Mike Leach pokes fun at Texas A&M recruiting prowess in afterglow of Mississippi State upset of Aggies

Mississippi State pulled off an upset victory over No. 17 Texas A&M this weekend in blowout fashion, defeating the Aggies 42-24 at home. The win bumps Texas A&M out of the latest AP Top 25 Poll and propelled the Bulldogs to their first appearance of the season at No. 23. Head coach Mike Leach was asked about his team’s stingy defensive effort in the first half, and he couldn’t help but mention how his team played against a squad notorious for their talent.

“I thought it was important, A&M’s tough, you know they’ve got some really good players and everybody says they’re the top recruit guys in the country, all that other stuff,” Leach said. “But the biggest thing is just do your job, you gotta play pretty tight, do your job, be pretty sharp, and we thought we were.”

Texas A&M had the No. 1 rated recruiting class in the entire country last season according to On3 Consensus, as they signed nine 5-star recruits and 19 4-star recruits. Mississippi State on the other hand had the No. 10 ranked class in the SEC conference, signing zero 5-star prospects and just four 4-stars, which surely made their victory Saturday even sweeter.

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The Bulldogs did play outstanding on defense, especially in the first half where they kept them from scoring a single point shutting out the Aggies. The Aggies did go on a scoring tear in the second half, but by then it was too late as Mississippi State’s air raid offense was just too difficult to keep up with for Texas A&M. Leach spoke a little bit more about why the Bulldog’s defensive was so effective from a schematic standpoint.

“And then of course you try to keep them off balance by playing the extremes, and the extremes where either come after them or look like you’re gonna come after them and drop everybody,” Leach said.

Mississippi State played the extremes well, and also had an extremely good day taking the football away. The Bulldogs forced four turnovers in the game, with three of them coming in crucial moments with Texas A&M in the red zone. They also scored on two of their turnovers thanks to their corners, as Decamerion Richardson scooped and scored a blocked field goal in the third quarter and Emmanuel Forbes had a 33-yard interception return for a touchdown.

The Bulldog’s calling card has always been their passing attack, but if they can combine that with a strong defense like they displayed Saturday, they’ll surely be one of the most dangerous teams in the country for the remainder of the season.