Unforgettable is the word MSU head coach Sylvester Croom used to describe the atmosphere that surrounds Tiger Stadium on a game day.
Croom’s former head coach Bear Bryant once said, “It’s like being inside of a drum.”
“If (LSU fans) were going to come down on the field, yeah I would have been intimidated,” Croom said with a laugh. “As long as they stayed in the bleachers I never worried about it.”
In 1998, Sport Magazine named Tiger Stadium “the most feared road playing site in America.”
The Bulldogs will definitely be in for a challenge on their first road game of the season, but Croom seemed excited at the thought of it.
“I look forward to going to Baton Rouge; it’s been a long time since I’ve been to that stadium,” Croom said. “It is truly a great place to play. The whole atmosphere is something that you as a player do not forget.”
Domination is an understatement when describing the Mississippi State/LSU series. The Tigers have won 16 out of the last 19 games, including an 11-1 mark in the past 12 games. LSU has outscored the Bulldogs 114-19 over the past three years and the Tigers lead the all-time series 61-33-3.
LSU offense vs. MSU defense
The Bulldog defense will face something it hasn’t seen this year-a dual quarterback threat. Senior Marcus Randall and highly-recruited red shirt freshman JaMarcus Russell will alternate duties at quarterback.
“Somebody’s got to take the bull by the horns at this position to get the kind of execution that we need,” head coach Nick Saban said. “We’re going to continue to work with both guys, and we believe in both guys.”
So what’s the difference between the two quarterbacks? Croom says both have similarities but Randall is more inclined to run the ball if he cannot find an open receiver, where Russell relies more on his arm. Russell is a 6-foot-5, 248-pound monster.
“Russell is huge,” Croom said. “He’s as big as some of our defensive ends, so we have our work cut out for us in getting this guy on the ground.”
Both quarterbacks have a completion percentage under 50, but Russell has 419 passing yards to Randall’s 170. While each has thrown an interception, Russell has thrown four touchdowns, where Randall has thrown two.
LSU features a three-pronged running attack. Justin Vincent will start, while Alley Broussard and Joseph Addai will rotate in. Broussard, the largest of the three, may present the largest problem for the Mississippi State defense due to his size. The six-foot, 233-pound sophomore racked up 84 yards on a usually stingy Auburn defense.
Croom said the LSU offensive line resembles Auburn’s. Two weeks ago Auburn’s line parted massive holes in the Bulldog front seven and helped Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown combined for 269 yards.
The left side of the Tigers offensive line features a 6-foot-7, 325-pound tackle and a 6-foot-4, 320-pound guard. The right side of the line is drastically lighter. The Tigers right guard and tackle are both 6-foot-4, but they weigh only 293 and 295-pounds.
LSU defense vs. MSU offense
The Bulldogs will be going up against an LSU defense that returned seven starters from a 2003 squad that ranked No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense (11 points per game) and total defense (252 yards per game).
The Tiger defensive line is nothing short of impressive. Marcus Spears and Kyle Williams anchor the defensive line. Spears ran his career sack total to 11 against Oregon State and forced and recovered a fumble.
“Defensively they have a great player in Marcus Spears,” Croom said. “The guy that I had not heard much about–their outside linebacker–is a very impressive player and I put him right up their with Spears. I’ve seen him do some things in the run game and coverage that are exceptional.”
The MSU offensive line, which has one true substitute for five positions, will be pelted time after time with Nick Saban’s feared blitz package.
In their first three games the Tigers have amounted seven sacks for a total loss of 59 yards.
“They’ll blitz you anywhere on the field, any down and distance any time. There’s no pattern as to what they do.”
LSU ranked third in the nation in rushing defense last year, allowing only 67 rushing yards a game. The Tigers have allowed an average of 121 yards rushing over their first three games of the year.
Croom credited that to the Tiger’s cornerbacks, who allow LSU to stack the line of scrimmage, shutting down the run.
“They’ve got two corners who are good enough to where they feel very comfortable leaving those two guys out there man-to-man and that allows them to play eight- and nine-man fronts.”
Comparing Opponents
LSU and Mississippi State share one opponent. The Bulldogs were run over by Auburn 43-14 in Starkville.
Last week LSU dropped a 10-9 decision to Auburn in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The LSU defense held Auburn running back Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams to a combined 152 yards.
LSU’s offense racked up 171 total rushing yards on Auburn, while Mississippi State barely picked up 80 yards on the ground.
Injury report
Quarterback Omarr Conner sustained a separated shoulder mid-way through the third quarter of Saturday’s game.
Heroically, Conner played with the injury for the rest of the game.
“Omarr says he’s going to play and that’s good enough for me,” Croom said.
Senior receiver McKinley Scott has been impeded by a hamstring pull that he suffered in the Bulldogs loss to Auburn. Scott has not been practicing since his injury and is doubtful for Saturday’s game.
Senior running back Jerious Norwood bruised his knee Saturday night, but Norwood has practiced this week and is cleared for this weekend.
Red shirt freshman wide receiver Joey Sanders was back practicing Monday. Sanders is recovering from a separated shoulder he suffered during the Auburn game. He will probably play this weekend.
Senior receiver Ray Ray Bivines practiced with the team for the first time since spring practice this week. Bivines has been hampered by a nerve injury and was set to make a return soon, but seeing him play Saturday is a slim possibility. MSU is now in the process of trying to seek another year of eligibility for the red shirt senior.