It took LSU 48 minutes to find the end zone, but the lone touchdown was all the Tigers needed for a 19-6 victory against Mississippi State on Thursday in Starkville, Miss.
LSU amassed 381 yards of total offense but only broke the plane once on a 19-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jarrett Lee to junior wide receiver Rueben Randle. The Tigers drove deep into Mississippi State territory on several occasions but mustered only 19 points on four red zone trips.
“We went into halftime saying, ‘We took some threes, but we need to turn those into sevens and extend some drives,'” said LSU coach Les Miles. “But the way the defense was playing, after we got seven, we were in pretty good shape.”
Junior kicker Drew Alleman provided the bulk of LSU’s scoring, nailing a career-high four field goals. Alleman made all four of his attempts, hitting from 21, 42, 41 and 29 yards. Alleman said he ignored the pressure of stepping into a hostile Southeastern Conference environment for the first time.
“There’s pressure, but as a kicker, you have to block that out,” Alleman said. “Just going out there and doing my job for the team is what I’m here to do.”
Despite the offense’s inability to find pay dirt, Lee still put on a solid passing display, completing 21 of his 27 pass attempts for 213 yards. That performance marked the first time a LSU quarterback threw for more than 200 yards since Jordan Jefferson threw for 254 yards against Ole Miss last season.
Lee’s lone interception came early in the fourth quarter, but the Tigers had already built a 10-point lead.
“Over the last few years, I feel like I’ve become a more mature player,” Lee said. “I’m just trying to play smart and play confident.”
Lee turned to two familiar targets throughout the game – Randle and freshman wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. Randle reeled in six catches for 98 yards and a touchdown, while Beckham had a career-high 61 receiving yards on eight receptions.
“Hopefully he won’t be happy with what few catches he had,” Miles said. “Hopefully this will be a start. I felt like he comes from the style of family that will enable him to come to college and need and want to make plays as a freshman.”
With the focus entering the game on which team’s potent rushing attack would control the game, LSU dominated. The Tigers’ defense held senior quarterback Chris Relf and senior running back Vick Ballard – who combined to run for 458 yards entering Thursday’s game – to just 48 yards on 26 attempts.
“I felt like the intensity of the defense was strong, and that ended up being the tale of the day,” Miles said.
Sophomore running back Spencer Ware continued to build on the solid start to his season, totaling 107 yards on the ground for an average of almost five yards per carry.
Sophomore running back Michael Ford also contributed 50 rushing yards on 13 carries.
“It took us a long time, but there was a time there late in the game where we felt like their defense was tired and breathing hard,” Ware said. “We were on the field a lot late in the game, and we used that to just run and run and grind the end of the game out. That’s our goal every week.”
Mississippi State trailed by 10 points with about six minutes remaining in the game, hoping for a drive that would bring the Bulldogs within shouting distance. But junior cornerback Morris Claiborne picked off his second pass of the game, guaranteeing the LSU victory.
Claiborne picked off Relf early in the third quarter for his first interception of the season.
“Mo has made those plays in front of us for as long as I can tell you,” Miles said. “Nothing surprises me with Mo Claiborne. He’s that kind of player.”
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Contact Hunter Paniagua at [email protected]