Thursday, September 15
Starkville
7:00 PM
Mississippi State
6
vs
19
#3 LSU
#3 LSU Pulls Away From #25 Bulldogs For 19-6 Victory
September 15, 2011 | Football
STARKVILLE, Miss. – For three-plus quarters, Mississippi State did an excellent job of keeping LSU's potent offense out of the end zone. Unfortunately for the No. 25 Bulldogs, the Tigers' D was just a tad bit more masterful.
In front of a raucous crowd of 56,925 on Thursday night, the third largest in Scott Field history, No. 3 LSU continued its winning ways against MSU with a 19-6 slugfest victory to claim its 12th-consecutive win in this storied series that dates back to 1913.
However, it wasn't until the fourth quarter that this nationally-televised ESPN showdown was decided.
With the Tigers leading 9-6 following a 41-yard field goal by Drew Alleman with 1:46 to play in the third quarter, LSU scored the game's lone touchdown three minutes into the fourth when Jarrett Lee connected with Rueben Randle from 19 yards out for a 16-6 lead.
It was a hole that proved too laborious for the Bulldogs (1-2, 0-2) to climb out.
“Our guys played tough, played physical,” third-year MSU coach Dan Mullen said. “We just needed to make a few more plays.”
As for the rest of the scoring, all credit goes to both placekickers.
LSU, which travels to West Virginia next week, initiated all scoring on an Alleman 21-yard field goal with 5:42 left in the first quarter. However, the Bulldogs answered on their following possession when Derek DePasquale cleared the uprights to even the game at 3-apiece with 4 seconds left in the opening frame.
Then in the second quarter, Alleman struck again, this time from 42 yards to give LSU a 6-3 advantage, a score that stood at intermission.
In the third quarter, though, Mississippi State tied the game again when DePasquale drained his 42-yard attempt, the 25th of his career.
And of course, it's only fitting the game's scoring would end with a field goal, a 29-yarder by Alleman with 2:53 remaining.
Again, credit both defenses.
MSU, which returns home at 6 p.m. on Sept. 24 against Louisiana Tech, entered the game leading the SEC in total offense at 588.0, while LSU's average stood at 336.5.
On Thursday, though, the Bulldogs didn't come close to reaching that total as they accumulated just 193 yards, their lowest in the Dan Mullen era.
“We just never got into a rhythm,” Mullen said. “We had our opportunities, but our playmakers just have to make plays.”
And while the Tigers exceeded their average by a few yards, it was still a drastic improvement for the MSU defense from the Auburn game, particularly on the ground.
After yielding 235 rushing yards on the Plains, MSU held LSU to just 148. Spencer Ware led the ground assault with 107 yards on 22 carries.
For MSU, Vick Ballard rushed for a team-high 38 yards on 10 carries, while Chris Relf was 11-of-17 passing for 96 yards and an interception.
“I'm just going to assume they kicked our rear ends on first down, and that was the difference in the game,” Mullen said of his offense.
In front of a raucous crowd of 56,925 on Thursday night, the third largest in Scott Field history, No. 3 LSU continued its winning ways against MSU with a 19-6 slugfest victory to claim its 12th-consecutive win in this storied series that dates back to 1913.
However, it wasn't until the fourth quarter that this nationally-televised ESPN showdown was decided.
With the Tigers leading 9-6 following a 41-yard field goal by Drew Alleman with 1:46 to play in the third quarter, LSU scored the game's lone touchdown three minutes into the fourth when Jarrett Lee connected with Rueben Randle from 19 yards out for a 16-6 lead.
It was a hole that proved too laborious for the Bulldogs (1-2, 0-2) to climb out.
“Our guys played tough, played physical,” third-year MSU coach Dan Mullen said. “We just needed to make a few more plays.”
As for the rest of the scoring, all credit goes to both placekickers.
LSU, which travels to West Virginia next week, initiated all scoring on an Alleman 21-yard field goal with 5:42 left in the first quarter. However, the Bulldogs answered on their following possession when Derek DePasquale cleared the uprights to even the game at 3-apiece with 4 seconds left in the opening frame.
Then in the second quarter, Alleman struck again, this time from 42 yards to give LSU a 6-3 advantage, a score that stood at intermission.
In the third quarter, though, Mississippi State tied the game again when DePasquale drained his 42-yard attempt, the 25th of his career.
And of course, it's only fitting the game's scoring would end with a field goal, a 29-yarder by Alleman with 2:53 remaining.
Again, credit both defenses.
MSU, which returns home at 6 p.m. on Sept. 24 against Louisiana Tech, entered the game leading the SEC in total offense at 588.0, while LSU's average stood at 336.5.
On Thursday, though, the Bulldogs didn't come close to reaching that total as they accumulated just 193 yards, their lowest in the Dan Mullen era.
“We just never got into a rhythm,” Mullen said. “We had our opportunities, but our playmakers just have to make plays.”
And while the Tigers exceeded their average by a few yards, it was still a drastic improvement for the MSU defense from the Auburn game, particularly on the ground.
After yielding 235 rushing yards on the Plains, MSU held LSU to just 148. Spencer Ware led the ground assault with 107 yards on 22 carries.
For MSU, Vick Ballard rushed for a team-high 38 yards on 10 carries, while Chris Relf was 11-of-17 passing for 96 yards and an interception.
“I'm just going to assume they kicked our rear ends on first down, and that was the difference in the game,” Mullen said of his offense.
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