LSU was already clicking on all cylinders Saturday morning with fans still trickling into Tiger Stadium and Mississippi State, absent its star quarterback, struggling to keep up.
The No. 22 Tigers (5-2, 2-2) shut out the No. 16 Bulldogs (4-2, 2-2) and got quickly and efficiently to work build a three-touchdown advantage by halftime and cruise to the 31-0 bounce-back victory and first shutout of an SEC opponent since 2007.
LSU forced an immediate three-and-out to start the day and added a Ty Benefield interception and an eye-popping five consecutive fourth-down stops, including a goal-line stand just before halftime, to highlight the stingy defensive showing.
Senior linebacker T.J. Dottery wrapped up a game-high 12 tackles, and defensive tackles Dominick McKinley (Acadiana) and Stephiylan Green and linebacker Davhon Keys combined for two sacks.
And a near-interception and another jarring third-down breakup by sophomore corner D.J. Pickett and timely deflections and tackles shy of lines-to-gain by junior safety Tamarcus Cooley and corner P.J. Woodland joined the Benefield pick among big plays in coverage.
LSU’s shutout marked its first since Oct. 21, 2023, against Army and first against a conference foe since blanking the Bulldogs on Aug. 30, 2007.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt meanwhile completed his first six passes, including a 10-yard touchdown to Eugene “Tre” Wilson III, and 10 of his first 11 throws on his way to 289 yards and four scores on 31-for-38 passing.
The junior quarterback spread the ball around to nine different targets, including a pair of first-half touchdowns to Jackson Harris and another to Malik Elzy in the third quarter, and did not throw an interception for his first time in seven games in purple and gold.
The performance by Harris, six catches for 85 yards and two end-zone trips, marked the Hawaii transfer’s third straight SEC game with a hand in two touchdowns after catching two against Texas A&M and catching one and throwing one this past week at Kentucky.
But he exited early in the third quarter after taking another catch down toward the goal line, coming up slowly after the tackle and limping to the sideline in clear discomfort.
Injuries continue to be a challenging trend for the Tigers this season as Harris, fellow wide receiver Eugene “Tre” Brown III, star edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen and highly touted freshman edge Lamar Brown (University Lab) were knocked out of Saturday’s contest.
LSU entered the week with at least eight players sidelined for extended periods of time, going back to defensive end Gabriel Reliford (Evangel Christian) and cornerback Aidan Anding (Ruston) in the spring and currently including star tight end Trey’Dez Green (East Feliciana, Zachary) and linebacker Whit Weeks working back from September injuries.
But other Tigers continue to step up and play well in their roles.
Sophomore running back Dilin Jones provided another strong combination of rushing and receiving production with 18 carries for 84 yards and eight catches for 58 yards.
Sophomore wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. caught four passes for 31 yards, and Wilson and freshman Corey Barber Jr. had three receptions each for 32 yards and 24 yards, respectively.
LSU hits the road again next week in search of its first road win of the season in an 11 a.m. kickoff Saturday at Auburn (3-2, 1-2).
This article will be further updated…
