Mike Leach explains what he sees from Barry Odom defense at Arkansas

As the Mississippi State Bulldogs prepare to take on SEC West foe Arkansas on Saturday, head coach Mike Leach discussed Hogs defensive coordinator Barry Odom’s defense. Leach has faced Odom several times throughout his career and he says the scheme is similar to what he’s seen in the past

“It’s similar, he’s got his package that he’s worked for years to refine and put together,” Leach said on Monday. “There are some changes here or there to accommodate the players he’s got. He’s not going to reinvent something new because he spent well over a decade developing this one.”

This season, Arkansas’s defense is allowing 30.6 points per game, which is 100th in the nation. However, the Hogs’ front seven is especially good at getting after opposing quarterbacks. They’re second in sacks with 21 through five games and they also have 35 tackles for loss. Leading the team is former Alabama linebacker Drew Sanders with 6.5 sacks.

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The Razorback defense’s weakness is through the air with teams shredding them for just shy of 300 passing yards per game. Mike Leach has to like that matchup against his air raid offense. Quarterback Will Rogers has thrown a nation-leading 19 touchdowns with three interceptions. He’s also third in total passing yards with 1,715.

As the home team on Saturday, Mississippi State is favored to win, per Vegas and ESPN. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Bulldogs a 75% shot at toppling the Hogs in Starkville. Arkansas has won the last two games in the series but both were one-score games.

The kickoff on Saturday is at 12 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

Leach preparing for same Arkansas offense, with or without KJ Jefferson

Arkansas starter KJ Jefferson suffered what appeared to be a head injury on Saturday versus Alabama, creating speculation about his status for the road game in Starkville in Week 6.

Asked about the QB situation at Arkansas, Mike Leach says he is preparing to face the offense that he’s seen so far, regardless of who is at the helm.

“Well, first of all, [Jefferson], we already know about,” Leach said. “And then whoever’s behind him, we’ll see what they can do for sure. I don’t know that he’s out an awful lot of times. Looks like somebody’s out and he you know comes in there and there isn’t anything wrong with them. So we’ll see.

“But I don’t think they’re gonna change their whole offense and it’d be difficult to do in a week no matter who you’re playing. So it’ll be pretty similar to what they do already, you know. Because they can’t just reteach everything.”