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Ryan Day on Mississippi State coach Mike Leach: 'It's like he did it his way'

colin gay, the columbus dispatch
·3 min read
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Ohio State football coach Ryan Day said he met Mike Leach only a few times. But after the Mississippi State coach's death Monday night, Day said Leach left an impact on him.

"Certainly want to send prayers and thoughts out to his family and to all those down at Mississippi State and all the folks he's coached with and for and the players," Day said. "Just 61 years old, really makes you take a deep breath and think about life in general. Life can move fast and a lot comes with this profession. But to lose him that young, just, it's a tragedy.

"I didn't know him as well as others. It looked like he enjoyed his time. It's like he did it his way. There's a lot to be said for that. College football's certainly going to miss Mike Leach."

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Leach died at age 61 after complications from a heart condition, Mississippi State announced.

Leach was in his third season at Mississippi State, recording a 19-17 record with the Bulldogs after stops with Texas Tech (2000-09) and Washington State (2012-19).

Ohio State beat Texas Tech 45-21 Aug. 21, 2002 in the Buckeyes' only meeting against Leach.

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Leach had 16 winning seasons as head coach, leading programs to 16 bowl games with eight wins.

He was known as the pioneer of the "Air-Raid" passing offense, with 10 of the most 50 productive passing seasons in FBS history being led by Leach.

The Bulldogs are scheduled to face Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Florida 11 a.m. Jan. 2 on ESPN.

College football rankings 2022

Here's a look at the final College Football Playoff ranking of the 2022 season.

  1. Georgia (13-0)

  2. Michigan (13-0)

  3. TCU (13-0)

  4. Ohio State (12-1)

  5. Alabama (10-2)

  6. Tennessee (10-2)

  7. Clemson (11-2)

  8. Utah (10-3)

  9. Kansas State (10-3)

  10. USC (11-2)

  11. Penn State (10-2)

  12. Washington (10-2)

  13. Florida State (9-3)

  14. Oregon State (9-3)

  15. Oregon (9-3)

  16. Tulane (11-2)

  17. LSU (9-4)

  18. UCLA (9-3)

  19. South Carolina (8-4)

  20. Texas (8-4)

  21. Notre Dame (8-4)

  22. Mississippi State (8-4)

  23. NC State (8-4)

  24. Troy (11-2)

  25. UTSA (11-2)

Ohio State football's 2022 schedule

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State coach Ryan Day remembers Mississippi State coach Mike Leach