The wait was grueling for Bulldogs fans.
The result? Worth every moment they were forced to wait as COVID-19 derailed everyone's off-season.
The Mike Leach era is off and running, and the verdict is in on the Air Raid's effectiveness against SEC defenses.
632 yards passing.
Ten different receivers caught at least one pass, with three finishing with over 100 yards passing.
The Bulldogs finished with just 9 yards rushing, but that number being so low is more of a result of the sacks Costello took (38 yards worth) than it is their inability to run the ball.
COSTELLO NOW HOLDS SEVERAL RECORDS, PUTTING WAY ANY "COMPETITION" THERE WAS AT QB
All throughout camp in Starkville, the battle was thought to be fairly close between incoming transfer QB KJ Costello and true freshman Will Rogers.
It became clear rather quickly for anyone that was reading the tea leaves that Costello was going to likely be the starter, but up until it was announced that Rogers would miss the game, Costello was never *officially* announced as the starter.
Well, about that QB competition.
Costello finished with an SEC record 623 yards passing, 5 touchdowns, leading the Bulldogs to a victory over the defending national champions on the road.
The turnovers (4) have to be addressed, but Costello out-performed even the most maroon-and-white glasses wearing fans on Saturday.
THE TALENT IN THE MISSISSIPPI STATE WR ROOM IS CLEAR
Under the last two coaching staffs, the wide receiver position was an important one, but many times it felt almost like an afterthought.
Players that made big contributions on Saturday such as Osirus Mitchell, JaVonta Payton, and Austin Williams were all signees of other coaching staffs.
Newcomers such as Malik Heath and Alabama transfer Tyrell Shavers made their presence felt on several occasions, especially Shavers who finished with a touchdown on two catches for close to 70 yards.
The talent has been there at the position for years. The offense just wasn't being called in a way to showcase them the way the Air Raid does.
ARNETT'S PLAY-CALLING HAD BRENNAN RATTLED IN HIS OWN STADIUM
Coming into the game Myles Brennan had some experience, but had never seen the amount of pressure and talent he did on Saturday.
Brennan ended up getting sacked seven times, and several of those came on well-timed blitzes by the defense and DC Zach Arnett.
Arnett, who had previously accepted a job at Syracuse before changing course and arriving in Starkville, didn't come into the season with any real level of expectation.
Following this performance against the National Champions, that may change.
On third downs, Brennan had as many completions (4) as he did sacks.
UP NEXT FOR THE BULLDOGS
The Bulldogs will next host an Arkansas team that put an early scare in a UGA team that was searching for an identity early on before pulling away in the second half.
The Razorbacks will head to Starkville with an 0-1 record, while the Bulldogs will have a very strong case to jump (way) up into the polls after this win over LSU.
The game will kickoff at 7:30, and will air on the SEC Network barring any programming changes
