Mike Leach had a once in a lifetime moment on last week, but it is not one to be proud of.
For the first time in 19 years as a head coach, he was held scoreless by a defense.
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Through 18 seasons combined at Texas Tech University (2000-09) and Washington State University (2012-19), Leach’s offenses were never rendered scoreless. One of the originators of spread, air-raid offense met his match against Nick Saban and Alabama football at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Halloween night. In giving its head coach a great present for his 69th birthday, the Crimson Tide decided to pitch a shutout of Leach and Mississippi State’s offense.
Within the 41-0 victory, Alabama’s defense limited the Bulldogs to 200 total yards on an average of 3.2 yards per play.
It forced three turnovers — including a pair of interceptions off Will Rogers at quarterback.
Leach watched his offense convert only twice on third down on 15 attempts, as it looked outmatched on the field.
Although he mentioned how hard his group played defensively in his postgame interview, Leach is known for offense and it embarrassed him to suffer a shutout.
Since dropping 44 points on Louisiana State University to start the season, Leach and the Bulldogs have averaged 7.5 points per matchup in its last four games. The shutout will help Alabama’s numbers for scoring defense and total defense, as it prepares to get some players healed up during the bye week.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
