It was truly a tale of two halves for LSU against Mississippi State. Despite trailing 13-7 at halftime, and not scoring until the final minute of the first half, LSU pulled away late to win 31-16.
Coming into this game, LSU’s defense was always going to be under the microscope. The Tiger defense was facing Mississippi State’s dangerous air raid offense, which burned LSU the last time it was in Tiger Stadium.
This time, things were much different.
LSU held Mississippi State to 16 points, and just three in the second half. The defensive performance is what kept LSU in the game and allowed it to make the comeback it did down the stretch. When talking about the comeback, Head Coach Brian Kelly praised the team’s attitude.
“They were down in the game, they never questioned whether they could come back,” Kelly said. “And we’re building that kind of mindset. And if they keep working hard and keep doing things the right way. We just want to be a better team in November.”
Leading up to the game, Kelly was adamant that LSU had to mix things up defensively to slow down the Mississippi State offense. The defense executed in that regard in this game, bringing an array of blitzes, coverage looks and fronts. Kelly credited Defensive Coordinator Matt House after the game for the game plan and adjustments made on defense.
“The most important thing is that you can’t give them a pre-snap look that is comfortable,” Kelly said. “I think the kids did an excellent job of executing the game plan and Matt House did a great job with the staff of putting together the kind of disguises necessary to go against the air raid.”
After giving up a field goal midway through the third quarter, LSU completely shut down the Mississippi State offense. The Bulldogs only tallied 52 yards of total offense from that point forward, and never had another drive longer than five plays.
This stretch was the turning point of the game. LSU scored 21 unanswered points after the Mississippi State field goal. The Tiger offense found its rhythm playing with tempo, and big plays from Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers and Armoni Goodwin sealed the game.
Daniels forced his way into the endzone to give LSU the lead early in the fourth quarter. That kickstarted the offensive rhythm as on the next drive Daniels hit Nabers on three third-down plays, eventually leading to a Josh Williams rushing touchdown.
The LSU defense stood tall yet again after that, leading to a 47-yard touchdown run by Goodwin to seal the game at 31-16.
“We went to a two-minute tempo right before the half, obviously that worked very well for us,” Kelly said.
The players of the game for LSU were a mix of expected and rather unexpected contributions. Jayden Daniels was the driving force on offense, leading the three fourth-quarter touchdown drives and finishing the game 210 passing yards to go along with 93 rushing yards.
Defensively, it was a trio of players who stood out and led the way for LSU. Leading the charge with 11 tackles and a late interception, Jay Ward stepped up in a major way in his new role. Earlier this week, he moved from safety to the nickel position, and that change more than paid off for LSU. Ward talked after the game about the switch and his performance making the adjustment.
“More free at the nickel position and fits in the run game which played a big impact tonight, that is where I like to play,” Ward said.
The other two stars on defense were BJ Ojulari and Harold Perkins, who were both big up front. The pair combined for three sacks and four tackles for loss in the game, pressuring Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers throughout. As a true freshman, this was a big game for Perkins to announce himself on the national stage, and he will likely see an increase in playing time as a result.
The story of the game was LSU’s shift in the second half. This is now the second time this season the Tigers looked like a different team late in the game, but this time it was enough to get the win. “Paralysis by analysis” is how Kelly described the offense in the first half, and that accurately sums up both the first half in this game, and the first half against Florida State.
LSU just couldn’t seem to get anything going in the first 20 minutes. Downfield throws weren’t open, and the running game was putrid outside of Daniels scrambling. It seemed almost like LSU was overthinking the offensive game plan early on.
On the final drive of the first half, much like down the stretch against Florida State, LSU played with tempo, utilizing quick throws and getting its playmakers in space.
Fortunately for the Tigers, adjustments were made soon enough. This puts LSU at 1-0 in SEC play, before facing New Mexico in what feels like a tune up game before hitting arguably the toughest stretch of the schedule in October.
