Mike Leach trolls former employer ahead of Liberty Bowl

Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach provided his first snarky comment since Sunday’s bowl assignment, trolling his former employers and future opponents at Texas Tech. The veteran coach took to Twitter to inform Bulldog fans that the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium – which is due to be renamed Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium – will allow cowbells for fans at the Dec. 28 AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

Looking to troll Texas Tech, Mike Leach added a quick and witty comment on the history of both schools ahead of the bowl.

“Texas Tech has a bell that they ring but ours will be louder,” Leach posted.

Mississippi State has a longstanding tradition of fans ringing cowbells throughout the stadium, creating a loud and distracting environment within the stadium. Many locations have banned the use of the cowbells, but the stadium in Memphis has not.

Texas Tech’s bells date back almost 100 years. The “victory bells” ring out for 30 minutes after each Red Raiders win. According to Texas Tech’s website, the tradition began in 1937 after a win over in-state rival TCU.

Perhaps unintended, but the constant reference to bells serves as a quick reminder of the historic Liberty Bell, which graces the logo for this bowl.

In the game – which many have affectionately nicknamed the “Leach Bowl” – Mississippi State will face Texas Tech at 6:45 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Bulldogs opened as a -9.5 favorite with the over/under set at 59.5.

Mike Leach goes on rant

Mississippi State football head coach Mike Leach is a man of many words, and late last week, that attribute was on full display. On Tuesday at a press event in Mississippi, Leach had a bit of a tumble coming off the stage.

Unfortunately, the cameras did not catch the Mississippi State headman’s near tuck and roll. But fortunately, thanks to Trey Mongrue, Sports Director of the local news station WLBT, we got this pure and unfiltered response to the moment shortly after.

Leach gives his perspective on what happened, but most importantly, he gave credit to those who helped him come out of that situation in one piece.

“I’ll tell you what, that just shows if you spend time with great people who are doing great things some of it will rub off on you. Cause that was better than I deserved because a lot of people would have eaten it in that situation, but not me. I was blessed by the people that I get to deal with every day,” said Leach, referring to the players on the Mississippi State football team.