No. 14 LSU’s season opener was a false start. After their Week 1 game against McNeese State was ultimately cancelled due to inclement weather, the Tigers will restart their season opener, which will now be on the road to Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs, who soared to the very top of the AP Poll last season before falling off, lost a lot of talent from that team. But Dak Prescott, the SEC’s best returning quarterback, is back and will be looking to pull another upset against the Tigers after stunning them at Death Valley last season.
Read on for our preview of this SEC West matchup. And for more SEC-centric action, check out our previews of Fresno State vs. Ole Miss and Middle Tennessee vs. Alabama.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]LSU Tigers vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs Preview
Where: Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville
When: Saturday, September 12, 9:15 PM ET
Line: LSU Tigers (-4) at Mississippi State Bulldogs (+4) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers played all of five minutes in their season opener with McNeese State before stormy weather delayed – and ultimately cancelled – the game. As a result, the Tigers were robbed of the chance to see sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris in action.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Harris got the start against McNeese State after winning the job over Anthony Jennings. Harris showed brief flashes of potential as a freshman last season. One of those glimpses came against Mississippi State, where he went 6-of-9 for 140 passing yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
He followed that up with 215 yards of total offense and accounted for five touchdowns against New Mexico State. However, he struggled mightily in his lone start in Auburn.
Harris could find a bit of success throwing the ball against a Mississippi State defense that gave up the most passing yards in the SEC last season and lost some key starters in the secondary.
However, the Tigers will still pound the ball early and often with star running back Leonard Fournette. The super sophomore, who broke the LSU freshman rushing record with 1,034 rushing yards, will be eager to take it to the Bulldogs after he had one of the least productive games (seven carries, 38 yards) against them last season.
Meanwhile, the excellent LSU defense – No. 4 in the nation in scoring defense (17.5 points per game) and No. 9 in total defense (316.8 yards per game) last season – should remain very good. The secondary, in particular, is one of the best in the country and should be able to limit Dak Prescott’s options in the passing game.
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Betting on the Mississippi State Bulldogs
The Mississippi State Bulldogs, who lost a ton of starters from last year, will go where Dak Prescott takes them this season. The senior quarterback sure delivered against Southern Mississippi, as he accounted for 309 total yards and three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) to lead the Bulldogs to a 34-16 win.
Prescott garnered Heisman buzz last season as he led the Bulldogs all the way to No. 1 in the country, and his performance against LSU helped get them there. He finished with 373 total yards of offense and three TDs to lead the team to their first win at Death Valley in 23 years.
However, Prescott won’t be getting anymore help from running back Josh Robinson, who had 16 carries for 197 rushing yards and a touchdown vs. LSU, this season. He’ll also be playing behind a completely retooled offensive line that could struggle to contain LSU’s talented defense.
Prescott, though, has shown he can almost single-handedly lead his team to victory. It’s well within the realm of possibility that he can keep the Bulldogs close against LSU, especially with the Tigers’ relatively tame offense.
Mississippi State’s defense lost some key personnel along the front seven, but it does have some experienced players who should be ready to step up into those positions. The Bulldogs gave up just 22.5 points per game against conference foes, and 21 points per game in three home games against the very competent offenses of Texas A&M, Auburn and Arkansas.
Writer’s Prediction
Prescott fails to get help from his teammates as Fournette and the Tigers (-4) win, 24-17.
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