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Mississippi State fans got good news this week. Senior running back Kylin Hill posted on his personal Facebook page that he is "back active." Hill left last week's game against Arkansas after one carry with an apparent head injury. Coach Mike Leach said Monday during his weekly press conference that he expects Hill to play Saturday against Kentucky. Hill has provided plenty of subtle hints that he will be able to suit up against the Wildcats in Lexington. Shortly after the loss to Arkansas, Hill tweeted that he was upset with himself and he apologized. Sunday, he tweeted that the team learned a valuable lesson and that they will respect each opponent going forward. Monday, he tweeted a picture of himself scoring a touchdown against LSU with the caption, "no more saving my opponents."

Hill also wrote in his Facebook post, "drop 8 in coverage I'll kindly bless ya." Arkansas only rushed three players against Mississippi State's offensive line for most of the night. The Razorbacks sat in a zone defense, keeping the Bulldog wide receivers and running backs in front of them. Hill has historically been successful in generating yards after the catch, so if Kentucky uses a similar defensive scheme it will be interesting to see what Hill can do with his catches. - The Clarion Ledger

(DS#11 RB) Sr/2021

RB Kylin Hill, Mississippi State
News Source: The Clarion Ledger
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10/07/20 - Osirus Mitchell, Sr/2021, Mississippi State, 6-5, 206 (DS#41 WR) + More +

Senior wide receiver Osirus Mitchell had 183 receiving yards and two touchdowns against LSU but came down to earth against Arkansas with 61 yards and zero scores. Junior Austin Williams had seven catches for 57 yards and a TD against LSU but didn't catch any passes against Arkansas. Leach wants more from that duo and more from every other player he puts on the field against Kentucky. "I think that our receivers can throw out a combination of routes, everybody has to be stretching the field because it sets up the other routes," Leach said. "Then the quarterback has to have his eyes in the right place. Your five (offensive lineman) has to be able to beat their three (defensive linemen). We didn't do either one of those three things consistently." - The Clarion Ledger

(DS#41 WR) Sr/2021

WR Osirus Mitchell, Mississippi State
News Source: The Clarion Ledger
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10/06/20 - K.J. Costello, rSr/2021, Mississippi State, 6-5, 225 (DS#17 QB) + More +

Costello chalked up the loss to poor execution. He said he couldn't care less if teams come out playing the type of coverage Arkansas did. He completed a school-record 43 passes. He just didn't complete them when they mattered most. "Throw on the tape. The safety is playing 30 yards, 25 yards, 27 yards yards away post snap," Costello said. "That's fine. They're clearly scared to get beat deep. We got to be fast. We got to be efficient. We got to catch the ball and get north. It's a coverage we should slice and dice nonstop." Costello said another cause for concern was how often Mississippi State faced third down. The Bulldogs were 6-of-17 (35.3%), down from 50% against LSU the week prior. Costello said this system is "humming" when it isn't forced to move the chains on critical third downs. "Pick that thing up on second down and move on," Costello said. "I think there was only two drives when we felt that way going down the field. You see the defense get tired. You see the pass rush slow down. You start picking them apart. We didn't have them on their heels tonight for majority of the time, and that's the way this offense is supposed to roll. That's on my back and everyone else's back who is supposed to do their job." - The Clarion Ledger

(DS#17 QB) rSr/2021

QB K.J. Costello, Mississippi State
News Source: The Clarion Ledger
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10/05/20 - K.J. Costello, rSr/2021, Mississippi State, 6-5, 225 (DS#17 QB) + More +

Because of how well Mississippi State quarterback K.J. Costello played at LSU, his two interceptions and lost fumble there were somewhat overlooked. The graduate transfer might be turnover prone, though, following a three-interception outing against the Razorbacks. He had at least one other pass that could have been intercepted. - Northwest Arkansas Times

(DS#17 QB) rSr/2021

QB K.J. Costello, Mississippi State
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
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10/05/20 - Kylin Hill, Sr/2021, Mississippi State, 5-11, 214 (DS#11 RB) + More +

Each team lost its star running back to undisclosed injuries. Arkansas senior Rakeem Boyd limped to the bench after gaining 3 yards on second-and-goal run from the Mississippi State 6 and didn't return. Bulldogs senior K.J. Hill was injured on Mississippi State's first drive and missed the rest of the game. Boyd had 8 carries for 28 yards. Hill had 1 carry for 7 yards. Arkansas sophomore receiver Treylon Burks and junior cornerback Montaric Brown also suffered undisclosed injuries in the first half and didn't return. - Northwest Arkansas Times

(DS#11 RB) Sr/2021

RB Kylin Hill, Mississippi State
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
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10/05/20 - K.J. Costello, rSr/2021, Mississippi State, 6-5, 225 (DS#17 QB) + More +

Stanford graduate transfer quarterback K.J. Costello was 43-of-59 passing for 313 yards with a touchdown pass and the three interceptions. The 43 completions were a school record a week after he broke the SEC record with 623 passing yards at LSU. Unlike the big plays Costello had against LSU, only eight of his 22 passes in the first half went farther than six yards. "They've done that on film and we thought there was a pretty good chance they would do that," Leach said of Arkansas' coverage. "You just have to put the ball in play." Costello's biggest mistake started the scoring when Greg Brooks intercepted him and returned it 69 yards for a first quarter touchdown.

"They can all play coverage and rush three (defenders) a lot," Costello said. "They play drop bait, which is fine. (We can) play catch in front, run the ball, and run it well. (We can) be super efficient. "I think there were a couple drives, one in particular, it was a 16-play drive (in the third quarter) and the defense played us well all the way down the field. That's what you have to do when you are in that situation. I think throughout the game we strung together five or six drives that way. Obviously, we did not do that (well). I will be watching the tape tonight to see what I need to do to help this team win." - Northwest Arkansas Times

(DS#17 QB) rSr/2021

QB K.J. Costello, Mississippi State
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
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10/03/20 - K.J. Costello, rSr/2021, Mississippi State, 6-5, 225 (DS#17 QB) + More +

Quarterback K.J. Costello left Stanford as a graduate transfer to go to Mississippi State. In his first game with the Bulldogs, under former Washington State head coach Mike Leach, all Costello did was throw for an SEC-record 623 yards and five touchdowns in a 44-34 win at defending national champion LSU on Saturday. "Mike Leach has thrown for a lot of yards with a lot of quarterbacks and very few have had the arm talent that K.J. Costello has," Shaw said. Costello endured an injury-filled season in 2019 and Davis Mills replaced him as the Cardinal's starter. - San Francisco Chronicle

(DS#17 QB) rSr/2021

QB K.J. Costello, Mississippi State
News Source: San Francisco Chronicle
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10/02/20 - Kylin Hill, Sr/2021, Mississippi State, 5-11, 214 (DS#11 RB) + More +

Running backs coach Eric Mele got in on the critique Wednesday as well. He said that while senior Kylin Hill's 158 receiving yards and a touchdown was a solid starting point, he was disappointed when Hill missed a blocking assignment. He said it perturbed him when freshman Jo'quavious Marks missed one as well. Those are the only two plays Mele found in the game film in which he wasn't pleased with his unit, but for him, that's two too many. "Really, there's zero tolerance for either a bust on pass protection or bad execution with technique," Mele said. "That's a big day for us on Wednesday. They're out there a couple of periods working on their technique and making sure we know where we're going, IDing that guy right away." - The Clarion Ledger

(DS#11 RB) Sr/2021

RB Kylin Hill, Mississippi State
News Source: The Clarion Ledger
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10/01/20 - K.J. Costello, rSr/2021, Mississippi State, 6-5, 225 (DS#17 QB) + More +

Mississippi State senior quarterback K.J. Costello said Tuesday's practice was "closer to a perfect practice" than last Tuesday's. At the time, Costello said last Tuesday's practice was his best since coming to Mississippi State. He proceeded to torch then-No. 5 LSU for 623 passing yards and five touchdowns a few days later. Uh oh, Arkansas. Costello is comfortable in coach Mike Leach's offense. That much was evident in his record-setting debut. But comfort was something he sought after for months since he started his final game at Stanford on Nov. 9, 2019. He decided to follow Leach to Mississippi State in February, but even then he wasn't comfortable.

He could hardly throw a football because of a lingering thumb injury, after all. "I literally was not throwing the ball," Costello said. "I didn't know if I was going to play, didn't really know if I wanted to play in terms of like going out each and every day. I was rehabbing harder than anyone, I think, in the country. Two to three times a day. Literally 8, 12, 4 o'clock - every single day." Yet here he is now, setting records quarterbacks Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel and even Joe Burrow didn't during their Heisman Trophy seasons in the SEC. In fact, that trio didn't come close to Costello's 623 yards. Burrow had the most of that bunch in one game with 493. - The Clarion Ledger

(DS#17 QB) rSr/2021

QB K.J. Costello, Mississippi State
News Source: The Clarion Ledger
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09/29/20 - K.J. Costello, rSr/2021, Mississippi State, 6-5, 225 (DS#17 QB) + More +

Mississippi State vaulted into the AP Top 25 poll Sunday following a season-opening victory at LSU. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 16 in this week's poll after receiving just six votes last week. Mississippi State is scheduled to host Arkansas on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, Mississippi State won 44-34 at LSU. Transfer quarterback K.J. Costello passed for an SEC record 623 yards and five touchdowns in the first game under new Bulldogs coach Mike Leach. Mississippi State is one of eight ranked SEC teams this week, all of which are scheduled to play Arkansas this season. Georgia remains ranked No. 4 this week after defeating the Razorbacks 37-10 on Saturday. - Northwest Arkansas Times

(DS#17 QB) rSr/2021

QB K.J. Costello, Mississippi State
News Source: Northwest Arkansas Times
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09/28/20 - K.J. Costello, rSr/2021, Mississippi State, 6-5, 225 (DS#17 QB) + More +

SEPT 28 SEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: K.J. Costello, QB, Mississippi State,...After a record-breaking debut, graduate transfer senior quarterback K.J. Costello was named the Walter Camp FBS National Offensive Player of the Week on Sunday. Costello began his career as a Bulldog by propelling State to a 44-34 win on the road against defending national champion No. 6 LSU. Operating in head coach Mike Leach's air raid offense, he threw for 623 yards, shattering the MSU and SEC single-game passing yards record. His 623 yards also ranks 11th in NCAA history. Costello completed 36 passes on 60 attempts, which were also MSU school records. He matched the program record for passing touchdowns with five. Costello completed 15 passes of 20 yards or more and found 10 different receivers during the game. He kept the offense rolling on third downs, going 7-of-11 passing for 194 yards. He also added three touchdowns, including a 24-yard strike to Osirus Mitchell with 3:39 left in the game that made the score 44-34.

Spreading out the passing attack, Costello led three Bulldogs to career-high receiving days. Mitchell finished with 183 yards and two touchdowns on seven receptions. Kylin Hill and JaVonta Payton both set career highs in catches and yardage. Hill tallied eight receptions for 158 yards and one score, while Payton caught six passes for 122 yards. It was the second time in program history that a trio of Bulldogs eclipsed the century mark in receiving yards, with Joe Morrow (117), De'Runnya Wilson (105) and Fred Ross (102) completing the feat for the first time in the 2014 Orange Bowl vs. Georgia Tech on Dec. 31. - SEC Football

(DS#17 QB) rSr/2021

QB K.J. Costello, Mississippi State
News Source: SEC Football
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09/28/20 - K.J. Costello, rSr/2021, Mississippi State, 6-5, 225 (DS#17 QB) + More +

Graduate senior quarterback K.J. Costello shattered the previous SEC passing record in throwing for 623 yards. Mississippi State also went 8-of-16 on third down and averaged 8.3 yards per play. "There was a point in that game where I felt like if it was third and long every time we would have scored even more points," Leach said. "It seemed like our most effective down was third and long. Forget first and second. Let's just get to third and long." Sure, the Bulldogs only ran for nine yards. But is there even a need to run the ball when the team's starting running back gains 158 yards through the air? Senior RB Kylin Hill was one of three Bulldogs to eclipse 100 receiving yards, too. Senior wide receivers Osirus Mitchell (183) and JaVonta Payton (122) joined him. The scary part? Multiple Mississippi State players said they felt they left too many points out on the field because of turnovers and having to settle for three field goals. Mitchell said the sky is the limit for MSU's offense this season. There might not be a way to quantify that, but he might still be right. - The Clarion Ledger

(DS#17 QB) rSr/2021

QB K.J. Costello, Mississippi State
News Source: The Clarion Ledger
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09/28/20 - Osirus Mitchell, Sr/2021, Mississippi State, 6-5, 206 (DS#41 WR) + More +

What a difference a week makes. Last week, Mississippi State was on the outside looking in of both major college football polls. The Bulldogs barely received votes in the Associated Press Poll and the Amway Coaches Poll. Now they're ranked in both. A lot changes after beating the No. 5 team in the country - a team that just so happened to be the defending national champion - on its own field. Mississippi State's win over LSU vaulted the Bulldogs to No. 16 in the AP Poll and No. 14 in the Amway Coaches Poll. The Tigers fell to No. 20 and No. 17, respectively. It's the first time Mississippi State has been ranked in the polls since before the Bulldogs' loss to Iowa in the Outback Bowl at the end of the 2018 season. MSU was never ranked in 2019. - The Clarion Ledger

(DS#41 WR) Sr/2021

WR Osirus Mitchell, Mississippi State
News Source: The Clarion Ledger
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09/28/20 - K.J. Costello, rSr/2021, Mississippi State, 6-5, 225 (DS#17 QB) + More +

SEPT 26 CFB STARS: K.J. Costello, Mississippi State, passed for an SEC-record 623 yards and had five TD passes to help the Bulldogs knock off sixth-ranked and defending national champion LSU, 44-34. - AP College Football

(DS#17 QB) rSr/2021

QB K.J. Costello, Mississippi State
News Source: AP College Football
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09/28/20 - K.J. Costello, rSr/2021, Mississippi State, 6-5, 225 (DS#17 QB) + More +

New Mississippi State coach Mike Leach put his "Air Raid" offense in the hands of a transfer quarterback who showed up over the summer and the results were like nothing defending national champion LSU or the Southeastern Conference has ever seen. K.J. Costello passed for an SEC record 623 yards and five touchdowns and the Bulldogs knocked off sixth-ranked LSU 44-34. Costello's passing yardage in his first game since moving from Silicon Valley to Starkville, Mississippi, eclipsed the 544 yards Georgia's Eric Zeier had against Southern Mississippi in 1993 to set the conference record. And Costello needed most of it to make up for his two interceptions and two lost fumbles, which helped LSU rally to tie the game at 34 before he engineered two late scoring drives. - AP College Football

(DS#17 QB) rSr/2021

QB K.J. Costello, Mississippi State
News Source: AP College Football
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