Leach called an interception on a pass tipped by Tyrus Wheat and picked off by Cameron Young the “turning point” in the Bulldogs’ win over the Wildcats. The more plays you have with the ball, the more chances you have to score. “If you keep moving the sticks, then you get the ball,” Leach said. 119 in the nation in third-down conversion rate in 2012 but No. Leach’s teams at Washington State made a similar - if less sizable - jump from his first season to his second. The Bulldogs went 11 for 16 against Vanderbilt and 7 of 12 against Kentucky. Mississippi State went 5 for 21 on third down in its first two games against Louisiana Tech and North Carolina State but was 9 of 17 against Memphis and 12 of 18 against LSU. “I didn’t realize that it was that (much) because I guess I didn’t feel like we started the season particularly good on third downs.” “It has definitely been beneficial,” Leach said. The Bulldogs have made a considerable improvement of nearly 50 percent from last year’s conversion rate of 32.5 percent (51 for 157). Among Southeastern Conference teams, only Alabama (No. MSU has converted 53 third downs for a rate of 48.2 percent, which ranks 13th in FBS football. But they’re among the best teams at converting their third-down opportunities. With 110 attempts, the Bulldogs are tied for 74th in the country, a bit below the midway point. Mississippi State hasn’t faced third down all that much on offense. Of course, they also have 28 fewer carries than any other team in FBS football. The Bulldogs remain last in rushing offense at 54.4 yards per game, 18.1 yards per game behind Nevada, the next closest team. Last season, 30 carries against Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl was a season high. Mississippi State had only one game with more than 25 carries this year - Sept.
“Our running back position, when you add on the ground and in the air, is pretty high, and I think it will remain that way,” Leach said. Jernighan - were targeted a total of 16 times. And of quarterback Will Rogers’ 39 pass attempts, four running backs - Jo’quavious Marks, Dillon Johnson, Omni Wells and J.J.
Mississippi State ran the ball for 94 yards on 35 carries (including two sacks), tied for the most attempts by a Leach-coached team since Washington State had 40 carries in a win over Oregon on Oct.
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