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Mississippi State

Mike Leach on development of Will Rogers, growth in Mississippi State offense

275133747_4796292347117549_592518599057046758_nby:Jonathan Wagner•11/23/21•

Jonathan Wagner

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Quarterback Will Rogers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs are looking to make a leap in Year 3 under Mike Leach, hoping to improve upon last year’s 7-6 season.(Wesley Hitt via Getty Images.)

Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers has established himself as one of the best signal callers in the SEC this season. On the year, Rogers has completed more than 76 percent of his passes for 4,113 yards, 34 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Last season, Rogers completed just over 69 percent of his passes for 1,976 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The growth that Rogers has shown in Mississippi State’s offense this season has been tremendous. Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach said that Rogers works very hard off the field to ensure is prepared at game time.

“Well his dad’s a football coach and an offensive football coach so I’m sure he picked a lot up from his dad,” Leach said of Rogers. “And then he’s a real good worker. He works like crazy, watches film and studies. Then the other thing is I think the people around him have improved. So that’s helped make his job easier and helped him elevate. And then i think that he wasn’t afraid to step in and be the leader and be the quarterback. So it’s not like he took some long period where he had to overcome his own nerves or anxiety or something. I mean he was ready to step in there and play right away.”

Leach: Mississippi State locker room sees how hard Rogers works

Part of Rogers’ development has been in the locker room. When the quarterback puts all of his effort into a team and preparation, teammates take notice. That was the case for Mississippi State, making it easy for the Bulldogs to follow the lead of their quarterback.

“I think he got to know the locker room a lot better,” Leach said. “They saw how he worked and respected it. And they saw how much it meant to him, respected that and were quick to follow him.”

Rogers leads the SEC in completion percentage. His 76 percent leads the next best passer, Alabama’s Bryce Young, by nearly five percent. He is also leading Young and the rest of the SEC by almost 600 passing yards. Throughout the season, Rogers has put up big numbers. He has been named the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Week multiple times, no small feat in such a loaded conference.

Rogers’ 4,113 yards and 34 touchdowns are both Mississippi State single-season records. He has surpassed Dak Prescott, who previously held both records with 3,973 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Mississippi State is currently 7-4 on the season and 4-3 against SEC opponents. The Bulldogs take on Ole Miss on Thanksgiving in the Egg Bowl to wrap up the regular season.