LSU reminded the college football world that this team is still very much a threat on Saturday.
Facing Mississippi State in a morning kickoff on the road, the Tigers shrugged off any potential sluggishness. They jumped on the Bulldogs early and never let up, ultimately earning a statement 41-14 win over their SEC West rival.
It was perhaps the best and certainly the most efficient game of [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag]’ career as he completed 30 of 34 passes for 361 yards and two touchdowns while adding 64 yards and two more scores on the ground. A lot of his production through the air had to do with the play of [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], who was seemingly unguardable.
Nabers finished with 13 catches for 239 yards and a pair of touchdowns, doing most of that damage in the first half. As far as the rest of the ground game goes, it wasn’t prolific but [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag], [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] all had solid contributions, with Williams finding the end zone.
As explosive as the offense was, the defense was just as impressive. LSU pitched a shutout until the final minutes of the second quarter, and even then, Mississippi State never really got things rolling.
The Bulldogs are a far cry from the air raid team we’ve seen in recent years. Will Rogers struggled with efficiency, completing just 11 of 28 passes for 103 yards. Running back Jo’Quavious Marks got his, finishing with 75 yards on just eight carries, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
MSU went 3 of 13 on third downs, and with quick three and outs, LSU established an early two-score lead and took control of the game.
The team also had promising signs in the pass-rushing game with [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag], [autotag]Saivion Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Major Burns[/autotag] and [autotag]Mekhi Wingo[/autotag] all recording sacks.
LSU begins SEC play 1-0 and will return home next weekend to host Arkansas.
Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno