Complete football on both sides helped unranked Mississippi State pull off the upset win against No. 8 LSU in Tiger Stadium Saturday night.
The triumph gave the Bulldogs their first victory against the Tigers since 1999 and their first victory in Baton Rouge since 1991. Conversely, this is LSU’s first home loss since 2012 (vs. #1 Alabama).
During his postgame press conference, Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said significant matchups played a great role in the game’s final outcome.
“We said the big key coming into the game was to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, [and] I think we did that,” Mullen said. “[We also said to] make big plays in one-on-one matchups down the field, and we did that especially early [when] we got in the open field.”
The Bulldogs outgained the Tigers in total yardage, most notably in the the ground game where the rushing statistics were 302-89 in Mississippi State’s favor. 
Mississippi State had four plays go for 40 yards or more, whereas LSU finished with only two.
Bulldogs’ junior quarterback Dak Prescott went 15-for-24 for 268 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also rushed for 105 yards and a score on 22 carries.
Mullen said his trust level in Prescott’s is very high. He added the versatility of his signal-caller was a difference-maker in the game.
“When we needed a play, [Prescott] stepped up and made the plays that we needed to make, with his arm and with his leg, at key moments were huge,” Mullen said. ”
When asked about the amount of big plays the offense had, Prescott said the team expected to be highly productive on offense. He mentioned the more successful they are, the better off they’ll be.
“We’ve [had big plays on offense] all season,” Prescott said. “Anytime we [can make big plays on offense] and seize momentum on drives, we [can] get the confidence going.”
Along with holding the Tigers to less than 100 yards rushing, the Bulldogs held the Tigers to only 2-for-13 on third down conversions, forced a fourth-and-goal stop and hauled in the game-sealing interception.
Junior linebacker Bernardrick McKinney said stopping LSU’s rushing attack and forcing them to pass was essential in their game plan. He expected the physicality from both teams to come to display.
“We knew it was going to be a physical game upfront, but it started with our defensive lineman [such as] Preston Smith, Kaleb Eulls [and] guys like that,” McKinney said. “Without them, we wouldn’t have won the game.”