In a game completely opposite of last Saturday’s shootout in Auburn, Mississippi State dropped its second-straight game, falling short against the LSU Tigers 19-6.
It was a game of field goals until LSU found the endzone on a 19-yard completion from quarterback Jarrett Lee to William Randall. The score was the final blow for an MSU team that hung even with the No. 3 Tigers for three quarters.
The loss is the 12th consecutive loss in the series for No. 25 MSU, a streak that dates back to 1999.
After losing to the Tigers in front of a crowd of 56,924, Mississippi State now sits at 0-2 in the SEC West, which gives the Bulldogs a tough hill to climb if they want to compete with the top of the division.
The nationally-televised Thursday night game featured stingy defense in the beginning of the game, with both teams putting together decent drivesbut ultimately settling for field goals.
After a 16-play, seven-minute drive stalled on the State four yard line, LSU settled for a 21-yard field goal from Drew Alleman to go up 3-0 with 5:42 left in the first quarter.
The Tigers controlled the line of scrimmage throughout most of the drive, but pass coverage from MSU’s Cameron Lawrence kept LSU out of the endzone.
When MSU got the ball back, Relf lead the team down the field, running for two first downs and passing for one on a 14-play drive, but like LSU’s previous drive, the Bulldogs stalled inside the 10-yard line and settled for a 26-yard field goal from Derek DePasquale, tying the game at 3-3 just before the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, an LSU drive appeared to be over a third down pass fell incomplete, but head coach Les Miles had called a timeout before the play, negating it. The Tigers went on to kick a field goal on that drive, putting them ahead 6-3, a lead they would hold until halftime.
The two teams traded field goals again in the third quarter. MSU had momentum on its side after a 42-yard field goal from Derek DePasquale tied the game, but the Tigers responded with a field goal drive of their own.
The go-ahead drive was extended on a controversial personal foul called on MSU defensive back Wade Bonner as the Tigers went ahead 9-6 in the third quarter.
The penalty appeared to mark a turning point in the game as the Bulldogs never quite recovered and appeared out-matched from that point on.
The touchdown pass from Lee to Randall made it a two-possession game, and the Tigers added a field goal with 2:53 left in the game to make it a final score of 19-6.
The LSU defense kept MSU in check all game, never allowing any big plays and holding MSU to only 193 net yards. The Tigers also dominated time of possession, keeping the ball for nearly 40 minutes of the game.
After an offseason full of hype, MSU now finds itself in the same position it was a year ago: sitting at 0-2 in conference play after losses to Auburn and LSU.
After this point in 2010, the Bulldogs went on to win five consecutive games. Now MSU fans will look to see if this team can turn it around in a similar fashion.