There might be nothing Mike Leach loves more than a quarterback competition and, oh boy, he has one on his hands following Saturday’s Maroon-White Game.

State fans, introduce yourself to Jack Abraham. He might just be your starting quarterback come Sept. 4 against Louisiana Tech. Of course, Will Rogers will have something to say about that come fall practice, but on this day, Abraham stole the spotlight for Leach’s offense.

The Southern Miss transfer finished 23-of-34 for 162 yards and 2 touchdowns. More importantly, he threw no interceptions while Rogers threw a pick and his side of the offense sputtered in the red zone.

Maybe the most impressive pass from Abraham came on a short-yardage, back-corner touchdown pass to Malik Heath in the first half. It was one of those passes that reminded you of what former quarterbacks under Leach such as Gardner Minshew and Luke Falk thrived on.

Of course, Abraham’s talent didn’t just come out of left field. He was a preseason All-Conference USA first-team pick entering 2020 after finishing his junior year in 2019 by throwing for 3,496 yards and 19 touchdowns with 15 interceptions. He got off to a good start last season but opted out after suffering a concussion on Oct. 31 against Rice. Much like Minshew at Wazzu, he is a grad transfer who has the experience to come in and lead a team and win over teammates.

This all goes back to how much Leach loves having quarterback battles. While he could have settled on having Rogers returning for his sophomore season and the arrival of 4-star Sawyer Robertson as a backup, he instead welcomed Abraham to Starkville and basically said to the other quarterbacks, “Game on!”

Abraham also gives Leach something he desires: secrecy. Although everyone saw that Minshew — the comparisons continue — was the man heading into the 2018 season for the Cougars, it wasn’t until he took the field against Wyoming in the season-opener that he was the starter.

Expect that to be the way Leach handles this quarterback competition.

Don’t get me wrong: Rogers was just fine Saturday as well. He completed 25-of-41 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown with the pick by (who else?) Emmanuel Forbes, so his name will be right up there when all the fall practice depth charts are released. He’s earned the right to battle for the position and will continue to improve the summer because now he definitely knows there is a battle to be won.

Yet it was Abraham’s day to shine in his first performance in a Bulldogs uniform and certainly it had to be strange for some seeing the Oxford native in the maroon and white. That awkwardness didn’t extend to his game though and he will be mentioned among the top breakout stars of the spring.

This is where Leach thrives. He’s going to get the best out of these two — and let’s not forget Robertson — and put them to the test each and every day until somebody ultimately wins the job. Even then, one bad performance can give the other a shot, something he will likely mention every practice.

It is going to be fun to watch.