Mississippi State will not play Auburn this week because of a COVID-19 outbreak in the Bulldogs’ roster. Because of positive tests, contract tracing and other injuries, coach Mike Leach said his team was just one scholarship player from having last week’s game against Vanderbilt postponed.

Leach at his Monday press conference shared how Mississippi State arrived at the decision to postpone the game this week, as the Bulldogs dropped below the minimum 53 players on scholarship available. He knew it would be closed since last week.

Leach also shared that he believes he contracted the virus in March.

“I’m fairly certain that I had it in March, because I had all the same symptoms that other people had,” Leach said.

Leach said he he spoke at a sports symposium at MIT.

“I was on a plane full of Boston people coming and going, and then went to spring break, and about a day and a half after, I was in Florida, about a day and a half after I got back, I got sick,” Leach said. “But that was before, one, it was impossible to find a test, two, they’re unreliable, three, they’re kind of expensive so I didn’t get tested. I did have pretty much all of the symptoms. If I had to bet, I would definitely bet that I had it then.”

Leach said it lasted two and a half days, and then after that he needed a lot of sleep.