In its flaw against Memphis, Mississippi State football shows why potential is legit

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach was complaining in his postgame press conference Saturday. Sporting an all-black look, with the exception of a white right sleeve, he found mistakes to harp on.

His quarterback Will Rogers, also decked out in black, delivered much of the same as he took the podium immediately afterward.

“We’re not anywhere near where we need to be yet,” Rogers said.

“There’s throw after throw that I want back,” he added. “I’m kind of ticked off about it, to be honest.”

JORDAN DAVIS: Mississippi State football defensive end returns to field against Memphis

Linebacker Jett Johnson said much of the same about his unit.

The negativity seemed more indicative of Mississippi State’s two-point loss at Memphis last season. Instead, it came after the Bulldogs’ 49-23 win over the Tigers to open their season inside Davis Wade Stadium.

In a win where Mississippi State showed promise in every phase of the game, despite a two-hour lightning delay, everyone was finding flaws. It’s because in those mistakes, MSU showed all the promise it has.

It started in the second quarter. After a three-hour first quarter, Rogers made his first mistake: An interception to give Memphis the ball just outside the red zone.

“Just a miscommunication,” Rogers called it.

Down 14-0, Memphis had a chance to gain momentum and bring back ghosts from last season’s ugly matchup. The Tigers were instead met by a stout defense forcing a three-and-out and a field goal.

The offense made a mistake. The defense, which allowed one first down in the first half, picked it up.

“It was huge,” Rogers said. “…They were terrific tonight — the way they fly around to the ball and make tackles.”

The second half yielded a different outcome for the defense. Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan was completing passes for 17, 21, 43 and 15 yards en route to 20 points. He was finding holes in a Mississippi State defense which ranked fourth in the SEC for total defense last season.

Still, Memphis couldn’t get within 19 points. That’s because the offense saw its turn to maintain momentum in front of a thinned crowd.

Rogers completed a 33-yard pass to Rufus Harvey to counter a Memphis 50-yard rushing touchdown and 15-yard passing touchdown. To be safe, Rogers added a 23-yard touchdown pass to Justin Robinson with two minutes to go.

“I thought he did a really good job holding things together,” Leach said. “He really did a good job seeing the field. Probably one of the best performances I think he’s had as far as seeing the field.”

The depth in phases is a result of depth within the phases. It’s the deepest team Leach has had as his third season in Starkville begins.

It’s shown by Rara Thomas, Lideatrick Griffin and Robinson competing for one outside receiver spot. They had 81, 60 and 23 yards, respectively, to keep the competition going.

The depth extends to nine others catching passes. It’s complemented by a trio of running backs who add a rare component to the Air Raid offense. It’s met by a reshuffled offensive line which only allowed one sack.

When that unit struggles, there’s a flood of defensive lineman able to eliminate their opponent’s rushing attack. Or a trio of linebackers who played every game together last season when healthy. Or a secondary that lost corner Martin Emerson and still limited Memphis to 27 passing yards in the first half.

Leach is right in calling it an incomplete performance. But after 49-23, it’s clear why a clean performance could mean unseen feats in his tenure.

"We've got a lot of work to do,” Leach said, “but this is a good starting point."

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3. 

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State football flashes potential amid mistakes vs. Memphis