The Tigers come into Saturday’s matchup virtually flawless on both sides of the ball, but it’s their defensive play that’s gotten much of the hype surrounding their fast start.
The LSU football team (3-0) is set to kickoff Southeastern Conference play Saturday when they take on SEC West rival Mississippi State (3-0) in prime time, and the defense truly will be tested for the first time this season.
Since the first half of their season opener against Wisconsin, the Tigers have blanked opponents for 147 minutes and 24 seconds straight, equating to nine quarters and 31 consecutive opposing possessions.
The No. 8 Tigers start SEC play confident about their defense, but face off against the Bulldogs in their first real test since Wisconsin.
The Bulldogs are 3-0 for the second time under head coach Dan Mullen, and their success is powered by Dak Prescott, one of the nation’s most prolific quarterbacks.
Prescott, a dark horse Heisman candidate, is responsible for 72 of Mississippi State’s 131 points this year, ranking him second in the nation. He leads all SEC quarterbacks with 19 career rushing touchdowns and 1,197 career rushing yards and has run for 100-plus yards in six career contests.
“[Prescott is] strong. [He’s] a guy that stands back in the pocket, knows what he’s looking at, makes the throws and has the ability to pull it down,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “He runs with strength. He carves through the ground very quickly, and when you go to tackle him, you better hit him hard. You better take him off his feet because he’s just a big, physical kid.”
Prescott can be difficult for many defenses to stop, but this season’s LSU secondary has shown they’re capable of shutting down opposing quarterbacks.
The secondary hasn’t yet allowed a passing touchdown this season, and it leads the SEC in opposing passing yards per game, holding opponents to a mere 94.3 yards.
The secondary is confident, but junior safety Jalen Mills said staying hungry is important for the unit’s success.
“We know those guys are very explosive on offense, they’ve got a lot of explosive players,” Mills said. “We can’t get complacent. We played good last week, but that was week three and this is week four. It’s a new chapter in our book … and we just have to come out and be ready on Saturday.”
The Bulldogs’ offense doesn’t stop at Prescott. Junior running back Josh Robinson is another contributor to Mississippi State’s heavy ground attack. Robinson has three touchdowns and is averaging 96 yards per game this season, which ranks third in the SEC.
Since the game against Wisconsin, the Tigers have give up only 86 total yards rushing on 1.4 yards per carry, which bodes well for the LSU defense.
LSU sophomore defensive tackle Christian LaCouture said if the Tigers aren’t able to apply pressure and stop the run, the Bulldogs have the talent to make them pay. The key to the game on defense could be the battle in the trenches between the offensive line and the defensive line.
“We just want to make sure we’re in our gaps, making plays and getting off blocks,” LaCouture said. “If we don’t do that, they have a great offensive line so they’ll make sure we don’t get off of our blocks. We have to make sure we prepare for the little things, so when we go out there we don’t have any stones unturned.”