Today in SEC History: Relive KJ Costello’s Record Breaking Game Against LSU

STARKVILLE, Miss. — The 2020 Covid season was one of the more interesting in college football history. After a historic 2019 season, LSU was hoping to defend its College Football Playoff national championship in style with another high-flying offense led by quarterback Myles Brennan.

There were quite a few notable coaching changes leading into the season with Mike Leach in the SEC for the first time as a head man for Mississippi State. A lot of folks questioned how effective the ‘Air Raid’ offense could be in such a physical league.

Quite frankly, Mississippi State’s debut in 2020 shocked all of college football, the SEC and even LSU itself. The Tigers, supposedly up for the task to win another title were blasted defensively and to this day still have yet to recover.

Bulldogs quarterback KJ Costello tossed the ball around the yard for a conference record 623 yards on a program often praised as ‘DBU’. Costello transferred to Mississippi State as a graduate transfer from Stanford with a previous career high of 381 yards passing. His debut yardage mark also ranks No. 11 all-time in college football history.

Mississippi State skyrocketed into the AP Top 25 to No. 16 following its dominant win over the Tigers’. However, the Bulldogs fell victim to then Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom’s rush three, drop eight mentality to slow State’s passing attack to just 14 points and 313 yards.

Leach’s tenure at Mississippi State was a successful one going 20-17 overall with a 9-win campaign in 2022, his final season.

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