Leach after loss: We'll 'see who really wants to play' at Mississippi State
A dismal 24-2 loss to Kentucky on Saturday appears to have ended Mike Leach's honeymoon at Mississippi State.
The new head coach didn't pull any punches after the Bulldogs threw six interceptions and failed to find the end zone versus the Wildcats.
"We're going to have to check our group and see who really wants to play here," Leach told Tyler Horka of The Clarion-Ledger postgame.
Saturday's result is a stark contrast from just two weeks ago when Leach and Bulldogs quarterback K.J. Costello were the toast of the SEC. The Stanford transfer set an SEC single-game record with 623 passing yards in the opening-week upset of defending champion LSU. Costello was quickly the subject of Heisman talk, and he seemed like a perfect fit for Leach's system.
Since that game, the Bulldogs have thrown nine interceptions and scored just two touchdowns over eight quarters. Costello went from averaging over 10 yards per completion against the Tigers to less than five over his last two contests. He was briefly benched in the third quarter on Saturday after not being able to move the offense.
Leach needs to figure things out in Starkville quickly, as Texas A&M is next on the schedule fresh off a major upset of No. 4 Florida.