STARKVILLE, Miss. – It would have been easy for the No. 2 LSU defense to underestimate the Mississippi State offense Thursday night.
The Tigers defense ranked No. 1 this psat season in the Southeastern Conference, allowing 242.8 yards per contest.
The Bulldogs offense ranked No. 11 out of 12 SEC teams, averaging 18.4 points and 286.8 yards per game.
Such a miscalculation did not occur as the Tigers’ defense entered Davis Wade Stadium as sharp and as crisp as it ended this past season against Notre Dame, stifling the Bulldogs’ offensive attack en route to a 45-0 shutout victory.
LSU coach Les Miles said the defense was the key to victory in the Tigers’ season opener.
“The defense was, from start to finish, a dominant group,” Miles said. “[They] gave us a short field [and] got the ball back for us.”
LSU’s win was its eighth-straight against Mississippi State and fourth-straight win against the Bulldogs in Starkville.
The Tigers’ (1-0, 1-0) defense took over from the opening kickoff, deflecting a pass and forcing a fumble that rolled out of bounds on the opening drive of the game.
Those close calls eventually evolved into turnovers for the Bulldogs (0-1, 0-1) as sophomore safety Danny McCray, senior cornerback Jonathan Zenon, senior safety Craig Steltz and junior safety Curtis Taylor all intercepted Mississippi State quarterback Michael Henig in the first half.
The last time LSU recorded four interceptions in a game was a Sept. 25, 2004 matchup against Mississippi State in Tiger Stadium.
Steltz, who entered the game with five career interceptions, said his three-interception performance was based on more than just skill.
“It’s a lot of luck,” he said. “You gotta be in the right place at the right time.”
Sporting their seldom-used purple jerseys on the road, the Tigers held Mississippi State to 146 yards of offense as the experienced LSU defense lived up to the preseason hype that surrounded it in the offseason.
The Tigers’ highest preseason ranking since 1959 has been based in large part because LSU is returning eight starters to a defense that finished this past season fourth in the nation in points allowed per game.
Henig threw six interceptions total in the game and finished 11-of-28 before being replaced by freshman Wesley Carroll midway through the fourth quarter.
LSU’s defense held serve in the first half for an LSU offense that took a while to get started. Senior quarterback Matt Flynn, who made his first regular season start Thursday night, connected on only three of his seven first-quarter attempts before finishing 12-of-19 for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
The Tigers’ much talked about running back by committee approach to the rushing game saw three running backs and one wide receiver see action at tailback in the first half.
Senior Jacob Hester started both halves for the Tigers, finishing with 68 yards on 14 carries
Sophomore Keiland Williams, who carried the ball seven times for 18 yards, had a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs in the second quarter.
Sophomores Charles Scott and wide receiver Trindon Holiday also saw time in the backfield, with Scott scoring on an 11-yard pass from Flynn in the third quarter.
Miles said he did not see anything Thursday night that would separate one running back from another in the competition for the starting halfback spot.
“I liked Hester, I liked Williams, I liked Scott,” he said. “Hester got the bulk of the carries early on. He’s a sure runner. [The running backs] are not a bad combination.”
After mustering only three points in the first quarter, Williams’ two second-quarter scores gave the Tigers some breathing room against the Bulldogs.
LSU capped a 6-play, 73-yard drive to open the second half with a 11-yard touchdown to senior wide receiver Early Doucet, who had nine catches for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Ryan Perrilloux replaced Flynn early in the fourth quarter and scored the first touchdown of his career on a 3-yard run with 8:20 remaining in the game.
He added a 15-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Brandon LaFell later in the quarter.
—-Contact Tyler Batiste at [email protected]