LSU (Summer) Game Preview
Oct 12, 2013; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers mascot Mike the Tiger celebrates with fans in the stands during the second half of a game against the Florida Gators at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Florida 17-6. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Beating LSU would be awesome. It would be one of the most enjoyable games that I would have witnessed as a Mississippi State fan. We haven’t done it since 1999, and even then, it was accomplished because we were the beneficiaries of a highly questionable touchdown call at the goal line on 4th down. As much as I would enjoy it, don’t make the mistake of thinking the LSU game is a must win game.
Winning 8 games should be the bare minimum for this Mississippi State team. 9 is what it will take to make me happy as a fan. Getting to 9 is very possible without winning in Baton Rouge. So if it isn’t a must win game, what is it?
An opportunity.
If there ever was a year where the Bulldogs could go down to Baton Rouge and pull off the upset to end this streak, this would be the year. LSU is only returning 12 starters, 5 on offense and 7 on defense. One of those players they will be replacing will be their quarterback. They will be inserting a lot of new parts on their team, and Mississippi State gets the Tigers on the fourth game of the year. The Tigers also have a very challenging game against Wisconsin where they will have to use the entire playbook to get a win for the first game of the season. LSU could very easily be working out a lot of kinks in their team.
On our side, Mississippi State will be returning 16 starters, 8 on both offense and defense. The first three games should be simple enough that we can use a very vanilla game plan and still win easily. Our players are going to be familiar with the offensive and defensive schemes the coaches will implement. Despite the history of this series, this is a game that Mississippi State can win.
I fully expect Mississippi State to be around a 10 point underdog by the time the game gets here. Mississippi State not only loses, but normally loses big to LSU. Last year, the game was as close as it could be for three quarters, and then LSU ran off 28 points in the 4th to blow us out. All of that would suggest a large number in the point spread. But if Mississippi State is going to make the step toward being a competitive team in the SEC West, knocking off the LSU Tigers early in the season would be a great place to start.