Mississippi State vs. LSU: Game Grades, Analysis for the Bulldogs and Tigers
Mississippi State and LSU went to war in Death Valley on Saturday, and the Bulldogs came away with the win, 34-29. The final box score can be found here, thanks to NCAA.com.
Mississippi State hit on all cylinders on offense, defense and special teams. The Bulldogs ran the ball effectively, threw the ball with ease and gave the LSU offense zero room to breathe. If not for a couple of turnovers by the Bulldogs in the second half, LSU would have lost the game by 20 points instead of five. The Bulldogs remain undefeated, while the Tigers suffer their first loss of the year.
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Here are game grades for the Bulldogs and Tigers.
| Pass Offense | A | A | ||
| Run Offense | A+ | A+ | ||
| Pass Defense | A | B | ||
| Run Defense | A+ | A | ||
| Special Teams | B | B | ||
| Coaching | A | B+ |
Pass Offense: Dak Prescott played his best game as a Bulldog. He threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns. He was able to sling the ball so effectively because he had great pocket presence and the offensive line gave him more than enough time to throw. Having guys like De’Runnya Wilson and Jameon Lewis to throw to also helped.
Run Offense: The big reason the Bulldogs were able to pull off the upset was the fact they ran all over the LSU defense. The team rushed for 302 yards, and Josh Robinson had the majority of them (197 yards on 16 carries). Prescott also ran the ball well, scrambling for 105 yards on 22 carries. The Bulldogs wanted to win the battle at the line of scrimmage; they did that in a big way, which led to them wearing out the Tigers toward the end of the game.
Pass Defense: Anthony Jennings could never get going for LSU because the defensive backs kept everything in front of them. Led by Justin Cox and Jamerson Love, the Bulldogs secondary never let the LSU playmakers get anything going in the passing game. Late in the game, Brandon Harris came in and added a spark for the Tigers.
Run Defense: This was another big reason why Mississippi State beat LSU. The Bulldogs allowed only 89 yards on the ground, and no running back for LSU amassed more than 38 yards. The front seven for the Bulldogs reacted to the football and seemingly never missed a tackle. Benardrick McKinney and Beniquez Brown combined for 14 tackles and were huge in attacking the LSU running backs.
Special Teams: It was a solid night for the special teams. Evan Sobiesk made his two field goals, and Devon Bell had two punts inside the 20. There weren’t any big returns, but Jamoral Graham put the Bulldogs in good position to put points on the board.
Coaching: Dan Mullen did a good job of preparing his team for what the Tigers were going to run on offense and defense. He also did a great job of preparing them for the LSU fans because the Bulldogs took them out of the game early. Mullen finally has the pieces he needs to run his offense, and it was on full display against LSU.
| Pass Offense | D | C | ||
| Run Offense | F | D- | ||
| Pass Defense | F | D- | ||
| Run Defense | F | F | ||
| Special Teams | C | C | ||
| Coaching | D | C- |
Pass Offense: Anthony Jennings was inconsistent all game long. He overthrew his receivers and never looked comfortable in the pocket. It wasn’t until Brandon Harris came in late in the game and threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter that the pass offense had some success. Should Harris be the starter, especially with Jennings going down with a shoulder injury?
Run Offense: The strength for LSU this season was a weakness against Mississippi State. No running back ran for more than 38 yards, and as a team, the Tigers ran for 89 yards on 35 carries. They had to abandon the run eventually because they had to throw to get back in the game, but the front seven for Mississippi State gave them no room to run at all.
Pass Defense: The LSU secondary had fits all game long trying to cover Wilson and Lewis. The speed of the two receivers frustrated the Tigers, which is why Prescott was able to go to them early and often. The Tigers had not faced a quarterback like Prescott this season, so it was a good test to see where they are as a defensive unit.
Run Defense: It’s been a while since we’ve seen this LSU defense get ran over like it did against the Bulldogs. The Tigers had no answer for Prescott and Robinson, which is why the Bulldogs ran for more than 300 yards. The front seven will need to tighten things up quickly because Auburn, Alabama and Arkansas are just as good at running the football.
Special Teams: The one good thing for the Tigers is that Jamie Keehn was able to punt the ball effectively. He punted eight times and averaged 51 yards per punt. Colby Delahoussaye made his only field goal, and Leonard Fournette was solid in the kick return game. The special teams for LSU did not make an impact but did not make any costly mistakes either.
Coaching: Les Miles and his coaching staff did not expect the Bulldogs would run the ball all over them, and they also did not expect that they could not run the ball on Mississippi State in return. Miles didn’t underestimate the Bulldogs, but the coaches did not game-plan well against the Bulldogs, and it showed on the field. This game is a good learning experience for the coaching staff as the Tigers get into the thick of the SEC schedule.
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