The LSU football team didn’t draw it up like this.
A road game against a ranked Southeastern Conference opponent to open the season wasn’t originally part of the plan, but now it’s the Tigers’ reality. It might’ve been ideal to beat McNeese State by 30+ points and get plenty of reps on both sides of the ball to open the season, but LSU will be just fine against Mississippi State without it.
LSU’s offense shouldn’t have much trouble moving the ball against the Bulldogs.
Mississippi State was depleted on the defensive side of the ball this offseason. The Bulldogs lost key players on each defensive level, and the Tigers should be able to take advantage, particularly in the passing game.
The Bulldogs allowed University of Southern Mississippi 311 passing yards in their opening game. The Golden Eagles put up 413 yards of offense on the day, although Mississippi State held Southern Miss to 2.8 yards per carry.
It’s safe to say LSU has a stronger backfield than Southern Miss with sophomore running backs Leonard Fournette and Darrel Williams and freshman running backs Derrius Guice and Nick Brossette. The Tigers should be able to find more luck on the ground than Southern Miss did.
I’m also confident sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris will torch the Bulldogs’ secondary. He did it last year when he came in late during the fourth quarter, nearly completing a miraculous comeback.
Harris went 6-9, passing for 140 yards and two touchdowns. His one interception came on a hail mary, so it’s hard to count that one against him.
He could’ve certainly used the reps against McNeese State, but he’ll manage without them. He rose to the occasion against Moo State last year, and there’s no reason he can’t this season.
But the LSU defense will have the nightmarish job of trying to contain senior quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott is capable of carving up most defenses, but he doesn’t have nearly as much help around him as he did last year.
Junior wide receiver De’Runnya Wilson will test LSU’s secondary again this year. He caught four passes for 91 yards and a touchdown in last season’s matchup.
The Bulldogs certainly have weapons capable of harming LSU. The ideal situation for the Tigers would be to take Prescott out of the game and make someone else beat them. That’s much easier said than done, but if LSU could contain Prescott and force him to throw downfield, I foresee them winning comfortably.
Go ahead and mark it down: LSU will silence the cowbells and leave Starkville, Mississippi with its first win.
Jack Woods is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Ruston, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @Jack_TDR.
Opinion: LSU will silence the cowbells in Starkville
September 10, 2015
More to Discover