The Mississippi State Bulldogs may have had better performances on the field in 2023 if they would have kept running the famous Mike Leach “Air Raid” offense.
In January of 2020, Leach arrived with a reputation as a great offensive mind and installed a pass-heavy, up-tempo offensive attack known as the air raid that he has utilized throughout his coaching career. Leach signed a four-year contract with Mississippi State worth $20 million excluding incentives.
While it took him a while to get used to the stifling defenses and the Bulldogs finished with just a (3-7) record after his first season, Leach continued to improve, while turning his offenses into one of the most prolific in the SEC.
Leach led the Bulldogs to a 7–5 record in the 2021 regular season with 3-star Mississippi native QB Will Rogers lighting it up through the air. In is first year as the team’s starter, Rodgers finished the 2021 campaign with 4,739 passing yards, 36 touchdowns and just nine interceptions with a a passer rating of 147.0. Rogers set a new SEC record with 505 completions and set new program records for passing yards and touchdowns.
Leach and Rogers were thriving again in 2022. On Oct. 8, the former Mississippi State QB he his third 400–yard performance of the season, and broke the Southeastern Conference career completions record, surpassing former Georgia signal caller Aaron Murrray, despite playing far fewer games than he did.
Leach — with Rogers leading the offense — led the Bulldogs to a 8–4 record in the 2022 regular season. The Bulldogs recorded ranked victories over Texas A&M and Ole Miss.
But then everything abruptly changed for Will Rogers, the Bulldogs football program and the college football community as a whole.
Mike leach died suddenly in a Mississippi hospital on December 12, 2022 after a suffering a heart attack at home.[ Defensive coordinator Zach Arnett led the team in its bowl game, a 19–10 victory over Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Leach’s passing resulted in an outpouring of grief, sympathy and sadness from across the country.
Rogers led Bulldogs to an emotional victory in their bowl, dedicating the win to Leach in a postgame interview. He finished the season with 3,713 passing yards and 34 touchdowns
Former Mississippi State Coach Zach Arnett Lied To QB Will Rogers After Taking Over For Mike Leach
On December 15, 2022, Zach Arnett was named the 35th head coach of the Bulldogs. Prior to Mike Leach’s death, Arnett had been appointed interim head coach after Leach had been hospitalized.
The Arnett era didn’t last long. He was was fired on November 13, 2023, after beginning the season with a 4–6 record.
Along with the losing record, athletics director Zac Selmon was concerned about Arnett’s complete overhaul of Leach’s air raid offense in favor of a more balanced, traditional offensive attack, coordinated by Kevin Barbay.
The offensive statistics in Arnett’s lone season as head coach greatly fell from the team’s 2022 offensive production under Leach, who was steadily making strides with Mississippi State’s potent offense with led by the SEC’s all-time leader in completions Will Rogers at quarterback
Rogers struggled under the new traditional offense implemented under Zach Arnett’s new regime. He suffered a shoulder injury and missed several games, but even when healthy, there was a time where fans were constantly criticizing the senior QB’s play and there were even rumblings for him to be benched for backup Mike Wright
When Leach passed away and Arnett took over, Rogers had a lot to think about when it came to his college football future — but Arnett ultimately convinced him to stay in Starkville for another season.
In convincing Rogers, Arnett apparently wasn’t truthful with the quarterback and his family.
According to Wyatt Rogers, Will’s father, Zach Arnett promised Mississippi State would continue to run Leach’s “Air Raid” offense moving forward. But by the time the 2023 season kicked off, the team had switched to a pro-style system that found little success throughout the year.
“(Arnett) flat-out lied to us, sitting in our den,” Wyatt Rogers said, via Mississippi Today. “He said they would be crazy to change offenses after all the success we had had…”
He went back into the portal after Kalen DeBoer’s decision to leave for Alabama, but has since rejoined the program now led by head coach Jedd Fisch.
Rogers is the favorite to start the season as Washington’s QB1 in 2024 and has a chance to resurrect his career.