LSU's Defensive Woes Against Mississippi State a Possible Sign of Things to Come

Mississippi State took LSU's defense into a back alley and beat them down. 

Yes, that sounds rough. But it is true. The Bulldogs bullied the Tigers in their own habitat on Saturday night.

Quarterback Dak Prescott was the maestro of an offense that tallied 34 points, 302 rushing yards and 570 total yards. And most of the damage was done right up the middle. 

The LSU defense was cut up, but the defensive tackles were bludgeoned. The Bulldogs left chalk outlines of Christian LaCouture, Quentin Thomas and Davon Godchaux on the field. 

Mississippi State's free blockers and massive ball-carriers then delivered punishment to LSU's linebackers and defensive backs. It was like Mike Tyson taking lunch money from kindergartners. 

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Sure, LSU's defeat does not just fall on the shoulders of the defense. Offensively, the Tigers did not score a touchdown until the fourth quarter. 

But LSU has won games in the past with anemic offenses. The program has been built on dominant defenses that suffocate the opposition. The Tigers will not be competitive if teams are able to run the ball with ease against them.

Prescott's 373 total yards and three touchdowns could be the first of many masterful performances against LSU. Five of the Tigers' seven remaining SEC games will be against mobile quarterbacks. None of these signal-callers are the caliber of Prescott, but they must get better at containing quarterbacks that can run. 

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Running back Josh Robinson rushed for a career high 197 yards on only 16 carries. His previous high was 101 yards against Arkansas last season, per ESPN.com. 

The remaining backs the Tigers will face include T.J. Yeldon, Kenyan Drake, Derrick Henry, Jonathan Williams, Alex Collins, Cameron Artis-Payne, Corey Grant, Matt Jones and Trey Williams. They are all as good, if not better, backs than Robinson. If LSU cannot stop him, then dark days could be ahead for the Bayou Bengals against talented SEC workhorses. 

 LSU head coach Les Miles knows he needs to shake some things up. 

"

Les Miles: "you'll see us respond. There will be changes made. Some changes that you won't see." @1045espn

— James Haralson (@jamesharalson) September 21, 2014"

Miles better make some changes. LSU will play New Mexico State next week, which is the last cupcake team they will face. After that, there are no guaranteed wins for the Tigers.

But the Tigers must recover from the repeated uppercuts they received from Mississippi State. Because beat downs such as those take time to heal. 

Stats, rankings and additional information provided by cfbstats.com and LSU Sports Information. Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow me on Twitter @CarterthePower.