Mississippi State used its bye week to reset after the loss to Alabama, and now the Bulldogs are heading into a tough early kickoff Saturday at LSU with a chance to get right.
Jeff Lebby said Monday that the time off gave his team a needed chance to recover and get a head start on the Tigers. The Bulldogs had a few players dealing with knocks before the break, but Lebby said the group made good use of the downtime.
"They were great mental days for us and being able to get a great jump against LSU and have the ability to get some of the game plan in which was great," Lebby said on Monday. "[LSU] is a really talented football team.
They got great players, all three levels, both sides of the football. I mean you can see it all over the tape, the length, the speed, and incredibly well coached both sides of the ball.
"So, [this is] an incredible challenge for us. Our guys are gonna be really excited about it. Again, being able to reset, get fresh and fast, and put our best foot forward Saturday morning at 11."
The Bulldogs will face an LSU offense built around Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt, who has put up 1,755 yards of total offense to rank No. 2 in the SEC, trailing only Alabama’s Keelon Russell. Leavitt has also run for 259 yards, which places him No. 3 in the league.
Lebby knows exactly how much the Tigers can lean on their quarterback.
"Everything's gonna run through Sam," Lebby said. "That's the system part of it.
But again, like you look at it just yesterday or on Saturday, I think he had 15, maybe 16 rushes. He still put the ball in the air 35 or 36 times.
He's gonna be the focal point for them."
LSU has also been piling up points in Baton Rouge, averaging almost 49 points per game at Tiger Stadium during Lane Kiffin’s first season leading the program. Mississippi State’s defense will have its hands full trying to slow that down, especially with the Bulldogs having allowed 119 yards or more on the ground in four of their first five games.
"Offensively, they're scoring at a really high clip," Lebby said. "They're running the football really well.
They've been explosive. So, it's about doing a great job of tackling Sam when we get the opportunity to, and then we've got to be able to create some turnovers."
No. 16 Mississippi State and No.
22 LSU will kick at 11 a.m. CT Saturday in Baton Rouge.
The game will air nationally on ESPN, and fans can also hear it on the statewide MSU Sports Radio Network.
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Mississippi States 4-1 start has been built on a wave of young contributors, with freshmen and sophomores showing up all over the field as the Bulldogs keep sorting out who can handle bigger roles. Quarterback Kamarios Taylor has been right at the center of it, throwing for 1,450 yards and 17 touchdowns while helping energize an offense that has leaned on growth as much as experience.
Now the timing gets tricky with LSU coming to Starkville, because Taylors status is one of the biggest factors in how that matchup looks. Jeff Lebby has kept the conversation focused on competition and development across the roster, but the Bulldogs next step will depend heavily on how their young core holds up if a key piece is limited when the SEC spotlight gets brighter. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State Heads To LSU With One Huge Question Still Hanging
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LSU Brings One Major Strength But Mississippi State Can Still Exploit Plenty
LSU enters this matchup with the kind of run defense that can change a game plan before it starts, giving up just 74.5 rushing yards per game and standing first in the SEC and fifth nationally in that category. The Tigers have also gotten impact plays from safety Tamarcus Cooley, who leads the team with two interceptions, and linebacker TJ Dottery, who has forced two fumbles and piled up 40 tackles, so Mississippi State will have to be sharp about every down it can turn into a true test of patience.
There is still room for the Bulldogs to make this interesting through the air, because LSUs secondary has been more vulnerable than its front and quarterback Sam Leavitt has already shown both upside and risk with 1,496 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Missed opportunities could matter even more for LSU if it is short on one of its bigger receiving options, and Mississippi State can at least keep this from becoming a simple strength-on-strength fight by forcing the Tigers to win in the part of the field where they have been less dominant. [Read more 🡒]