Mississippi State Vs. LSU: Preview And Prediction
Mississippi State football (2-0) maintains a flawless record heading into Week 3 of the 2023 college football season that has not exactly come easy.
The Bulldogs ultimately achieved a dominant 48-7 victory over the visiting Southeastern Louisiana Lions in Week 1 despite some offensive sputtering in the first half and then pulled the overtime win, 31-24 over the Arizona Wildcats in Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday.
Up next, they'll look to continue making the proper tweaks and improve to 3-0 against the No. 14-ranked LSU Tigers, coming off a 72-10 win over Grambling, as they open SEC competition.
Here's a look at what to know and how things could shake out in Starkville over the weekend:
The Bulldogs are a much different team than they were last year, moving away from the Air Raid after defensive coordinator turned head coach Zach Arnett fired nearly the entirety of Mike Leach's coaching staff when he was promoted after Leach's passing.
With that has come some adjustment to new offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay's offensive scheme. The Bulldogs have been productive on the ground to this point with running back Jo'quavious "Woody" Marks leading the way with 43 carries for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns this season.
But to beat LSU the Bulldogs are going to have to push the ball downfield -- something they have not shown the ability to do proficiently to this point in the season. They'll be facing a strong Tigers defensive front with standout Maason Smith back in the fold.
MSU has the tools to get the passing game rolling, as pass-catchers Lideatrick "Tulu" Griffin, Creed Whittemore, Jaden Walley and Justin Robinson have all shown sparks and the ability.
Defensively, the MSU has impressed in a host of ways. The Bulldogs returned a number of their veteran with linebackers Jett Johnson (recently named SEC Defensive Player Of The Week) and Nathaniel Watson leading the way.
LSU Tigers:
Quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was touted as an early Heisman Trophy candidate ahead of the season, has had his struggles but still maintains his status as one of the best quarterbacks in the conference while giving the Tigers a chance with his skillset.
Daniels is a threat to teams with his legs, but has also shown notable improvement as a passer since his days at Arizona State, finding further success on the deep ball and rarely putting the ball in harm's way. So far in 2023, he's completed 65.6% of his passes for 615 yards with 6 touchdowns and 1 interception.
While the defensive line has shown plenty of reason for optimism, the secondary is a bit of a different story. Over the course of the first two games of the season, the Tigers have allowed 506 passing yards and five touchdowns. The majority of that was surrounded to star quarterback Jordan Travis and his Florida State Seminoles. Expect Smith, fellow lineman Mekhi Wingo and linebacker Harold Perkins to be among the biggest impact players on defensive side of the ball as they bring the pressure.
But also note that if the Tigers can't get things right with their defensive backs and MSU hits its stride in the passing game, it could spell trouble for Brian Kelly's team.
Final score prediction: Most are giving LSU the upper hand in this one, and given the state of transition the Bulldogs are in regarding both the coaching staff and the roster, it's reasonable to see why. But MSU makes the right adjustments, finally showing a semblance of an air attack, and pulls the upset at home, 31-27.
Both teams are set to kick off at 11 a.m. CT in Starkville, Mississippi on Saturday.
