WR Malik Heath Made Strides in 2021 Season
The 2021 season was all about clicking for the Mississippi State Bulldogs -- while there were some inconsistencies at times, the team seemed to turn the corner as a whole -- especially toward the end of the year, and several individual players hit their stride in that second half of the season.
Wide receiver Malik Heath was one of those players, coming up with a touchdown reception in back-to-back games between the Auburn and Tennessee State contests.
The Auburn game, which marked the greatest comeback in Mississippi State school history, was arguably Heath's best overall game of the year and one of the best he's played over his career.
"He had a good week of practice and he was ready to play," outside wide receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. "It was fun to watch him get involved and contribute and really make a difference in our success there."
So what exactly came together for Heath that week? The answer is a simple one, but it mostly came down to mindset.
"There are a lot of variables that go into a day in the life of a wide receiver here,' Spurrier said. "But it all came together for him in that week of practice. He was motivated to play well. Starting from Sunday, he was focused in on being the best player he could be. He practiced hard that week and had a good day at the beginning of this one."
When Heath is at his best, he's proven he can be a very valuable player to the Bulldogs' offense, where the ball is distributed to several targets (usually eight but has been as high as 13) per game. Head coach Mike Leach has spoken to trying to establish more consistency with Heath, who has been explosive at times this year.
Within a diverse receiving corps, the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder brings plenty to the table in his own right.
"He may be the thickest, strongest, most emotional guy amongst the entire (wide receivers) group, inside and outside," Spurrier said. "When he plays fast and plays strong and plays within his emotion, he's as good of a player as I've ever coached. When he gets hot, when he gets the momentum going, it continues. He's a very talented young man and very capable of doing a lot of things including some things he has not shown."
Outside of Auburn and Tennessee State, Heath also had a solid outing against Memphis, when he caught nine receptions for 88 yards with a touchdown, and had one score each in the wins over NC State and Vanderbilt.
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the senior, who totals 71 receptions for 749 yards with eight touchdowns over two seasons for the Bulldogs. Heath was one of 26 Bulldogs to make their first start in 2020.
