The 74th installment of the LSU-Mississippi State football rivalry saw the Tigers defeat the Bulldogs 19-3 on October 20, 2018 in Tiger Stadium.
LSU’s defense held Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald to 59 yards as he completed just 8-of-24 attempts. The Tigers defense had four interceptions in the win.
Joe Burrow passed for 129 yards and an interception, but went 16-of-28 in the pocket.
Tigers running back Nick Brossette had 57 rushing yards on 17 carries with one score. The rushing touchdown came after LSU linebacker Michael Divinity intercepted a pass by Fitzgerald.
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Mississippi State did outplay LSU in yardage, as the Bulldogs had 260 total yards of offense to the Tigers’ 239. But, the LSU defense continued to roll and cause mismatches for the Mississippi State receivers.
State had four turnovers in the loss but accounted for 15 first downs.
This win was meaningful for the Tigers as they continued to win the must-win SEC games that led to the Fiesta Bowl berth against UCF during bowl season.
The victory also marked a two-game winning streak in the series for LSU, and was the first win against the Bulldogs for second-year head coach Ed Orgeron.
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The Tigers would end the 2018 season with a 10-3 record following an eight point victory over UCF in the Fiesta Bowl. Mississippi State finished their 2018 campaign with an 8-5 record, including a 4-4 record in SEC play.
The Bulldogs’ season ended with a loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Outback Bowl.
For LSU, this win capped off a two-game winning streak after they defeated the Georgia Bulldogs the week before.
Following the victory, LSU moved to 7-1 for the 2018 season, while the Bulldogs fell to 4-3.
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