Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen gave sophomore quarterback Nick Fitzgerald three and a half quarters.
Trailing 23-6 with six minuets remaining in the game, Mullen benched Fitzgerald in favor of junior quarterback Damian Williams and immediately reaped the benefits.
An LSU defense that held the Bulldogs to a pair of field goals until then surrendered two touchdowns in 40 seconds as Mississippi State cut its deficit to three points with 3:30 remaining.
A quick LSU three-and-out and subsequent 61-yard punt by freshman Josh Growden put the ball back in Williams’ hands for a chance at victory with two minutes, 15 seconds left and 78 yards of green in front of him.
Sophomore outside linebacker Arden Key had a different idea. On fourth and eight at the 24, Key picked up his second sack of the night, forcing a fumble and sealing LSU’s conference-opening victory.
“We’re fortunate that it finished like it did,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “It’s a great lesson to us. It’s something that we’ll take with us to Auburn.”
The Tigers (2-1, Southeastern Conference 1-0) defeated Mississippi State (1-2, 0-1 SEC), 23-20, behind its persistent pass rush.
LSU earned six sacks, eight tackles for loss and six pass breakups. Senior defensive end Lewis Neal trailed Key’s efforts with 1.5 sacks of his own.
Junior quarterback Danny Etling said the offense’s inability to score in the second half boiled down to a lack of execution and turnovers. Leonard Fournette in his first game back from an injured ankle fumbled twice.
“I would have liked to have put a couple of balls into the guy’s chest,” Etling said. “As opposed to making him try to make a miraculous catch. We had a couple times when we turned the ball over, and that’s no good.”
Etling completed 19 of 29 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown in his first start since transferring from Purdue following the 2014 season. He also scrambled for three times for 23 yards on the ground.
Junior wide receiver D.J. Chark reeled in his first career touchdown, a 37-yard strike from Etling on a post route, to put the Tigers on the board first. Chark’s touchdown doubled as his first career catch.
Fournette picked up his first touchdown of the season, punching it in from five-yards out in the first quarter and adding another from 25 yards in the second. He accounted for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 28 touches and added 27 receiving yards.
While Etling and Fournette prospered, Fitzgerald and the Mississippi State offense couldn’t get into a steady rhythm. LSU suppressed the Bulldog offense to (214) total yards and didn’t allow a touchdown until the fourth quarter.
The Tigers allowed just one first down out of 14 third-down conversion attempts.
“We have some guys that can fly,” Miles said. “Lewis Neal, Arden Key [and] Kendell Beckwith, those guys can get to the quarterback. They’re a devastating weapon on third down.”
Fitzgerald, who set a school record for rushing yards in a game by a quarterback with 195 last Saturday, was held to 13 rushing yards on 13 carries and 120 passing yards with a 50 percent completion rate.
Mississippi State junior kicker Westin Graves knocked in the Bulldogs’ first six points with field goals from 41 and 37 yards out.
LSU senior kicker Colby Delahoussaye also made his first field goal of the season, a 27-yard kick at the end of the first half.
LSU seemed to opt in favor of taking its foot off the gas in the second half, lost two turnovers and squandered its 20-point halftime lead as a result.
Williams, who replaced Fitzgerald, finished with 94 passing yards and a touchdown and one rushing touchdown.
“It was the first time here for 54 guys on our team,” Mullen said. “I think they were worried about the wrong things, and not about going harder. There were a lot of plays to be made in the first half. They were making some plays and we weren’t.”

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Jordan Marcell

LSU junior quarterback Danny Etling (16) warms up before the game on Saturday Sept. 17, 2016, at Tiger Stadium.