A storied college football rivalry takes the field on Saturday night in Week 4 as the Mississippi State Bulldogs pay a visit to their SEC West rivals, the LSU Tigers. The two will head to their 108th all-time meeting undefeated, with the Bulldogs eager to open up conference play with a very rare win against their old enemies from Baton Rouge.
It’s going to be an action-packed weekend of college football. To get set for the action check out our list of the five best football games to watch and bet on, and don’t miss our extended look at Clemson vs. Florida State.
The stakes are high for a spot at the top of SEC West. Will the young but talented LSU Tigers hold on to their undefeated slate? Or will experience lead the Bulldogs to break their 14-year losing streak to their old rivals?
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]LSU Tigers vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs
Where: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
When: Saturday, September 20, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Mississipi State Bulldogs (+10) at LSU Tigers (-10) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers notched their second-straight shutout last week, defeating UL Monroe 31-0 win Saturday. The Tigers dominated both sides of the ball, gaining a total of 372 yards while limiting UL Monroe to a paltry 93 yards over the course of the contest.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Still, not everything was peaches for the Tigers. Starting quarterback Anthony Jennings threw three incompletions on his first three pass attempts, and added a pick to end the first half. He finished 11-for-18 for just 139 yards with no score to show. Still, Jennings should test a Mississippi State defense which allowed a combined 723 passing yards in back-to-back games.
Meanwhile, the Tigers’ running game was dominant with 219 yards and four TDs, three of which were scored in the second half. Running back Leonard Fournete led the charge with 52 yards on 10 carries, including a long 24-yard touchdown run. He also added a 40-yard kick return for a favourable position to start their first drive of the game. True freshman RB Darrel Williams also added 37 yards and two scores on seven carries.
While LSU’s running game is a force to be reckoned with, they may have much more difficulty on the ground against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs rank 27th in the nation in rushing defense, allowing just 251 yards on 103 attempts (average of 2.4 yards per carry) in their first three games.
Nevertheless, the Tigers are 14-0 in their last 14 games against Mississippi State. They trounced the Bulldogs, 59-26, in last season’s meeting. However, the Tigers are now without last year’s leading passer Zach Mettenberger (drafted by the Tennessee Titans) and leading receiver Odell Beckham (drafted by the New York Giants).
The LSU Tigers are 3-0 ATS in their last three games, all as favorites.
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Betting on the Mississippi State Bulldogs
Three games into the season, the Mississippi State Bulldogs now have two blowout wins, 49-0 against Southern Mississippi and 35-3 against South Alabama. However, sandwiched in between those dominant wins is a gritty 47-34 contest against the UAB Blazers in which they allowed three touchdowns of 75 yards or more. The Bulldogs will have to tighten their defense as they are facing three ranked teams in a row starting with the Tigers on Saturday. Mississippi State are 0-4 ATS against LSU since 2010.
The Bulldogs may enjoy some success if they can get to Anthony Jennings early, especially with a number of key returnees in their defensive unit. Senior defensive lineman Preston Smith will feature in heart of that Mississipi State defense on the heels of his second-straight SEC award for Defensive Lineman of the Week. He had five tackles (one for a loss) and an interception which he returned 21 yards for a TD against UAB.
Offensively, the Bulldogs are no slouches either. Dual threat quarterback Dak Prescott led the Bulldogs with 139 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown against the Blazers. He also did some damage with his feet last year against LSU, as he rushed for 103 yards and a score on 12 carries. Prescott should find openings to run against this year’s LSU defense which has allowed 334 yards and three TDs on the ground so far.
Prescott also has a strong arm, one he’s used to complete nearly 60 percent of his passes for 696 yards and nine touchdowns. With the lack of a truly dominant No. 1 receiver, Prescott has done well to spread the wealth among his receivers. Eight different receivers have caught at least four balls this season, and seven have at least one touchdown. Still, the Bulldogs’ passing attack may suffer several setbacks against a deep LSU secondary.
The total has gone under in five of the Bulldogs’ last seven road games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Mississippi State Bulldogs (+10) keep this interesting, but eventually fall against LSU’s talent-rich squad.
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