Paul Finebaum credits Mike Leach for improbable comeback win vs. Auburn

Mississippi State came into last Saturday’s game at Auburn as a 5.5-point underdog in a hostile Jordan-Hare Stadium environment of more than 87,000 people. The Bulldogs got down 28-10 at halftime and looked more than out of it, but Mike Leach and his team had other plans as they outscored the Tigers 33-6 in the second half to record the 43-34 comeback win.

Trailing by 18 points at the break, Mississippi State completely turned things around in the second half. Bulldogs’ quarterback Will Rogers threw a pair of touchdown passes in the third quarter to bring MSU to within 28-23, and then it scored the first 20 points of the fourth to go up 43-28 – and that sealed the improbable comeback by Leach’s squad.

Following the Bulldogs’ big SEC road win, ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum had plenty of praise to give to Leach and Mississippi State.

“I’m giving Leach credit because I think you have to,” Finebaum said on The ESPN College Football Podcast. “When you’re down by that much – and Leach is a mercurial character – you can almost see him tuning out and getting a book to read the second half. That was incredible. It really was.”

Mississippi State’s win over Auburn painted a picture of what the 2021 season could’ve been for the Bulldogs – who have lost three close games to Memphis (31-29), LSU (28-25) and Arkansas (31-28) this season. The team’s one lopsided loss was a 49-9 defeat by Alabama, but that makes sense.

If those three close losses could’ve been wins instead, Leach’s club would be sitting at 9-1 overall and 6-1 in SEC play right now heading into its final two regular season games against Tennessee State (Nov. 20) and Ole Miss (Nov. 25). That would’ve set them up for a top-tier postseason bowl game.

“Think about this – he has four losses,” Finebaum said of Leach this season. “He did win one game – I think it was Louisiana Tech or somebody – at the last second, but the Memphis game … they should’ve won that game. They had a really good chance to beat LSU and they missed a chip shot field goal. This could really have been a special season for Mississippi State.

“If they lose to Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl, then it’s going to be a five-loss year, which doesn’t look all that great. But I’m not saying they will – that’s an impossible game to predict a week-and-a-half, two weeks out.

Leach may be the most interesting coach in college football, but he knows how to win big games that matter most – there’s no question about it.

“He’s the quirkiest coach I’ve ever been around, but you cannot deny his ability,” Finebaum said.