LSU was able to bounce back after a disappointing loss in week one against Florida State as they took down Grambling, 72-10. The focus will now shift to the first road test of the year against Mississippi State as conference play will begin. With Alabama and Texas A&M falling in week two, the SEC West is looking to be a wide-open race for the 2023 season.
The next couple of weeks will be important for LSU if they want to get back on top of the SEC West and book their ticket to Atlanta for the SEC Championship. The Tigers’ first test in conference play won’t be easy as they travel to Starkville, and that matchup is always challenging early in the year.
How LSU Will Fare with an Early Kickoff
LSU RB Josh Williams (27) – John Raoux/AP Photo
The LSU vs. Mississippi State matchup is set for an early kickoff on Saturday at 11 a.m. Last year, the Tigers had two 11 a.m. kickoffs. LSU fell to Tennessee 40-13 in their first early game, and in the second meeting, LSU escaped at Arkansas with a 13-10 win. The Tigers will have to wake up for this one and deal with the crowd noise early and often. Mississippi State is always a challenging environment to deal with, as 60,000 fans will be ringing cowbells for the entirety of the game.
The Tigers can’t afford to sleepwalk in this game, as with another loss, LSU will be eliminated from the College Football Playoff race, and you never want to start 0-1 in conference play. The Tigers’ offense was able to have their way last Saturday against a Grambling defense that was overmatched. Jayden Daniels had four passing touchdowns before he came out of the game, and the LSU running game was able to get going. The leading rusher for the Tigers running back core was Logan Diggs. Diggs had 115 rushing yards in LSU’s 72-10 over Grambling.
The LSU defense struggled early to contain Grambling’s offense as they were able to find the endzone on their first drive. The secondary still showed some concern, but you were able to see more new faces, including Denver Harris. After the Tigers’ defense gave up the early 10 points, they were able to hold strong and shut down Grambling’s offense the rest of the way.
Know Your Foe: Mississippi State
Mississippi State RB Jeffrey Pittman (25) – Thomas Wells/AP Photo
Mississippi State is off to a 2-0 start to the season after defeating Southeastern Louisiana, 48-7, and Arizona, 31-24. The Bulldogs held on to a touchdown win over Arizona after holding a 14-7 lead going into the half. Arizona’s offense and defense were the story of the second half, as the Wildcats were able to battle back to force overtime. Mississippi State’s defense had a tough time with the mobility and passing of Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura. However, the Bulldogs defense stepped up and forced five turnovers on their way to a victory against the Pac-12 foe.
Mississippi State’s offense isn’t what we are used to seeing in the last few years, as they have made an emphasis on running the football more. That may change heading into the matchup against LSU, as Mississippi State will need to unleash quarterback Will Rogers against an LSU secondary that has had its fair share of issues in the first two weeks of the season.
The Bulldogs are averaging 221.5 rushing yards in the wins over Southeastern Louisiana and Arizona. Joquavious Marks was the leading rusher for Mississippi State in the 31-24 victory against Arizona, as he had 123 rushing yards and 5.1 yards per attempt.
Mississippi State’s offense currently ranks 31st in the country with 39.5 points per game, and they average 416.0 yards per game, which ranks them 57th in the nation. On the other side of the ball, the Bulldogs’ defense is giving up 15.5 points per game, which ranks them 39th in the country.
Prediction: LSU 31, Mississippi State 27
