The Tigers entered their SEC opener as a slight home underdog against the previously undefeated Mississippi State Bulldogs, and though it required a second-half comeback and a 21-point fourth quarter, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] moved to 1-0 in league play in his first season in Baton Rouge.
LSU earned a 31-16 win on Saturday night in Week 3, and it looks to be playing much better football than it did in the first half of its Week 1 loss to Florida State.
The offense continued to build on its strong performance in last week’s win over Southern, putting up 416 total yards. [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] was impressive overall in this game, as well. Though he completed just 22 of 37 passes, he totaled 303 yards of offense and two touchdowns. He’s also still yet to throw an interception this season.
[autotag]Armoni Goodwin[/autotag] had a very good game on the ground getting the start, taking his nine carries for 75 yards and a touchdown. [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] was far and away the most productive player in the passing game, totaling six catches for 76 yards. It was a relatively quiet night for [autotag]Kayshon Boutte[/autotag], who had three catches for 31 yards.
The Tigers had an even more impressive performance defensively against Mississippi State’s air-raid offense, which has been one of the most productive in the SEC to begin the season. The defense looked vastly improved and held quarterback Will Rogers in check. Rogers completed just 57% of his passes for 214 yards, one touchdown and a pick, which went to [autotag]Jay Ward[/autotag] all but sealed the loss in the fourth quarter..
He was also sacked four times, including 1.5 from true freshman linebacker [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag].
It wasn’t a perfect performance from the Tigers, who totaled just seven points in the first half, but they got a big divisional win and should be able to enter the Oct. 1 contest against Auburn at 3-1 with New Mexico coming to town next week.
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