MSU Football History: Remember When MSU Owned LSU?
Given our lack of success against LSU over the past thirty years , it may be a little hard to believe that in the not-so-distant past, Mississippi State actually defeated LSU five years in a row. That five game winning streak (1980-84) was part of a longer period of success for the Bulldogs, who captured 9 of 11 contests during the period from 1974-84. (The NCAA forced MSU to forfeit the 1975 & 76 wins, but who cares what they say, we won the games on the field.)
Legendary quarterback John Bond was absolute poison for the Bengal Tigers, posting a 4-0 record vs. LSU as a starting quarterback. He was the first QB to ever beat a team four times in a career and is still the only opposing quarterback in LSU history to accomplish such a feat. Bond capped his four year career against LSU in 1983 by rushing for 4 touchdowns and 158 yards in a 45-26 rout at Tiger Stadium.
Tiger fans were certainly glad to see Bond depart after the 1983 season and must have felt their fortunes against the Bulldogs were finally turning in 1984, when an injury to starting quarterback Don Smith forced the Bulldogs to turn to backup Orlando Lundie, who hailed from Bogalusa, Louisiana. Lundie responded by rushing for 115 yards and passing for 157, leading State to a 16-14 victory over #9 LSU, their fifth in a row in the series.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, since that 1984 victory, they have prevailed only four times – in 1990, 1991, 1999 and 2014.
Perhaps the most exciting game of the five year winning streak occurred in 1980, a game played in Jackson, which I attended as an MSU student. Mississippi State was coming off an open date following its historic 6-3 win over two-time defending national champion and previously top ranked Alabama. LSU was unranked, but carried a 6-3 record into the contest.
Bulldog fans’ worried that the team may still be celebrating their historic Alabama win seemed well founded during the first half, as both offenses raced up and down the field in route to a 24-24 tie at halftime.
But Mississippi State put those worries to rest quickly after halftime. Glen Young opened the second half with a 100 yard kickoff return, and the Bulldogs never looked back, scoring 28 third quarter points as they rolled to a 55-31 thrashing of the Tigers. The 1980 Bulldogs then defeated Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl and accepted a bid to play in the Sun Bowl against Nebraska.
The Bulldogs have met LSU 107 times on the gridiron, more than any other opponent with the exception of Ole Miss. LSU has dominated the overall series, winning 14 in a row, 26 of the past 29 and leading the series 69-35-3 (71-33-3 if you count the forfeits). But the series was relatively competitive through 1984. And while the two teams have alternated home games since 1974, amazingly LSU hosted every game between 1934 and 1957. In fact, during the period from 1934 to 1970, only three games were played outside of Baton Rouge.
Why so many games in Baton Rouge? Well, in the pre-television days of the SEC, there was no revenue sharing of TV and bowl money to help supplement small budget SEC schools like Mississippi State. So during the Great Depression and for many years afterward, the Bulldogs often resorted to selling their home games to LSU and they were more than happy to oblige.