Mike Leach met with the media today to discuss Mississippi State’s upcoming contest with OleMiss in the 93rd Battle for the Golden Egg.

“I do know that over the years, even as I was a kid, I know it was always an incredibly intense game,” Leach said about the Egg Bowl. “I know it's very meaningful to people and I know that it’s in conversation all year round. Everyday. There’s not a day that I don’t hear somebody mention the Egg Bowl. So, I know it’s a very meaningful game. I also know that there’s been plenty of them that were exciting to watch, long before I was ever in the state of Mississippi. It’s exciting to be a part of it and it’s a great opportunity to have a chance to play in one.

”When asked about what he thinks about the Rebels, Leach described them as “explosive”.

“I just think they are kind of collectively explosive on offense. I would say how explosive they are on offense, that’s probably the thing that jumps out the most. I think they’re good in their other phases of the game, too.”

Leach was also asked about his relationship with Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, who coached against him in the Pac 12.

“Just over the years seeing him around coaching and spending time with him. I mean he’s an enjoyable guy. The worst thing, especially in this day and age, and then coaching for life or anytime that you're doing something as repetitious as football, you try to avoid as many boring people as you can. Lane’s not boring, so I’ve always been excited to spend time with him. If you're stuck at one of these coaches meeting things that everybody pretends are so important,Lane lightens it up a little bit.”

Last week’s close loss to Georgia was discussed as well, and he was asked if the team’s mentality has changed at all since Saturday.“We just have to keep working hard, Leach said. “I don’t think we’ve hit our potential yet. I think that we’re a group that’s young enough that we’re definitely going to change to the positive. That’s where the biggest strides come is when the younger they are, the more they’re developing and we’re right there. All of our points last week were scored by freshmen. We need to just keep working, keep developing, keep getting better and create some depth to our positions, both sides of the ball.”