Mike Leach calls Texas A&M's defense 'fundamental'

The matchup Saturday between the pass-happy offense of Mississippi State coach Mike Leach and the stout Texas A&M defense is definitely one to keep an eye on.

The Bulldogs lead the SEC and are second in the country with 48.6 pass attempts per game. Meanwhile, the Aggies rank third in the conference in passing yards allowed per game (153.3).

At his weekly press conference Monday, Leach complimented the A&M defense as well as defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, whom he faced twice at Ole Miss the past two seasons.

“Just pretty similar (to what Ole Miss ran),” Leach said of Durkin’s defense. “They like a lot of zone and they’ll change the front some. It’s very fundamental, which I think is a strength. I think that’s a strength when they’re very fundamental and they’ve decided what they’re going to do and how they’re gonna do it.”

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Texas A&M finished as a top three defense in the SEC each of the past two seasons, including as the top unit in 2020. However, it lost defensive coordinator Mike Elko, who became the head coach at Duke this offseason.

But so far Durkin is doing a good job of filling his shoes. The Aggies have yet to give up more than three touchdowns to any opponent through four games, allowing just 11.8 points per contest. That could change against a Mississippi State offense currently putting up 37.3 points per game, but Mike Leach isn’t taking the Texas A&M defense lightly.

“They’re big, lanky guys and they run well,” he said. “Once they see the ball, they do a good job chasing the ball. They’re athletic and they run to the ball. They’re athletic and they run to the ball.”

The Bulldogs will need a big performance from quarterback Will Rogers is they are able to come out on top in this matchup. The junior leads the SEC in both passing yards (1,386) and touchdowns (16) in part due to his high volume of attempts.

The Bulldogs and Aggies are set to kick off at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday in Starkville.