Mississippi State
2-2 , 1-2
#7 LSU
4-0 , 2-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSU | 13 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 30 |
| Mississippi State | 14 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 26 |
No. 7 LSU Holds Off Strong Mississippi State Upset Bid, 30-26
September 26, 2009 | Football
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STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State was one-inch away from defeating the seventh-ranked LSU Tigers Saturday in front of the sixth-largest crowd in MSU history.
However, the Bulldogs' victory hopes were thwarted when quarterback Tyson Lee was stopped one inch from the goal line with just over a minute to play.
The end result was the Tigers hanging on to a hard-fought 30-26 victory in front of 53,612 fans at Scott Field to extend their winning streak against MSU to 10 games.
The loss dropped the Bulldogs, who host Georgia Tech here at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, to 2-2 on the year, 1-2 in Southeastern Conference play. LSU improved to 4-0, 2-0.
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The game featured three lead changes, but it was the possible fourth-lead change first-year coach Dan Mullen was hoping for.
But despite two impressive runs by Anthony Dixon that gave MSU first-and-goal at the 2, State failed to capitalize when Lee was stopped on fourth-and-goal.
Still, the Bulldogs would get one more chance.
After being held on three-straight plays to minimum gains, LSU opted for the safety when punting from the end zone. MSU got the ball back, but the game ended on Lee's final pass that fell incomplete.
The senior signal caller finished 15-of-38 passing for 172 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. In all, State outgained LSU in total yardage, 374-263. Dixon again eclipsed the 100-yard mark with 106 yards on 27 carries. He also scored twice to become the all-time leader scorer in MSU history with 222 points.
It was that kind of gutsy play MSU displayed from the start.
Mississippi State quickly got the ball rolling in a rain-drenched first quarter and showed LSU that this was going to be a battle. On State's second possession, Lee connected with tight end Marcus Green for a 32-yard pick up that was the start of an impressive scoring drive for the Bulldogs. Dixon capped off a 9-play 66-yard drive with a 2-yard rushing touchdown to give MSU a 7- 6 early lead.
However, Tigers matched State's intensity and quickly scored to give LSU a 13-7 lead with 3:39 left in the quarter. Unfortunately for the Tigers, their next possession ended in disaster on a bad snap exchange from center to punter that resulted in the Bulldogs getting the ball on the 1 with 49 seconds left in the quarter. Dixon made the visitors from Baton Rouge pay for their miscue when scored his record-breaking TD to give State a 14-13 advantage.
Then it was LSU's turn to take advantage of a turnover. Following a fumble by running back Arnil Stallworth on State's 22-yard line, the Tigers settled for a 22-yard field goal to go up 16-14.
LSU opened the second half with a 58-yard touchdown to increase their lead to 23 - 14. Yet in the middle of the third, Lee threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Green to put State back within two.
LSU's Chad Jones returned a punt 95-yards in the beginning of the fourth, putting the Tigers on top 30-21. Backup quarterback Chris Relf found wide out O'Neal Wilder to set up a 9 play drive that resulted in a 22-yard field goal by junior kicker Sean Brauchle to close the gap to 30-24 with 10:09 to play.
Defensively, State limited the Tigers to just 30 rushing yards on 31 carries.
Team Stats
LS 6, MS 0
LS - Pa. Peterson 37 yd interception (TEAM rushfumbled)
LS 6, MS 7
MS - Anthony Dixon 2 yd run (Sean Brauchle kick), 9 plays, 66 yards, TOP 5:27
LS 13, MS 7
LS - Brandon LaFell 4 yd pass from Jo. Jefferson (Josh Jasper kick) 7 plays, 66 yards, TOP 3:20
LS 13, MS 14
MS - Anthony Dixon 1 yd run (Sean Brauchle kick), 1 plays, 1 yards, TOP 0:08
LS 16, MS 14
LS - Josh Jasper 22 yd field goal 6 plays, 20 yards, TOP 2:48
LS 23, MS 14
LS - Brandon LaFell 58 yd pass from Jo. Jefferson (Josh Jasper kick) 1 plays, 58 yards, TOP 0:11
LS 23, MS 21
MS - Marcus Green 50 yd pass from Tyson Lee (Sean Brauchle kick) 6 plays, 73 yards, TOP 2:39
LS 30, MS 21
LS - Chad Jones 93 yd punt return (Josh Jasper kick)
LS 30, MS 24
MS - Sean Brauchle 22 yd field goal 9 plays, 68 yards, TOP 4:16
LS 30, MS 26
MS - TEAM 6 yd safety
