Week 5: Mississippi State at LSU

Consider this game a battle of teams headed in opposite directions. After last Saturday’s win at Auburn, LSU is on the upswing, while Mississippi State has scored nine points in its last two games and needs a quick turnaround to make back-to-back bowl appearances.

Although Mississippi State’s defense has been solid this year, the offense has yet to match that production. Despite quarterback Wesley Carroll’s struggles, he will remain the starter for this game. However, the staff has not ruled out using backups Tyson Lee or Chris Relf. Carroll doesn’t need to be a gamebreaker, but he can’t afford to have another subpar performance for this team. With a struggling passing game, expect the Bulldogs to lean on Anthony Dixon. The junior has yet to top 100 yards this season, but he’s the best playmaker on the offense and needs 25-30 carries for the Bulldogs to win. Although the Bulldogs would like to pound the rock, the LSU defense ranks ninth nationally in rush defense.

In last week’s victory against Auburn, LSU may have found its quarterback. With Andrew Hatch out with a concussion, the offense got a spark from redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee. Hatch should be ready to play against the Bulldogs and coach Les Miles won’t name a starter until gametime. However, expect both to play. With two relatively inexperienced quarterbacks, the best medicine is a strong running game and one of the best offensive lines in the SEC. Expect Charles Scott to test the Mississippi State run defense, which ranks 92nd. With the Bulldogs struggling to build offensive momentum, the defense will be looking to create takeaways and give their offense a short field.

Notes:

This will be the 102nd meeting between LSU and Mississippi State. The Tigers hold a 65-33-3 edge over the Bulldogs and own an eight game winning streak in this series.

LSU has outscored Mississippi State 295-43 in the last seven match-ups.

LSU running back Charles Scott was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week for his 132-yard performance against Auburn.

Mississippi State right tackle Michael Gates is questionable to play with a hamstring injury. The Bulldogs have already had to do some offensive line shuffling going into the season, as left tackle Mike Brown was dismissed from the team.

Key Player (Bulldogs) – Anthony Dixon, RB

With the Bulldogs struggling to establish the passing game, Dixon needs to have a huge performance on Saturday. Despite battling a groin injury against Georgia Tech, the junior rushed for 94 yards on 13 carries, but has yet to carry the ball more than 20 times or notch 100 yards this season. The LSU defense is tough, but Dixon needs a big game.

Key Player (Tigers) – Charles Scott, RB

The LSU offense appears to be settling the quarterback derby, but Scott is still the go-to guy for this offense. The junior has topped 100 yards in all three contests this year and has four rushing touchdowns. Considering he rushed for 132 yards against a solid run defense in Auburn, he has a chance to push that total even higher against the Bulldogs.

LSU by 30