BATON ROUGE – LSU football made light work of longtime rival Mississippi State on Saturday, Oct. 17.
The Tigers scored touchdowns on three of their first four drives of the game en route to building a big lead by halftime. No. 22 LSU, which could not afford another loss to an opponent that was beneath it in terms of College Football Playoff standing, went on to defeat the depleted Bulldogs, 31-0, inside Tiger Stadium.
Lane Kiffin and LSU (5-2, 2-2 SEC) benefited from No. 16 Mississippi State (4-2, 2-2) being without its top two offensive players, quarterback Kamario Taylor and running back Fluff Bothwell.
LSU DEFEATS MISSISSIPPI STATE LSU pads lead against Mississippi State in third quarter
PRINCEWILL UMANMIELEN INJURY LSU DE Princewill Umanmielen exits Mississippi State game with injury
Here are The Daily Advertiser's grades for LSU football in its win over the Bulldogs.
Offense: B
Jackson Harris seems to have evolved into LSU's top option at wide receiver. And the offense has found some extra firepower with him involved and stretching the field consistently.
Sam Leavitt didn't run around as much in the win over Mississippi State, and again, him not running around half the time leads to another LSU win. There's likely a happy medium in there somewhere, but it feels like LSU not leaning on Leavitt's feet a lot is when it looks its best.
Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. need to get more running backs involved, like Harlem Berry, who didn't get a carry until things were out of hand in the fourth quarter.
Defense: B
A "B" was going to be the best grade I would hand out of the Tigers' defense today, as standout quarterback Kamario Taylor and top running back Fluff Bothwell did not play for Mississippi State due to injuries. LSU did not play the Bulldogs at their best, and without them, this was a grave mismatch as proven by the scoreboard.
But LSU allowed backup QB Billy Puckett to throw for just 82 yards and Ty Benefield picked him off in the second quarter.
The Tigers gave up 269 yards for the game.
Special Teams: B
Special teams were asked to do much against Mississippi State. The wind gusted around 30 mph today, but Scott Starzyk handled kickoff nicely, and so did LSU's coverage team. He also made his PATs and his lone 26-yard field goal. Grant Chadwick didn't punt until the fourth quarter.
Coaching: B
This game was critical for keeping LSU in the College Football Playoff picture, albeit literally on the edge of the frame. But it needed the win. And Kiffin and his staff had the players humming from the opening kickoff. The Tigers set the tone early and quickly jumped out to a big lead, which was what the team needed after losing at Kentucky last weekend. A significant talent gap remained, and LSU was able to take advantage of it.
LSU's game MVP: Sam Leavitt
Leavitt looked really good against Mississippi State. His staying in the pocket and trusting his playmakers on the outside was a big plus. He ended up throwing for four touchdowns on 31-of-38 passing for 289 yards. Mississippi State stood no chance today when Leavitt was zooming passes as accurately as he did Saturday inside Tiger Stadium.
Overall LSU grade: B
For the second time this season, LSU needed to find a response after dropping a road game. The Tigers emphatically did, and made light work of the Bulldogs for a much-needed victory. Onto Auburn now.
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU football report card | Grading LSU's win over Mississippi State