Tag: K.J. Costello

Around the SEC: KJ Costello should be garnering more attention after Mississippi State pro day

Costello recently took part in pro days at Mississippi State and San Jose State, recording impressive showings at both.

Former Mississippi State quarterback KJ Costello was one of the most talked-about passers in the SEC heading into the season — even more so after he broke the single-game conference passing record with 623 passing yards against LSU the first game of the season.

But the upward momentum was essentially halted there, as the team struggled through the remainder of a season they finished at 3-7 overall.

Costello missed a total of four weeks during the season due to a concussion and COVID-19 exposure and was replaced by true freshman Will Rogers.

In cases like these, it’s almost commonplace to point blame at the quarterback, but there were several things outside of Costello that factored in.

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Mississippi State didn’t have a complete offseason to transition from an offense based on a running quarterback to one focused on the passing attack, on top of being one of the youngest teams in the conference.

Costello recently took part in pro days at Mississippi State and San Jose State, recording impressive showings at both.

It’s hard to find many flaws in this — Costello is solid on the deep ball, has a nice release, the footwork is good and he throws accurately and with anticipation.

It will be interesting to see where Costello — who has drawn interest from multiple NFL teams — lands when the draft begins on April 29.

He finishes out a four-year career between Stanford and Mississippi State with a completion percentage of 62.9%, 7,434 passing yards, 55 touchdowns and 29 interceptions.

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Grading the performances of K.J. Costello, Myles Brennan in Mississippi State’s 44-34 win over LSU

Here’s a look into how both players grade out after the first week of action.

This wasn’t the home-opener the LSU Tigers had hoped for, taken down by the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Baton Rouge, 44-34.

Redshirt junior Myles Brennan faced quite the task in taking the reins after Joe Burrow departed to the NFL — we all knew that. But the offense’s overall performance was lackluster as Brennan was outshined by graduate transfer quarterback K.J. Costello, who broke the record for most passing yards in a single SEC contest.

Here’s a look into how both players grade out after the first week of action:

K.J. Costello, Mississippi State

(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Costello is everything we thought he could be, and is looking like the guy some pinned to the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft this offseason.

He was 36-of-60 pass attempts for 623 yards and five touchdowns and two interceptions. There was some questionable decision-making in there a small number of times, particularly when the pressure was coming down on him, but Costello looked comfortable and accurate in the offense for the better part of the contest.

Head coach Mike Leach commended him for his performance, but also had some constructive criticism.

“I thought it was a really good debut,” he said. “I mean, some of his turnovers were his fault and some weren’t. But I think that’s a good start, I think that we have to take care of the ball better, no question about that, but the biggest strength and I really saw out of him was that he’s the same guy every play. He would have the disappointment, and something would happen, but he would come back the same guy. Ready to go, ready to pick the unit up. He went through a stretch there and it was as bad as I’ve ever seen a quarterback go through, but he was right there and we got that key drive at the end.”

Leach’s air attack is shaping up to become a force to be reckoned with, and Costello is one hell of an important part of that.

OVERALL GRADE: B+

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Dak Prescott mark falls under K.J. Costello of Mississippi State’s aerial assault

Dak Prescott’s passing mark of 508 yards at Mississippi State was obliterated by K.J. Costello.

Dak Prescott held the record for passing yards at Mississippi State. That was until K.J. Costello, Mike Leach and the offensive genius’ offense took the field for the Bulldogs.

Costello became the first SEC quarterback to throw for 600 yards in a game as Mississippi State shocked defending national champion LSU, 44-34, Saturday in Death Valley.

Prescott, the Dallas Cowboys’ QB, held the school record with 508 yards against Arkansas in 2015.

Costello, who transferred from Stanford over the last offseason, threw for 623 yards and five touchdowns on 36-of-60. In 29 games for the Cardinal, Costello threw for 6,151 yards over three seasons.

Costello broke the mark of passing yards by an LSU opponent at Tiger Stadium held by Rex Grossman and wasn’t close to being done.

Three Bulldogs who stood out in Mississippi State’s 44-34 win over LSU

Here’s a look at three Bulldogs who particularly stood out this weekend

There was always the thought a potential upset could be on the horizon as the Mississippi State Bulldogs traveled to Baton Rouge to take on the defending national champion LSU Tigers, and Mike Leach’s team certainly delivered on Saturday afternoon.

Quarterback K.J. Costello hung over 600 passing yards on an LSU team that’s been so often commended for its defensive dominance in recent history, causing some embarrassment for “DBU.”

Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach described his team as “explosive but inconsistent,” and it will be interesting to see just how much of a force to be reckoned with they prove to be as the season rolls on.

Here’s a look at three Bulldogs who particularly stood out this weekend:

1. QB K.J. Costello.

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The Bulldogs could hardly have asked for more from Costello in his first game as a Mississippi State starter as he guided not only the Bulldogs to their first win of the season, but himself to breaking the record for most passing yards in a single SEC performance.

He finished out by completing 36-of-60 passing attempts for 623 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. His overall rating stood at 168.1 by the time the clock hit zero in the fourth quarter.

There were some decision-making mistakes Costello made throughout the game and turnovers that should have been avoided, but it’s looking like Leach got exactly what he wanted with this one.

Expect Costello to emerge as one of the top quarterbacks in college football as the season goes on.

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Four takeaways from LSU’s 44-34 loss to Mississippi State

LSU had issues on both sides of the ball during Saturday’s 44-34 loss to Mississippi State. But Myles Brennan rebounded after a slow start.

The LSU Tigers took a heartbreaking 44-34 loss at home to the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday after not losing a single game for 672 days straight.

The loss to Mike Leach’s team ends the Tigers’ 16-game winning streak and it is the first season-opening loss since the Tigers lost to Wisconsin in 2016.

It’s clear the Tigers have much to work on moving forward, but should be able to get their feet under them against an easier opponent in the Vanderbilt Commodores next week.

Here are four takeaways from Saturday’s game.

1. QB Myles Brennan started slow, but improved.

Brennan, the Tigers’ junior quarterback, replaced Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow. Though he started slow, he showed improvement in the second half. In his first start as a Tiger, Brennan finished with three passing touchdowns and two interceptions.

Sure, this isn’t the offense from last season. That was evident early on during the game. The Tigers’ first five possessions ended in a three-and-out. But Brennan continued to remain calm and slowly progressed as the game went along.

But remember back to the opener against Miami in 2018, Burrow’s first game as a Tiger. He only passed for 140 yards that game. The time for Brennan to excel will come, but there is developing to do.

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Studs and duds from LSU’s 44-34 loss to Mississippi State

LSU gave up 623 passing yards in the 44-34 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday. Which Tigers players made an impression?

LSU proved no match for Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense as the Tigers fell, 44-34 on Saturday to the Bulldogs.

The defending national champions lost 14 players from the 2019 team, and star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. was out for the opener due to an illness, and it was plenty noticeable based on the overall performance.

The Tigers gave up 623 passing yards to Bulldogs quarterback K.J. Costello, and started slow on offense in comparison.

Here’s a look at who performed especially well, and who could afford to do much better next week.

Stud: DL Ali Gaye

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive lineman Ali Gaye was a force to be reckoned with on Saturday, getting pressure on Costello and making his presence known every snap. He nearly had a few interceptions, and helped cause a fumble in the fourth quarter that resulted in a Tigers touchdown.

Gaye finished out the game with three tackles, one sack and three pass breakups.

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Mississippi State’s K.J. Costello destroyed SEC passing record in LSU upset

Mike Leach’s air raid offense worked for Mississippi State and K.J. Costello against the defending champs.

Mike Leach and K.J. Costello are both new to Mississippi State this year. But they showed what kind of damage they can do together Saturday against the defending national champs. The Bulldogs handed LSU a stunning, 44-34 season-opening upset and its first loss since the 2018 season.

Some questioned whether Leach’s air raid offense would succeed against SEC defenses. The early answer appears to be yes, even if Ed Orgeron’s Tigers are a very different team than they were last season. In addition to losing defensive players because of turnover and some opt-outs, they also took on the Bulldogs without star defensive back Derek Stingley Jr., who did not play after being hospitalized Friday with a condition LSU said is not COVID-19 related.

Still, Leach, Costello and Mississippi State’s new offense tore LSU’s secondary up and helped the Bulldogs upset the Tigers in Death Valley. It’s the first time since Michigan lost to Notre Dame in 1998 that the defending champ fell in its season-opener.

The clear star of the game, Costello completed 36-of-60 passes and threw for 623 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. That was easily a career-high for the senior transfer from Stanford.

With that impressive season-opening performance, he set Mississippi State’s single-game passing yards record, breaking the 508-yard mark Dak Prescott set in 2015, as CBS’ broadcast noted.

He also destroyed the SEC single-game passing yards record, previously held by former Georgia quarterback Eric Zeier, who threw for 544 yards in 1993, according to the conference’s record book.

And as CBS reported, his 623 yards rank him at No. 11 in single-game college football history.

Of course, Mississippi State’s receivers benefit from this system too. Osirus Mitchell led the Bulldogs’ receiving corps with seven catches for 183 yards and two touchdowns, while star running back Kylin Hill had eight catches for 158 yards and one touchdown. Hill also had 34 yards on the ground.

As for the reaction among fans, college football Twitter was impressed, including reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, and had jokes about Leach’s air raid offense succeeding early in the SEC.

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K.J. Costello makes SEC history as Mississippi State upsets LSU

Mississippi State quarterback K.J. Costello’s historic performance helped the Bulldogs pull off a huge upset on the road against LSU

The first Saturday of college football in the Southeastern Conference was full of big numbers, and none were more huge than what K.J. Costello and Mississippi State did on the road against LSU.

Costello made SEC history in a 44-34 upset win over the Tigers, becoming the first quarterback in conference history to throw for more than 600 yards in a single game. The graduate transfer from Stanford completed 36 of his 60 pass attempts for a whopping 623 yards and five touchdowns as the Bulldogs shocked the No. 6-ranked Bayou Bengals in Death Valley.

Costello looked plenty comfortable in new head coach Mike Leach’s “Air Raid” offense, which he brought over from Washington State:

Costello’s performance will certainly perk up the ears and eyes of NFL scouts, improving his stock for next year’s draft.

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Twitter reacts to Mississippi State’s 17-14 halftime lead over LSU

Here’s a look at what Twitter has had to say about the score at halftime.

This isn’t the type of dominance we’ve gotten so accustomed to seeing from LSU football.

But a lot has changed since last season, and it’s pretty clear that new starting quarterback Myles Brennan is having some growing pains. It’s not just him, though.

Through the first half, the offense is only just beginning to look like it has found some type of identity.

Make no mistake about it, the Bulldogs have the momentum at this point, but the Tigers come out of the locker room eager to snag it back.

Here’s a look at what Twitter has had to say about LSU’s performance up to halftime.

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LSU defense sacks Bulldogs QB K.J. Costello 3 times, returns interception for TD through first half

It’s been a rough first half for LSU football, but the defense isn’t letting up on Mississippi State QB K.J. Costello.

It’s been tough going overall for LSU, which has struggled to find its identity on offense with quarterback Myles Brennan now at the helm instead of Joe Burrow.

Mike Leach’s Mississippi State Bulldogs and his Air Raid offense have had the momentum up to halftime, but there have been some bright spots within the LSU defense.

The Tigers have brought Costello down three times already through the first two quarters of action, with safety JaCoby Stevens, defensive end Ali Gaye and linebacker Damone Clark each registering a sack.

But it’s graduate transfer linebacker Jabril Cox has been a standout thus far, reeling in a reception off of Costello for a 14-yard touchdown.

Not too shabby of a pickup for the Tigers this offseason, eh?

Stevens also had a nice play for LSU in the second quarter, recovering a snap that quite literally bounced off of Costello’s face mask to give LSU the ball at a crucial point in the second quarter.

Mississippi State leads a struggling LSU team, 17-14 at the half.

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