A turning point is usually considered a defining moment in one’s quest in accomplishing a designated goal, whether good or bad.
It is not always easy to look back in history and find a turning point, especially in college football. But the turning point for the plummet of the Mississippi State football program and the rise of LSU’s is evident.
Mississippi State entered Tiger Stadium Oct. 20, 2000 with the most dominating run defense in recent college football memory. The Bulldogs held Florida to minus-78 yards rushing and allowed only 18 to Auburn in the two games preceding their matchup with the Tigers. Opposing teams averaged less than one yard per carry against the Bulldogs.
They held a 15-3 record during their previous 18 games. Those three losses were by a combined 21 points, and they had reached the Southeastern Conference Championship game two years before.
LSU, on the other hand, held a 7-11 record in its previous 18 games, and was in the first year of a head coaching change.
Despite the Bulldogs’ tough defensive front, the Tigers were able to run all over the field and finished the game with 220 yards on the ground.
Down 31-17 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Tigers came back and eventually beat the heavily favored Bulldogs 45-38 in overtime.
Since that game, the Bulldogs and the Tigers switched roles. State has posted a 10-23 record while LSU is 25-9 and currently ranked No. 7 in the country.
“I thought about that,” said LSU senior safety Jack Hunt. “They were big time coming in that game, and we were just starting. It’s kind of a reverse of roles in the past four years. It’s weird how they went downhill that quickly.”
The Bulldogs (0-3) do not resemble the teams of the late ’90s, with a reputation of smash-mouth football and physical linemen.
“My freshman year when they came in here, they were averaging 330 pounds across the [offensive] line,” said LSU senior defensive tackle Chad Lavalais. “They were real physical.”
Lavalais said the Bulldogs’ downward spiral reminds him of LSU in 1998.
“I could compare [Mississippi State] to the LSU teams of the late ’90s,” Lavalais said. We did pretty good in ’96 and ’97 going to the Independence Bowl and Peach Bowl. But in ’98 and ’99 we just went down the drain. That’s how it is in this league. You can go from the penthouse to the outhouse just like that.”
The Bulldogs spent all last season in the outhouse, going winless in their eight SEC games. During the past two seasons, State is 2-14 in SEC games.
“They’ve had their problems here and there, but they always play us a pretty good game,” said LSU senior tight end Eric Edwards. “We’re not going to take them lightly. They’ve got a lot of talent on their team and they’re going to come out ready to play.”
The Bulldogs have lost their past eight games dating back to last season, and look to avoid starting the season 0-4 for the first time since 1968.
Despite their recent struggles, LSU coach Nick Saban is aware of turning points and wants to avoid a Tiger meltdown.
“Mississippi State is a team that certainly needs to be respected,” Saban said. “This week’s game is really more important than last week’s game, because it is the game we play this week, but it is also a game that we play in our division. When you don’t have success in your division, you don’t get those games back.”