In their first Southeastern Conference matchup of the season, LSU came up short against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, with a final score of 34-29.

The loss is only the sixth loss against an unranked team in the Les Miles era.

“You kind of go back, review this, and say, ‘what exactly happened here?'” Miles said in his post-game press conference.

The first half was dominated by MSU junior quarterback Dak Prescott and the Bulldogs’ offense, who gained 263 total yards on 29 plays. MSU took the ball 51 yards on their first possession of the night, taking an early 7-0 lead with a touchdown pass from Prescott to sophomore receiver De’Runnya Wilson.

Two possessions later, MSU drove down the field on a five play, 98-yard drive that was capped by a 3-yard rushing touchdown by junior Josh Robinson.

LSU struggled throughout the first quarter, punting on all three of their possessions and gaining a total of 69 yards. The Tigers got on the board with about three minutes remaining in the 2nd quarter after a 30-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Colby Delahoussaye.

“They’re a really good defense and have done some really good things this year,” sophomore receiver Travin Dural said. “And they took it into this game.”

The second half started with a bang for LSU, as junior linebacker Kwon Alexander punched the ball from Prescott and junior defensive end Danielle Hunter scooped it up and ran it in for LSU’s first touchdown of the night. However, their first offensive drive was not as fruitful and resulted in a punt.

MSU bounced back from the fumble on their first possession of the half with a 56-yard touchdown run by Prescott to widen their lead to 24-10. 

“We knew we’d have a lot of one-on-one matchups,” MSU coach Dan Mullen said. “We made big plays in one-on-one matchups down the field.”

The Bulldogs widened their lead even further with a 74-yard touchdown pass from Prescott to senior receiver Jameon Lewis. The touchdown capped a three play, 77 yard effort by MSU. In the beginning of the 4th quarter, MSU kicker Evan Sobiesk made a 28-yard field goal to extend their lead to 34-10. 

After their explosive start to the half, LSU reverted back to their first half rut, punting on each of their three possessions in the 3rd quarter.

“I can tell you,” Miles said. “That we can expect better play than what we got.”

They stayed quiet until the 13 minute mark of the 4th quarter when LSU sophomore quarterback Anthony Jennings connected with Dural on a 49-yard pass.

The play set up a touchdown by senior running back Kenny Hilliard, but the Tigers’ two point attempt was thwarted by MSU’s defense and the score stood at 34-16. 

This score stood throughout the majority of the 4th quarter. LSU brought in freshman quarterback Brandon Harris to try to spark the offense, which he did with a 33-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Malachi Dupre.

With MSU leading 34-22, LSU attempted another two-point conversion but could not find the end zone. LSU subsequently attempted an onside kick, but the ball was kicked directly out of bounds.

“When you don’t execute and when you have chances, you finish second,” Miles said. “That’s what we did today.”

LSU recovered a bad snap by MSU with less than two minutes remaining on the clock, and it took Harris and the offense only 15 seconds to capitalize with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Dupre. 

“With each game, you take something from it and learn from it,” senior running back Terrence Magee said. “No matter how far you are down or what the score says, you’ve got to keep fighting until the end because you never know what can happen.”

With the lead cut to 5 points, LSU attempted yet another onside kick which was recovered by MSU. A strong defensive stand by LSU forced MSU to punt the ball with 27 seconds left. The ball sailed out of the endzone, giving the Tigers 20 seconds to put together an 80-yard drive. 

Harris completed a 22-yard pass on for a first down to Dural, and then ran 12 yards to bring the ball to MSU’s 46 yard line with 5 seconds left.

With time expiring, Harris heaved a pass into the endzone. The ball was intercepted by MSU, sealing the Bulldogs’ 34-29 victory in Death Valley.

“I think we will look at this film and be miserable,” Miles said. “There won’t be anyone smiling for a while.”