LSU football made a statement Saturday, scoring a 41-14 win over Mississippi State.
The Tigers were efficient on both sides of the ball, and looked to be in control for every snap of the game. The win is a perfect start to Southeastern Conference play for LSU, who now will play four straight conference games before a matchup with Army.
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Here are three takeaways from LSU’s win:
LSU might have the best offense in the SEC
LSU’s offense played its best game on Saturday, led by elite performances from Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers. Daniels had the best game of his LSU career against Mississippi State, throwing for 361 yards and two touchdowns while completing 88.2% of his passes, an LSU single-game record.
His top target was Malik Nabers, who finished the game with 13 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns. Daniels’ ability in the game to stretch the field, specifically to Nabers, was something he hadn’t shown much of since coming to LSU.
PHOTOS: LSU football defeats Mississippi State 41-14
The success throwing the deep ball helped open up the offense, and is something that will make the unit almost impossible to defend throughout this season. On top of the big plays that deep throws create, it also opens up the run game that continues to improve.
With John Emery’s return on Saturday, LSU’s running back room only gets deeper as Logan Diggs, Josh Williams and freshman Kaleb Jackson continue to get carries and impress. Jackson showed promise against Mississippi State, running over a defender late in the game while making a serious case for more playing time.
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It looks like all of the pieces on LSU’s offense are coming together, and it’s happening at the right time. Looking around the SEC West, there are few defenses who look equipped to stop an offense like LSU’s.
With a good pass rush, the defense can be very good
Much of the criticism LSU received through its first two games was directed towards the defense. The secondary was the focal point of that criticism, giving up big plays in the passing game against both Florida State and Grambling State.
Against Mississippi State, the Tigers gave up just 103 passing yards to Will Rogers, who entered the season less than 2,000 yards away from breaking the SEC career passing yards record.
One of the biggest differences from the first two games was how effective LSU’s front seven was. The Tigers finished the game with four sacks and seven tackles for loss, and put constant pressure on Rogers.
The constant pressure led to Rogers only completing 39% of his passes, and the LSU defense overall had its best game of the season. LSU’s secondary may not be as talented or deep as in years past, but putting pressure on the quarterback is the best way to mask that deficiency.
Diggs and Jackson look like the two best running backs
It wasn’t the focal point of the offense this week, but LSU’s running backs had another good game. Diggs got the start after his 115-yard performance against Grambling and ran for 41 yards on nine carries. He showed off his ability to run hard in between the tackles while also being a threat in the passing game with three catches for 30 yards.
Diggs will likely continue to start, and in games more conducive to running the ball it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get 15 to 20 carries. Combined with that, his ability both as a receiver and pass blocker makes him a reliable three-down running back.
Jackson got carries late in the game, much like he did against Grambling. He had just 19 yards on five carries against Mississippi State, but 13 of those came on an impressive run where he ran over a defender at the end of it.
His explosiveness and power are Jackson’s most impressive traits, and he adds something to the backfield that LSU lacks. His power and ability in the open field makes him an exciting prospect, and a player that could add an extra wrinkle to this offense.
