On a Saturday when college football was blowing up all over the map, LSU was glad to be the exception.
While No. 1 Georgia, No.
7 Texas, No. 5 Indiana and No.
6 Alabama all went down, the No. 22 Tigers kept Mississippi State in check and banked a much-needed 31-0 win over the No.
16 Bulldogs. For LSU, it was the kind of afternoon that didn’t invite drama.
After last week’s one-point overtime loss at Kentucky, that was exactly the point.
The shutout was LSU’s first in an SEC game since a 45-0 win at State in 2007, and it came with the Tigers controlling things from start to finish. The final notes of the alma mater had barely faded when the upsets started stacking up across the top 25, turning the day into one long reminder of how chaotic the sport has become.
For LSU, though, there was no need to chase the chaos. The Tigers simply needed to avoid another stumble, and they did it by handling a Mississippi State team that was missing its top two offensive threats, quarterback Kamario Taylor and running back Fluff Boutwell, because of injuries. The Bulldogs were left with redshirt freshman Billy Puckett under center, a player who had thrown only 14 passes entering the day.
Puckett was not overwhelmed, finishing 16 of 26 for 121 yards with an interception, but he didn’t have the firepower to match LSU. Sam Leavitt did.
Even after re-aggravating a previous hamstring injury in practice, Leavitt delivered one of his cleanest performances yet: 31 completions on 38 attempts, 289 yards and four touchdowns. He also avoided an interception for the first time as a Tiger.
“I feel like game-by-game he just keeps getting better and better,” said versatile LSU running back Dilin Jones, who led the Tigers with 84 rushing yards on 18 carries and also topped the team in receiving with nine catches for 58 yards. “I expect him to play even better next game.”
LSU, now 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the SEC, needed the reset after the Kentucky loss put its College Football Playoff hopes in a shaky spot. Lane Kiffin said he does not focus on the playoff picture and instead keeps the attention on the process, but he made it plain what the message was to his team after that setback.
“I don’t every talk about playoffs,” Kiffin said. “That’s just outcome.
I just talk about process. We just handed it (the Kentucky game) away.
We showed them (LSU’s players) again and again how we should have won the game.
“But I’m human, too. I ended last night’s speech to the team saying we have to win tomorrow. There’s no other option but to win this game.”
The Tigers got that win, and they’ll need another one soon. LSU goes to Auburn next week, trying to end an eight-game SEC road losing streak that dates to 2024. It’s another game with real weight for a team still trying to stay alive in both the SEC race and the CFP conversation.
In Other News...
LSU Defense Just Took Another Hit It Couldnt Afford
LSUs defense was already working through plenty of strain, and it took another scare early against Mississippi State when edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen left in the first quarter after making his second tackle. He was evaluated by LSU trainers on the field before spending the rest of the first half on the sideline, a development that immediately raised more concern for a unit that has been hit hard already this season.
The Tigers have already lost two other starting defenders to injuries, so any health issue on that side of the ball carries extra weight. Umanmielens status loomed as the kind of update LSU could ill afford to wait on, especially with the defense trying to hold together depth and production at the same time. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Dominant Win Also Exposed One Offensive Concern
LSUs 31-0 shutout of Mississippi State was about as complete a Saturday as the Tigers could have hoped for. Sam Leavitt carved up the Bulldogs with four touchdown passes and no interceptions, and the defense and special teams did their part in a game that never really gave Mississippi State a chance to settle in, especially with the Bulldogs already short-handed at quarterback and running back.
Even so, the win didnt fully paper over one lingering offensive concern. LSU still had trouble getting much going on the ground, and that part of the attack remains worth watching as the schedule stiffens. The Tigers were efficient enough to overwhelm Mississippi State anyway, but if they want this kind of control against better opposition, the run game will need to become more than a background piece. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Got The Bounce-Back Win Fans Wanted At A Cost
LSU got the kind of clean, confidence-building win it badly needed Saturday, blanking Mississippi State 31-0 behind a defense that set the tone from the start. The Tigers made life miserable for the Bulldogs all afternoon, stuffing key drives and repeatedly ending possessions on failed fourth-down attempts while the offense did enough to keep the pressure on the other sideline.
The broader concern, though, is what came with the victory. LSU added injuries to key players, including wide receiver Jackson Harris and edge rusher Lamar Brown, even as Sam Leavitt and Dilin Jones helped steady the offense and Leavitt looked more comfortable with his timing and confidence. For a team trying to build momentum, the result was exactly what it wanted, but the health of a few important pieces leaves the next stretch of the season a lot less comfortable. [Read more 🡒]