The Tigers hosted the Mississippi State Bulldogs for a Week 7 SEC matchup, heading into the first matchup of the season where LSU was ranked lower than its opponent.
But the Tigers quickly shifted the momentum, with a dominant 31 - 0 win over the Bulldogs, holding out the SEC opponnet to a no score game during the early morning game.
Here's the report card from the LSU vs. Mississippi State matchup, grading each position group.
Quarterback: B+
Quarterback Sam Leavitt was able to put up 289 passing yards and a season high of four touchdowns, but still showed his frantic decision-making in key plays, scrambling around the backfield before throwing the ball away.
He did, however, break the unfortunate streak this season of throwing an interception every game - a stat that an LSU quarterback shouldn't have mid-season.
Backup quarterback Landen Clark also didn't meet the offensive expectations, going three-and-out with a sack on his only possession of the game at quarterback.
Wide Receiver: A
The wide receiver became a major target against Mississippi State, with every touchdown of the game coming from the group.
Jackson Harris led the group with 85 receiving yards and two touchdowns before exiting the game with a lower-leg injury.
The entire position group was able to be an efficient target for Leavitt, keeping up the offensive production during the Mississippi State game.
Tight End: B-
The Tigers have found a steady rotation between tight end Zach Grace and wide receiver Roman Mothershed at the tight end position, in replacement of Trey'Dez Green.
But the tight ends haven't been the biggest targets on the offense, limiting the ability to make major offensive production.
Grace put up 21 yards from two receptions against the Bulldogs, while Mothershed put up nine. Without Green, the position group is still struggling to find the next best option to replace the talent gap on the offense.
Running Back: A
The running back room continued to be a major factor on the Tigers' offense, with running back Dilin Jones emerging as dual-threat receiver and running back threat, putting up 58 receiving yards and 84 rushing yards.
Backups Harlem Berry and Stacy Gage were able to rotate into the offense, becoming the next best option behind Jones, with Gage also emerging as a receiver option with nine receiving yards against the Bulldogs.
The running back room continues to show no struggle this season, being able to take on opponents with continued success each week.
Offensive Line: B-
The offensive line continues to struggle against Mississippi State, not being able to limit pressure on quarterback Sam Leavitt, who ended the game with one sack while the offense was inside goal range.
The line was losing the ability to keep pressure on key plays, with sacks from the defense inside goal range and forcing Leavitt to scramble past defenders in the backfield.
It continues to be a struggle on the offense, not being able to hold off opponents all four quarters for the Tigers' offensive production.
Defensive Line: A-
The defensive line held off the Bulldogs to a scoreless game, with two and a half sacks coming from the unit against Mississippi State backup quarterback Parker Puckett.
The position group had an overall dominant performance on the line, but took a major blow with defensive end Princewill Umanmielen going out with an injury during the second quarter.
Defensive end Jordan Ross was able to fill the talent gap for the injured edge rusher, recording six total tackles and one sack.
Linebacker: A
The linebacker group continued to be a major factor for LSU's defense, with linebackers TJ Dottery and Davhon Keys as the trusted duo in replacement of Whit Weeks, who's out with an injury.
Keys put up 10 total tackles, while Dottery added to his 40 total tackles with 12 total tackles against the Mississippi State offense.
Without Weeks, the defense is missing a lot of talent, making the linebacker replacements' impact that much more significant.
Safety: A+
In the safety room, the group was able to limit Mississippi State to a no-score game, getting in the way of any production in the secondary from the safeties.
Safety Ty Benefield stood out in the group, with four total tackles and an interception to turn the ball over early in the game, becoming a threat in the backfield for the Bulldogs.
Safety Tamarcus Cooley also made major production during the Mississippi State matchup, with a season high of six total tackles.
The entire group kept up the impressive defensive performance all game long, limiting the Bulldogs to no scores all game.
Cornerback: A
Cornerback DJ Pickett had the expected breakout game against the Bulldogs, becoming a major threat to turnovers. Pickett was close to his first interception, catching the ball out of bounds, while also forcing a fumble that was later called as a fumble after the runner went down.
Pickett also put up six total tackles, his second-highest this season during the SEC matchup. He's becoming LSU's ideal defensive back, fitting in with the well-known name of Defensive Back University.
Pickett was also able to limit Mississippi State star wide receiver Anthony Evans to just 40 receiving yards, his lowest of the season as a major pass threat heading into the matchup.
Cornerback PJ Woodland added to the defensive production with four total tackles, creating the cornerback threat with Pickett.
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