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To get a better feel for this Saturday's opponent, we reached out to someone who is around the Mississippi State beat on a regular basis: Russell Johnson.

Johnson is a reporter for BulldogBlitz.com, the Mississippi State site in the Rivals network.

1. How has Mike Leach been received by Miss State fans and what was the reaction to the win over LSU?

It was a bit of a bumpy start to the Leach era with all of the various events taking place around the country and the way he had posted on social media in the past. Two players that were already considering transferring (Jarrian Jones and Fab Lovett) left the program following the coaching change and complete 180 in the way things were handled compared to the previous coaching staff.

The fans have been completely bought in, as has the city of Starkville. When it became known that Moorhead was going to be on his way out after bowl season, fans had a list of "dream" candidates that surely included Mike Leach, Billy Napier, and a handful of others.

The athletic administration has fully backed Leach since his arrival, and the rivalry between Ole Miss and Mississippi State feels like it may actually turn into a "healthy" one rather than what it has been in the past.

The reaction to the LSU win wasn't exactly "shock" but once it was known that Stingley was out, it felt like the fanbase became much more confident in the team, and their ability to execute at a high enough level to win the game against LSU. Fans now have extremely high expectations for the program moving forward, and it will be interesting to see if that leads to any type of letdown against an Arkansas team that held its own with UGA for a little over a half.

2. What were your biggest takeaways from Saturday’s game?