LSU quarterback Joe Burrow said he played like a middle schooler in the first half of LSU’s 19-3 win over Mississippi State. 
“[Mississippi State’s defense] presented a lot of challenges, but that was the worst half of football I’ve ever played in my entire life,” Burrow said. “It was a lot of them and a lot of us at the same time.”
But during the final drive in the first half, something changed for the LSU offense as things began to click across the board.
Senior tight end Foster Moreau said that adjustments from the entire offense changed how LSU approached that drive. Players stepped up and continued to do their jobs. 
“Our leadership just had to step up,” said running back Nick Brossette. “We knew we had to get point on the board and things like that. We just marched down the field and tried to score on that drive.”
The Tigers (7-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference) started the drive with a quick 11-yard pass from Burrow to junior receiver Stephen Sullivan for only their third first down of the game. Burrow also had a completion of 19 yards to Derrick Dillon on third, as well as ones of 11 yards and 9 yards to Dee Anderson. 
When the drive was stopped short at the Mississippi State 7-yard line, LSU sent out senior kicker Cole Tracy to put point on the board and give LSU a 10-3 lead at halftime. 
Jefferson said that, while the team always wants to get into the end zone, that field goal gave them momentum going into halftime. 
“It was huge for us,” Brossette said. “That was what we needed, and we just had to keep building on that.”
“It gave us a lot [of confidence],” Jefferson said. “It shows that we can move the ball and make these plays to get first downs. Once we start making these plays and calling the right plays, we can move the ball.”
At the end of the first half, LSU only had 79 yards of total offense. 
The Tigers struggled in both the pass game and the run game against a solid Mississippi State defensive line. Jefferson said the main focus for them was on themselves and moving the ball, rather than the players opposite them. 
“We just came out slow,” Jefferson said. “It’s not anybody’s fault or the play calling — we didn’t execute as well as we wanted to.”
LSU started moving the ball more in the second half, totaling 160 yards once they started to find a rhythm, and finishing with 239 total yards. It was the second time this season that LSU defeated a ranked opponent with less than 300 yards of total offense. 
Jefferson credits offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger for his play calling in the second half and his ability to pick apart Mississippi State’s defense. 
“I just started hitting more throws,” Burrow said. “I got a little more comfortable. This was the first game where I was a little nervous at the start, so that might have been it, but I got in the groove a little bit there midway through the game.”
Burrow said that he doesn’t normally get nervous, but he was worried about Mississippi State being a “trap game” in between two top-five opponents in Georgia and Alabama. 
“I let my team down in the first half, and I have great teammates that picked me up,” Burrow said. “You can’t play like that against a team like Alabama.”