioning if Leach was the right man for the job.

They picked it up that night in Aggie Land. Will Rogers had a stellar day, passing for 408 yards and three touchdowns. Makai Polk hauled in two of those touchdowns on the way to a 13-catch, 126-yard receiving performance.

But it was the Bulldog defense that made the winning play in crunch time. With MSU up 24-22, A&M got the ball on their own 11 yard line with 2:27 left in the game. On 3rd and 11, Nathan Pickering made the play of the game, sacking Aggie QB Zach Calzada in the endzone for a safety. MSU wins 26-22.

There were a lot of questions as to if the Air Raid could work in the SEC. Going on the road against the 15th-ranked team (that would take down Alabama the next week) that fielded the nation’s 3rd-best defense and putting together a strong performance showed Leach had things moving in the right direction. And it continued his personal dominance of the Aggies. After demolishing them again in 2022, Mike Leach finished his career 8-4 vs Texas A&M.

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