Mike Leach, Mississippi State hammered on social media after blowout loss to Texas Tech in Liberty Bowl
Mississippi State was humbled in the Liberty Bowl on Tuesday, falling 34-7 to Texas Tech to see their season end at 7-6. The SEC remains winless in Bowl Season as it falls to 0-4.
Will Rogers connected with Rara Thomas for a touchdown early in the 2nd quarter as the Bulldogs found themselves down 10-0, and also broke Dak Prescott’s record for most offensive yards in a single season.
But it was basically all Red Raiders outside of that. They ran for 246 yards—the most the Bulldogs have given up on the ground this season—while outgaining them 512-334 as a late MSU garbage time drive made the final count a little more respectable.
The Bulldogs also turned the ball over 3 times, one coming on a muffed punt to set up a Texas Tech field goal just before the half. Rogers’ final passing yardage total was 285, his lowest of the year.
It was a woeful performance for Leach and the Bulldogs against the program he led for 10 seasons in the early 2000s before his firing. While he certainly had much to say leading up to the contest, the Red Raiders let their play on the field speak for themselves.
And there was plenty of reaction on Twitter during the latter stages of the contest:
Mississippi State knew the game was tonight, right? #LibertyBowl
— Jacob Hester (@JacobHester18) December 29, 2021
Texas Tech owns Mike Leach. Forever and always
— Chandler (@Chandler__23) December 29, 2021
Since 2012, Mike Leach is 3-5 in bowl games and 1-9 vs. his school's main rival.
— Coach Allyn McKeen (@AllynMcKeen) December 29, 2021
Who is Mike Leach going to blame for this beat down?
1. Refs?
2. Players he recruited?
3. Covid?He damned sure won’t take any of the blame.
— SoonerAtty (@SoonerAtty) December 29, 2021
Mike Leach: 2 years, 11-13, 0-2 in the Egg Bowl.
Joe Moorhead: 2 years, 14-12, 2-0 in the Egg Bowl.— Cyrus Smith (@CoolCyWrites) December 29, 2021
Mike Leach dragged Tech’s name through the mud in every single pre-game press conference before getting destroyed by them. Oh the irony #WreckEm
— Nick Coppola (@Nick_Coppola__) December 29, 2021
Texas Tech is up by 27 points in the fourth quarter and just pinned Mississippi State on the 1. Just incredibly savage I love it
— Noah Garfinkel (@noahgarf) December 29, 2021
Going to be honest here. Tonight was the worst performance I have seen since the South Alabama loss in 2016. Not a great way to end the year. Next year could be brutal. A lot on the line for Mike’s career at Mississippi State.
— Left Field Lounger (@LFLatMSU) December 29, 2021
Mike Leach’s performance has just proved why he’ll never take Mississippi State to new heights. On a good day he’s Dan Mullen and on a bad day…we’ll he’s Mike Leach. I knew it after the Kylie Hill incident. Will Rogers got his work cut out for him. #Hailstate #missstate #SEC
— Midnight Sports Today (@MNSToday) December 29, 2021
The SEC isn’t showing too much this season. Too many opt outs can change the chemistry of a team.
I don’t necessarily think that it was the two opt outs as much as the other seven that couldn’t play. At least we played…
To be honest I just knew MSU had a lot of players out. I assumed most were optouts. Thanks for the correction. Though the SEC and BIG10 bowl teams are at a pretty large disadvantage when it comes to optouts.
That argument doesn’t work on teams like UCF, which was not only in a down year, but had 27 players who didn’t dress since season start, and had less than 50 scholarship players (possibly closer to 40), dress for the bowl, due to injuries, opt outs and transfers.
Heck, UCF’s RB#1, Bowser, only played his 2nd, complete game of the sesaon, the first since Boise State, it’s very first game. And he still wasn’t 100%. UCF was without all its other skill positions, and while everyone focused on Jones, Keene was a true freshmen backup QB thrown into the fire and not accurate at all either.
Excuses are everywhere. UCF just had far more than Florida. But no one cared. Just like no one cared UCF was on RB#3 and converted WR to RB#4 in 2017 against Auburn as well, among countless opt-outs.
The only time UCF had less people out in a bowl game was against LSU in 2018. And, ironically, UCF lost that one.
You’re right, nobody cares, and that’s because for the last six weeks of the season, everyone beat Florida.
So says the ongoing continuous LP that has been playing for the past week!!!LOL!
Lame excuse. There are just a ton of bowl eligible teams out there better than a majority of the bowl eligible SEC.
Can’t wait to see Leach go.
At least we got a ton of media coverage about the 2 million. That’s good, right?
*sigh*
I got sick of hearing about that too, and apparently that’s what he was more worried about instead of preparing for TTU.
That’s what happens when you hire a lawyer as a football coach, I guess.
If you’ve been in an accident, call 1-800-arrgh matey
Coozie. We can empathize…Derek Dooley
I never thought he was a good personality fit, nor do I think he is that great of a coach. He has only won double digits twice in his career. I think he was hired to generate publicity and if that is the case, mission accomplished.
Saban doesn’t act like an obnoxious redneck, either.
Saban doesn’t act like an obnoxious redneck, either. No he’s just an ass who berates the media for asking any question that he doesn’t like or any other minor infraction from his servants on staff. He also goes berserk when Bama loses. However since he’s won a few Natty’s everyone thinks he’s a genius who should never be questioned. We don’t see it much since they don’t lose much but it’s no secret that Saint Nick is no saint.
Agree. And somebody needs to get ladonvol67 a fresh tampon.
Wow, Saban has flaws. Losing isn’t one of them. This coming from a Duke fan, Zion’s duffle bag of cash, what was the kicking basketball players name who Coach K defended and barked all over the media. Pot calling the kettle black here. Coach K is the biggest bully in basketball, that’s a fact.
As you can tell by my handle, I’m not a MST fan. But I agree with you that Leach needs to go. His offensive style doesn’t fit in with how football is played in the SEC. He got away with it at Texas Tech and Washington St because the Big 12 and PAC 12 aren’t renowned for their stout defenses. It’s hard to win consistently in the SEC with a sandlot game plan.
I said I was done with MSU football after that bowl game brawl last year. I wish I had followed through with that.
It’s an abusive relationship, that’s for certain.
We should form a support group!
We already had under DM!!!
With a bunch more losses next year — they will run mike out of town – how much is his buyout?
I’m ready for him to go now. I’ll donate to the cause.
I don’t know but I would chip in! I would at least buy his plane ticket out of the state.
The Big XII has a chip on it’s shoulder losing four teams to the SEC.
Baylor vs Ole Miss and K-State vs LSU should be interesting. Future Big XII members UCF and Houston managed wins vs SEC opponents.
And this means I will be forced to pull for OM in the Sugar Bowl. Unprecedented!
I’m not expecting much from LSU against KSt. Transfers and opt outs has torn the fabric of the team, not that the fabric was that strong this season.
Agreed, sadly…and we may be playing a wide receiver at quarterback…which could actually be fun to see.
I’m sure of the 19 and 20 year old Texas tech payers were thinking about that. How about their coach got fired, they lost to Texas 70-35. Yeah 70. And they are playing for a position next year under a new coach. Tell me again what Mississippi State was playing for? At the Memphis bowl. This was the super bowl for tech. Every sec is team is going to wear a target out of conference. Tech will never whiff a big12 title. Who cares? Support your coach. This fire the coach shi$ is getting rediculous. Who in the hell else are you going to hire to beat Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, Texas AnM, and Ole Miss? Your not going to outrecruit any of them. It is what it is. If you think Mississippi is gonna win a national championship or an SEC ANYTIME soon you may want to find some other hobbies. Sounds like church may do some of you some good.
I like the Pirate!!!!
10 point favorites losing by 27. What a joke. Opt outs let their teams down, just selfish.
The landscape of college football is changing drastically…for the worst. The transfer portal and opt outs are tearing it apart. Players no longer are about the team. It’s all about them as individuals. They transfer for NIL, they opt out because they don’t want to get hurt (don’t believe it when they say they want to prepare for the NFL).
Some players transfer for playing time. But when a 5 star starter transfers, it about money for his naming rights. The transfer portal is the worst thing to happen to college football. It will result in making the strong teams stronger.
Every bowl season there are 2-3 games where just about all signs point to one team winning, then just doesn’t show up and gets hammered. This game was one of those. TT showed up, MSU didn’t. Come on SEC. 0-4 now this bowl season. The SEC haters like Kanell are gonna start yapping.
Hard to believe I was was once an FSU fan. Yeah DK is getting kind of creepy. His daddy was the team doctor for the Miami dolphins. The mean streets of coconut grove and million dollar homes must have made him this way.
An 0-4 start to the bowl season, along with A&M’s withdrawal – the SEC haters are coming out in force. I can’t remember a bowl season starting off so badly for the league. If we don’t get a Bama-UGA rematch in the NCG, it will really get ugly with the Danny Kanells of the world.
Oh yeah, the rest of the country is having a field day.
And the ACC? Clemson and everyone else. Lord help us.
Agree with you MD. Looks like it’s up to the remainder of the SEC teams to save our b u t t s during bowl season.
It’s even better to consider that 0-3 is against both current Big XII Texas Tech and future Big XII members Houston and UCF.
Now everyone is going to say that doesn’t matter, since these were 0.500 or barely over 0.500, SEC teams. Of course, Texas Tech was 0.500, UCF should have been only 0.500 — i.e., UCF wouldn’t have won against Boise State had it been down 27 players to start the season, like it ended. Only Houston was a 10-win AAC team.
And they are also going to point to Alabama and Georgia being in the CFP. Just hope Alabama roasts Cincy.
Otherwise, even if Cincy loses, but it’s a close game — just like Cincy against Georgia last year, or UCF in 2018 against Auburn — compared to countless, alleged ‘Power’ teams that have been destroyed in semi-finals …
The top of the AAC, who are becoming the Big XII’s newest members, will continue to have the argument, “Hey, we’re no worse than the rest of the alleged ‘Power 5’ outside the SEC. How can you say (non-Clemson) ACC, Big XII and PAC-12 are better than us?”
Why SEC fans don’t conceed that, I don’t know. I mean, no one is saying AAC / Big XII teams are better than the SEC. But they are pointing out that ‘Power 5’ is kinda a joke a this point, and it’s more like Power 1.5 (SEC + half of the Big 10), plus Clemson (although not this year).
Even Clemson had a worse SoS than UCF in 2017, which is still 20+ ranks higher than Cincy’s SoS this year, at least according to the ESPN FPI. Heck, UCF’s SoS in 2017 was better than Ohio State’s in 2020!
**CORRECTION**: UCF against LSU in 2018, not Auburn.
We’ll see how it shakes out with Cinn. But the Houston and UCF wins were not impressive. And the bottom half of the AAC is dreadful. I a matchup top to bottom I don’t see the AAC beating the ACC.
How’s about there 3 conferences represented at the show and 2 outta fo ain’t too shabby?
What? No’ air raid’? Get some balls, and get rid of the cow bells.
Didn’t see this coming. I really thought State would manage the game and control the clock. To be fair, the Bulldogs lost way too many players on both lines. However, no one really seemed to be interested in the game with the possible exception of Forbes.
And again, the malaise seems to have infected EVERY SEC team this early bowl season. Little interest…little effort…and lots of losses. Pretty embarrassing for the conference so far.
And attending team fans of the SEC deserved better effort. Support is not cheap!
How in God’s name is that Michigan fanboy verified with just 233 followers? Twitter is psychotic.
Sylvester Croom wants his job back! Welcome back MSU.
Don’t believe it’s at that level yet…lol
Texas Tech did put a whipping on Miss. State. The score surprised me.
A 7-6 team, down 24 points, but still the swagger of a Bama. What is up with that?
Daaaaaamn. That’s like a roast.
I’m for keeping Leach. He deserves each of these tweets from the bowl game.
Well, Leach and company did get one thing done. They made a 6-6 team with a conference record of 3-6 look pretty good. Something Tech hadn’t been able to do on their own. Right from the opening kickoff, it looked like State was playing touch or flag football.
Unfortunately, I can’t see where Lech has name a positive impact in moving the team forward. If there is not a substantial improvement nest year, he should be let go! Too much inconsistency, poor defense and running game. This is not MS State. In the past, you could at least count on Defense and a solid running game. I do understand he has upgraded the passing fane and definitely move to that venue, no surprise! However, that does not excuse the defense and lack of a running game when needed. Mississippi had people that can run the ball and if he can’t find some linemen who when needed can run block he will not succeed. I will say, next should determine if we should cut our losses and move on!