Vanderbilt Football 2021 Opponent Preview: Mississippi State

Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports Date: October 23, 2021

All-time series record: Mississippi State leads, 14-7-2

Last meeting: November 7, 2020; Mississippi State won, 24-17

Last season: 4-7, 58th in SP+, 54th in Sagarin

Head coach: Mike Leach (second year, 4-7; 20th year overall, 143-97)

Mike Leach’s offensive system can take a minute to implement — his first teams at, respectively, Texas Tech and Washington State finished 61st and 109th in points per game — which is why it seemed a bit off when everyone overreacted to his first game at Mississippi State, a 44-34 win on the road over the defending national champions.

The Bulldogs then scored 30 points — total — in their next four games. For the…