By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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Mississippi State wows in Mike Leach’s debut, setting numerous offensive records in a 44-34 win at LSU.

1. Wow. Maybe we should have seen the production coming given Mike Leach’s track record and the playmakers on the field, but Mississippi State’s offensive numbers were downright remarkable. Especially coming against the defending national champions in Baton Rouge. Quarterback K.J. Costello threw for a new SEC record 623 yards to go along with five touchdowns. Receiver Osirus Mitchell had 183 yards and two scores. The SEC’s leading returning rusher, Kylin Hill, caught eight passes for 158 yards and a touchdown. The Bulldogs compiled 632 yards of total offense. Leach’s first SEC game was truly a record-setting national statement.

2. The expectations were high for the offensive backfield duo of K.J. Costello and Kylin Hill. They put on a show in a game very few outsiders thought they could win. Costello threw the football 60 times and averaged over ten yards per attempt. He broke Eric Zeier’s long-standing single game SEC passing mark. After rushing for 1,350 yards a year ago, Hill was incredibly effective and productive as a receiver receiver. What playmakers. Mississippi State’s backfield duo put on a record-setting show for the ages.

3. What is crazy to think about with regards to Mississippi State’s statistical totals is that the Bulldogs set all kinds of records in a game where they turned the football over four times. Take away those mistakes and think about what the numbers could have been.

4. With a win over the national champions in the books, what is next for Mike Leach and Mississippi State? Upcoming games against Texas A&M, Alabama, Auburn and Georgia suddenly just got a whole lot more interesting.

5. Even with the overwhelming personnel losses and the unfortunate illness all-everything cornerback Derek Stingley, Jr. is dealing with, such a result is a very disappointing one for LSU. The defensive numbers will be hard to process. Though Myles Brennan was good in his debut, there are obvious issues to address for the Tigers.