Kirk Herbstreit explains why Mississippi State’s offense has fallen flat since Week 1
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The Mississippi State Bulldogs had a record-setting day in Mike Leach’s debut in Week 1, torching LSU for 623 yards through the air.
Since then, Leach’s Air Raid offense has fallen flat, scoring only 14 points in a 21-14 loss to Arkansas and scoring 0 points in a 24-2 loss to Kentucky.
So, what’s going on? On SportsCenter on Saturday morning, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit shared his thoughts, saying QB KJ Costello and the Bulldogs have been seeing a ton of zone:
“LSU did not have the ability to get out of man-to-man,” he said. “When you stay in man-to-man coverage, that’s really what Mississippi State and KJ Costello want to see. … You can affect his rhythm — hitch, hitch, hitch — because you drop 8 into zone or you rush 4 and drop 7. But if you just play backyard football against a Mike Leach offense and you blitz him and play man, you’re dead. I think LSU, that’s what they did in Week 1. Since then, there’s been a lot of zone coverage.”
Will Texas A&M deploy a zone against the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon? It seems likely, at least until the Bulldogs prove they can beat it.
We’ll see if the offense gets back on track, or if it’s another long day for Leach’s Air Raid.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
