Continuity at quarterback to be strength for Leach, Bulldogs in 2022

Football teams coached by Mike Leach are rarely good enough to win championships but are almost always too dangerous to overlook.

That was certainly the case in 2021. The Bulldogs finished just 7-6 but knocked off North Carolina State, Texas A&M, Kentucky and Auburn.

They figure to be about the same this season. The losses of All-SEC offensive tackle Charles Cross, NFL cornerback Martin Emerson, leading receiver Makai Polk and linebacker Aaron Brule, who transferred to Michigan State, will be difficult to absorb.

However, Leach still has third-year starting quarterback Will Rogers, who never met an open man he didn’t like. Rogers passed for almost 5,000 yards a year ago. His presence alone makes Mississippi State a team with which to be reckoned.

“Will stepped in and had great leadership qualities, wasn't afraid to talk to the locker room as a freshman, which I think is one of the more impressive, courageous things that he did,” Leach said. “It allowed him to excel early. It allowed him to focus on playing because he didn't have some of that stage fright that initial freshmen do. I think it allowed him to progress quicker.”

“Also, I think it allowed the team to draw from him and kind of unify things. I think that was very impressive. I think Will's going to get better and better. The better he synchronizes with the other offensive players, the better everybody is.”

Whether at Mississippi State or previous stops at Texas Tech and Washington State, Leach always seems to find productive receivers.

He returns one in slot receiver Jaden Walley, but more capable targets must emerge for the “Air Raid” offense to reach maximum efficiency.

The Bulldogs must also sufficiently protect Rogers. He was sacked 34 times last year. That number could rise without Cross — the ninth overall player taken in the NFL Draft — protecting his blind side.

There are high hopes that junior college transfer Percy Lewis can adequately replace Cross. But counting a junior college transfer to be as effective as an All-SEC selection might be asking too much.

The Bulldogs might be asking a lot from their defense, which allowed more than 30 points in seven games last season.

Maybe they will be better in 2022. Linebacker Tyrus Wheat had 7.5 sacks, and defensive end Jaden Crumedy was credited with seven quarterback pressures last season, so they could lead a potentially sound pass rush.

The secondary also returns three starters, including star junior cornerback Emmanuel Forbes. Overall, though, there doesn’t appear to be a compelling reason to project the Bulldogs to be much better — if any better — than last season.

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Rogers has passed for 6,715 yards and 47 touchdowns in two seasons in Starkville.

Area of Strength: Quarterback Will Rogers will be a third-year starter in coach Mike Leach’s offense. Last season, he passed for 4,739 yards and 36 touchdowns. He might not have as good a group of receivers or as much protection, but he’s proven and experienced.

Area of concern: Mississippi State was 10th in the SEC in pass defense last season. The Bulldogs allowed an average of 231.8 passing yards and gave up 20 touchdowns. And that was with cornerback Martin Emerson, a third-round draft choice of the Cleveland Browns. Three starters return in the secondary, but that’s the same secondary that allowed six opponents to pass for more than 250 yards.

Impact newcomer: The Bulldogs' best player in 2021 was All-SEC left tackle Charles Cross. He was selected with the ninth overall pick of the NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks. Obviously, he leaves a huge void to fill. The task of filling that void apparently will fall on junior college transfer Percy Lewis, a 6-foot-8, 335-pound behemoth who was rated the No. 2 junior college prospect by some recruiting services.

Top three players

• QB Will Rogers: Though just entering his junior season, he’s already passed for 6,715 yards and 47 touchdowns. 
• CB Emmanuel Forbes: Also a junior, Forbes has eight career interceptions. He’s returned three for touchdowns. Last season, he also broke up five passes and posted 60 tackles.
• WR Jaden Walley: The most productive returning receiver. Walley caught 55 passes for 628 yards and six touchdowns in 2011. That was after catching 52 passes for 718 yards and two touchdowns as a true freshman in 2020.

2022 schedule

• Sept. 3 vs. Memphis
• Sept. 10 at Arizona
• Sept. 17 vs. LSU
• Sept. 24 vs. Bowling Green
• Oct. 1 vs. Texas A&M
• Oct. 8 vs. Arkansas
• Oct. 15 at Kentucky
• Oct. 22 at Alabama
• Nov. 5 vs. Auburn
• Nov. 12 vs. Georgia
• Nov. 19 vs. East Tennessee
• Nov. 24 at Ole Miss