No. 14 LSU Tigers vs. No. 25 Mississippi State Bulldogs
The LSU Tigers (0-0) head to Starkville, Miss. this weekend for a showdown with the Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-0) at Davis Wade Stadium.
The Tigers are looking for revenge, after the Bulldogs handed them an upset loss when the two teams met in 2014. LSU’s season opener against McNeese State was cancelled due to inclement weather, while Mississippi State struggled with Southern Miss before pulling away in the second half. Saturday’s matchup will feature two potential Heisman Trophy contenders in LSU running back Leonard Fournette and Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott.
Details for Saturday’s game are below:
Date: Saturday, September 12th
Start Time: 9:15 p.m. ET
Location: Starkville, Miss.
Stadium: Davis Wade Stadium
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
Radio: LSU — 98.1 FM (Baton Rouge, La.), Mississippi State — 100.9 FM (Starkville, Miss.)
Ticket information: For LSU ticket info click here. For Mississippi State ticket info click here.
Keys to Victory
LSU:
Perhaps the biggest disservice done to LSU by their cancelled season opener was losing the opportunity for a warmup game against a dual-threat quarterback before facing Dak Prescott. Prescott is arguably the best running quarterback in college football, and the Tigers will need to find a way to slow him down if they are going to pull off a road victory.
LSU quarterback Brandon Harris could be on the verge of a big game, another factor that could tip the scales in the Tigers’ favor. Mississippi State allowed more than 300 passing yards against Southern Miss in their season opener, and if their secondary does not play better, LSU’s revamped passing attack has the potential to turn this into a blowout.
Mississippi State:
Mississippi State will be leaning heavily on Dak Prescott to carry them to a victory, but they will have to find offensive production elsewhere if they are going to win on Saturday. No single player established themselves as the go-to guy in the backfield, as Josh Robinson did in 2014. If the Bulldogs win, it will be because either Ashton Shumpert or Brandon Holloway rises to the occasion and helps create a multidimensional rushing attack.
They will also need to win the time-of-possession battle. Leonard Fournette could put the game out of reach if the Mississippi State front-seven is worn down by the fourth quarter.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: LSU -4
Money Line: Mississippi State +160
O/U: 50
Prediction
This game has the potential to go either way, and ultimately will be decided by who steps up besides each team’s star player. Leonard Fournette and Dak Prescott can be expected to make significant contributions. Brandon Holloway’s athleticism should allow him to make some big plays against the Tigers’ defense, who will still be shaking off the rust from the offseason after having their season opener cancelled. But Brandon Harris will be tough to stop as well, unless the Bulldogs’ secondary plays much better than they did last week.
The game will come down to the final minutes, but LSU comes away victorious due to Mississippi State’s inability to prevent big plays in the passing game.
Final Score: LSU 30, Mississippi State 24
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