Clear skies, a bright sun and nothing but wind, a packed-out Tiger Stadium gathered to see if this matchup against the Mississippi State Bulldogs was going to be the comeback after a disappointing overtime loss to Kentucky or will the Bulldogs expose the flaws in the LSU scheme.
From the first kick, LSU showed nonstop hustle that, if they can maintain it, will make for an electric team the rest of the season. From the jump, the Tigers needed a blowout of this magnitude after a double-digit drop in the AP Polls following last week’s road disappointment. Continuing the curse of straight road game losses.
The Tigers answered that call and kept the Bulldogs scoreless through the first half.
Dillin Jones, the name that continues to come up in the headlines, just continued to answer every call, whether it be a pass, run or rushing up the field; this sophomore means business and seems to only be getting better as the season progresses.
One thing that was for certain: LSU had a chip on their shoulder that was being continuously worked on, and it is making this team into diamonds. Although, with the hustle and answered call, if the Tigers hope to salvage the rest of their season and see a glimpse of the playoffs, there should not be responding calls.
The Tigers need to stay on top of the game at all times, not have to fix the damage from the week before, and go in without giving up plenty of opportunities the other team hands them.
With the best offensive rhythm so far this season, LSU continued moving with Lane Kiffin and co. Perhaps finding a rhythm that could carry the Tigers through the rest of the season.
From the first touchdown within the first few minutes of this homecoming matchup, Jackson Harris, a transfer from Hawaii, came in and went straight to work on the field. With two touchdowns, a perfect catch percentage and 85 total yards on the day, Harris will surely see more playing time in the near future.
As the game continued into the third quarter, LSU, like clockwork, got barreled by injuries to top impact players who were filling in for the injured players. This team has never gone through a game this season without being pummled by injuries. Racking up four players in just 10 minutes, the LSU voodoo doll had been poked and prodded for the entire season so far.
Even with key players leaving the field, the Tigers kept pounding the Bulldogs on both sides of the ball, leaving Mississippi State with 31 unanswered points. If the Tigers had had no opportunities to get the ball into the opposing endzone much earlier, not only in the game but in the season, they’d be in a very different spot.
With just 15 minutes left of play, with the spiral of the ball hurling toward the Mississippi State endzone, Ja’Keem Jackson was right where he needed to be to break up what could have been the Bulldogs’ first points on the board of the afternoon, giving the Tigers yet another chance to rack up another seven points.
Those 15 minutes, continued to tick by and LSU continued to defend and fight for the comeback shutout win against Mississippi State 0 – 31 LSU.
With the Tigers taking to the road next weekend, facing off against Auburn at 11 am in Auburn. Hoping to see the five game loss streak come to an end.
