LSU Delivered the Response Its Season Desperately Needed Against Mississippi State

LSU needed an answer after its overtime loss at Kentucky, and it delivered a loud one Saturday in a 31-0 rout of No. 16 Mississippi State.

The shutout was the Tigers’ first against an SEC opponent since 2007 and lifted No. 22 LSU to 5-2.

A week earlier - in a demoralizing loss - LSU committed seven penalties to Kentucky’s two and turned the ball over twice in a 35-34 loss that dropped the Tigers 12 spots in the AP poll. Coach Lane Kiffin later said LSU went 0-for-4on chances to close that game out.

Mississippi State was without starting quarterback Kamario Taylor and top running back Fluff Bothwell, a storyline Kiffin did not let linger. He noted that LSU is missing key starters of its own, including tight end Trey’Dez Green and linebacker Whit Weeks.

“I’m really happy with our response,” Kiffin said after the game.

The score and the outcome mattered, but the discipline behind it mattered more. LSU was sharp, consistent and clean in ways it was not in Lexington.

This Offense Wins Games

LSU’s first possession set the tone, covering 60 yards in eight plays and 3:01 and ending with a 10-yard Sam Leavitt touchdown pass to Eugene Wilson III. Running back Dilin Jones was central to the drive as both a runner and a receiver.

After safety Ty Benefield’s interception on Mississippi State's next drive, the Tigers started at their own 15 and went 85 yards in 10 plays over 3:45, converting a fourth-and-2 along the way. Leavitt capped it with a 27-yard touchdown to Jackson Harris, who dragged two defenders into the end zone.

It was just the second time this season that LSU scored touchdowns on its first two drives, the other coming in the 63-14 rout of McNeese on Oct. 3. Before that game, the Tigers had not scored on an opening possession in any of their first four contests.

The two touchdown drives consumed a combined 6:46, putting LSU up 14-0 with 3:27 left in the first quarter. Mississippi State’s first two possessions, a three-and-out and an interception, lasted just 4:47.

That quick cushion forced the Bulldogs to chase, and they went for it on fourth down five times without converting once.

On the other hand, LSU converted eight of 13 third downs to extend its drives and was able to keep its defense off the field unnecessarily.

Leavitt looked phenomenal, finishing 31 of 38 for 289 yards and four touchdowns in his first turnover-free game of the season.

“I felt like I played a pretty easy game,” Leavitt said. He connected with nine different receivers and ran the ball only four times.

The Defense Takes Away Everything

Mississippi State never scored, and LSU stopped it from having anything on Saturday. Defensive ends Jordan Ross and Dylan Carpenter started the run with a six-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the LSU 31.

Just before halftime, a 13-play, 73-yard Bulldogs drive died when a fourth-and-6 pass from the LSU 6 came up short of the goal line. And Benefield’s first interception of the season had ended an earlier possession.

Cornerback PJ Woodland and Ja’Keem Jackson each broke up a fourth-down throw to extend the streak. The sequence ensured Mississippi State never found a foothold after halftime.

Mississippi State rushed for 170 yards but was 7-of-15 on third down and got inside the LSU 20 only once. Linebackers TJ Dottery and Davhon Keys led the Tigers with 12 and 10 tackles.

LSU's defense was relentless all day.

Clean Play, Finally

LSU was flagged three times for 30 yards, compared to the seven penalties for 75 yards for the Bulldogs. At Kentucky, five of LSU’s seven penalties came before the snap.

Those mistakes included two false starts, an illegal formation, an illegal shift and a delay of game. Saturday’s total of three was less than half that.

Kiffin said the week’s challenge was the need to “play a complete game.” LSU answered by opening fast and closing fast, scoring 10 second-half points and allowing none.

LSU visits a red-hot Auburn next Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.

Another game this clean - especially on the road - would show that the Mississippi State performance is the standard, and no longer an exception.

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