The LSU Tigers will open up Southeastern Conference play on the road at Mississippi State.
This will be the fourth straight season that LSU will open up SEC play against Mississippi State. The Tigers won last year’s game in Tiger Stadium 31-16 and also pulled out a 28-25 victory in Starkville in 2021.
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.
DIFFERENT BULLDOGS
LSU’s defense will be presented with a different challenge on Saturday in Starkville. Mississippi State’s offense is no longer the past-happy attack it was under their late head coach Mike Leach, who ran his Air Raid offense. Instead, Mississippi State has become a power running team under first-year coach Zac Arnett. Jo’Quavious Marks leads the team in rushing with 43 carries for 250 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Will Rogers is still a threat to throw the ball down the field and he has a legitimate threat in Lideatrick Griffin (9 receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns) but they are a run-first offense now.
IMPROVED SECONDARY
LSU’s defense may be challenged the most by Mississippi State’s run-based offense Saturday but its secondary will also need to be locked in. The Tigers are allowing 258 passing yards per game which ranks 100th out of 130 teams. The Bulldogs’ passing attack is led by the school’s all-time leading passer Will Rogers who has only passed for 389 yards and five touchdowns in the first two games. But Rogers is in his fourth season and has completed 70.7 percent of his passes for 11,078 yards and 87 touchdowns with only 24 interceptions. The Tigers will need to be locked in in the back end of the defense.
MORE THAN ANY OTHER
LSU has played Mississippi State more than any
other SEC opponent. When the two teams face off Saturday morning it will be the 117th meeting between the two programs. The Tigers have dominated the longstanding series with a 77-36-3 advantage, which includes a 17-7-1 record in Starkville.
STATS LEADERS
LSU
Jayden Daniels: 40-of-61, 615 yards, 6 TD, INT
Logan Diggs: 15 carries, 115 yards, TD
Brian Thomas: 13 receptions, 220 yards, 3 TD
Zy Alexander: 13 tackles (9 solo), 2 PBU
Damian Ramos: 1-for-1, Long of 36
Mississippi State
Will Rogers: 33-of-46, 389 yards, 5 TD
Jo’Quavious Marks: 43 carries, 250 yards, 3 TD
Lideatrick Griffin: 9 receptions, 116 yards, 2 TD
Jett Johnson: 17 tackles (10 solo), 3 TFL, 2 sacks
Kyle Ferrie: 3-of-4, Long of 49