LSU gets Mississippi State in a Week 7 mid-day matchup, and the Tigers are looking for a response after last week’s loss to Kentucky. With back-to-back SEC games still ahead in the regular season, this stretch carries real weight for LSU, especially as the team keeps leaning on backups after injuries have thinned out the early-season lineup.
That puts a spotlight on the players who can swing Saturday’s game in either direction. On defense, LSU’s challenge starts with Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor, a dual-threat presence who has piled up 1,450 passing yards, 159 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns this season.
The Tigers have a direct answer for that problem in defensive end Princewill Umanmielen, who led the league in sacks after Week 4 with eight. If LSU is going to make Taylor uncomfortable, Umanmielen is the edge rusher most likely to force the issue.
Linebacker TJ Dottery is another key piece in that effort. He leads LSU with 40 tackles and has also forced two fumbles, giving the Tigers a steady tackler who can create disruption.
Dottery has recently moved to weak-side linebacker after taking over for injured linebacker Whit Weeks, and he’s also handling the green-dot helmet. After two and a half games in the role, he’s settled in and now carries both the responsibility of getting LSU lined up and the task of helping slow Taylor and the Bulldogs’ run game.
The secondary will have its own test, and cornerback DJ Pickett may be the one asked to take it on. Mississippi State wide receiver Anthony Evans III has been one of the Bulldogs’ top targets this season, with 574 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Pickett’s job is to stay in Evans’ hip pocket and keep one of Mississippi State’s most dangerous options from turning into a problem all afternoon.
LSU also needs production from the offense, where Dilin Jones has become a name to watch. Against Kentucky, he flashed as a dual-threat option with 84 receiving yards and 56 rushing yards. That performance turned him into quarterback Sam Leavitt’s go-to option as a run-or-pass weapon, and the Tigers will keep looking his way on Saturday.
Another offensive piece coming on fast is wide receiver Roman Mothershed. He played with the starters for multiple snaps against Kentucky for the first time this season and finished with 56 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Mothershed worked with the tight end group during fall camp, learning alongside tight end Trey'Dez Green, who is now out for some time with a knee injury. With his outside skill set and 6'5 frame, Mothershed gives LSU a different kind of threat, and after building into the rotation over the past two games, he looks ready for a bigger role against Mississippi State.
In Other News...
LSU Has Bigger Problems Than A Homecoming Kickoff Debate
LSUs week has turned into one long reminder that the biggest issue in Baton Rouge is not the homecoming kickoff time. After dropping to 22nd in the rankings following the loss to Kentucky, the Tigers are still trying to steady themselves heading into Mississippi State, with linebacker TJ Dottery and coach Lane Kiffin both stressing the need for cleaner execution. The schedule gripe has drawn some student reaction, but it sits well behind the more immediate concern of getting the football team back on track.
The campus mood could use a lift, and the mens basketball team provided one with an 85-81 win over UCF in a wildly thin rotation. LSU played with only six players amid an eligibility controversy, yet Donovan Dent still delivered the game-winning layup and Abdi Bashir Jr. led the way in scoring. It was the kind of gritty result that gives the program something to point to while the football side works through its own far bigger problems. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Bounce-Back Bid Comes With One Big SEC Concern
LSU heads into Week 7 looking to steady itself at home against Mississippi State after the loss to Kentucky, and the Tigers have enough on their plate already without adding another layer of uncertainty. This is the kind of SEC game that can turn quickly if the matchup script changes early, especially with both teams dealing with injuries and LSU still trying to get back to the level of consistency that made it dangerous in the first place.
Mississippi States quarterback situation is the wrinkle LSU will be watching closely, because the Bulldogs offensive outlook shifts depending on who is available. For LSU, the path back starts with cleaner work on both sides of the ball, better execution in key moments and a sharper response than the one it showed a week ago, but the bigger question is whether the Tigers can prepare for the version of Mississippi State that actually shows up. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Could Catch A Huge Break In Mississippi State's Backfield
Mississippi State arrives on LSUs schedule with a couple of key offensive questions hanging over its backfield, and both of them trace back to the same injury-hit trip through Alabama. Quarterback Kamario Taylor and running back Fluff Bothwell were each listed as questionable for the matchup with LSU after leaving the previous game hurt, leaving Jeff Lebby and his staff to sort through contingency plans as kickoff gets closer.
For LSU, the uncertainty matters because the Bulldogs offense could look very different if either player is limited or unavailable. Lebby has already identified possible replacements, but the Tigers will be watching to see whether Mississippi State can get either Taylor or Bothwell back in time, since their status could shape how much stress LSUs defense has to absorb on Saturday. [Read more 🡒]