LSU uses patient defensive approach, big plays to win at Mississippi State

What a difference a year makes.

To open the 2020 season, then LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, playing without star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., elected to play man-to-man coverage most of the way against Mississippi State.

The result was a guy named KJ Costello passed for 623 yards and five touchdowns in a 44-34 win over LSU at Tiger Stadium.

Costello would not come close to making the season as the starter with the Bulldogs.

The loss set LSU into a swoon from which the Tigers never recovered.

Fast forward to Saturday in Starkville for the rematch.

Stingley was missing again. So was Andre Anthony. Ali Gaye was at less than 100 percent.

LSU learned and the Tigers went on the road and got an important 28-25 SEC win.

These were two mirror images in the first half.

Both LSU and Mississippi State basically screamed out to each other to run the football, with both defenses employing 3-man fronts on early downs.

While both teams obliged and ran it some, neither was overly effective or stuck with it very long.

The result was a 7-3 lead for LSU at halftime, largely thanks to Cordale Flott causing a fumble and Damone Clark returning it 35 yards in nine plays with Max Johnson hitting Kayson Boutte with an 11-yard touchdown pass.

That lead stood up as State mounted one meaningful drive, going 80 yards in 14 plays, taking 6:19 off the clock but the Tigers made a good goal-line stand and forced a 23-yard field goal by Nolan McCord.

State had 205 yards to just 113 for LSU, including just 26 rushing.

LSU started with a bang in the second half.

First, Tyrion Davis-Price rushed 11 yards for a first down.

Then, Johnson hit Boutte in stride over the middle and Boutte beat and outran Emmanuel Forbes for a 64-yard touchdown to make it 14-3 just 38 seconds into the second half.

Wasn’t it nice for LSU watchers to see an opponent blow a coverage?

Johnson, given lots of time, found Trey Palmer all alone for a 58-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 21-3 lead with 3:35 to play in the third quarter.

Johnson has now thrown for three touchdowns or more in all six of his starts for LSU.

Mississippi State finally put the ball in the end zone, driving 75 yards in eight plays, taking 3:09 off the clock with Will Rogers hitting Makai Polk on a 29-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-10 with 26 seconds left in the third quarter.

BJ Ujulari went down in the third quarter, another big loss to the LSU defense.

Austin Deculus went down injured early in the fourth-quarter but he was able to return.

Mississippi State appeared to get a stop with momentum but the Bulldogs were penalized for a personal foul for trying to leap over the punt protection wall, giving LSU new life at the State 45-yard line.

The Tigers took total advantage, as Johnson hit Kole Taylor on a 41-yard touchdown pass to give LSU a 28-10 lead with 11:32 to play in the game. On the play, two Bulldog defenders collided, knocked each other down and Taylor was all alone to take it into the end zone.

Mississippi State responded by driving 75 yards in 12 plays, taking 4:44 off the clock with Rogers hitting Austin Williams with a 2-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 28-17 with 6:48 to play in the game.

The comeback continued as the Bulldogs went 66 yards in 12 plays, taking 3:43 off the clock with Rogers hitting J. Marks on a 16-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 28-23 with 1:53 to play in the game. Marks came out of the backfield on a wheel route, totally ignored, uncovered, and scored on the blown coverage. Rogers then hit M. Heath with a 2-point conversion to make it 28-25.

On the ensuing onside kick, MSU touched the ball illegally, giving LSU the ball at the Bulldog 41-yard line.

Mike Leach challenged the call and lost and lost its final timeout, killing any chance of State getting the ball back.

To be clear, it was a good win.

Anytime you win in the SEC on the road, it is a good win.

Yes, LSU survived, holding on in the fourth quarter when its defense was clearly tired.

Mississippi State outgained LSU 486 to 343. The Bulldogs controlled the ball for 35:08 to just 24:52 for the Tigers, again, because LSU cannot run the ball. State had 29 first downs to 15 for LSU. The Tigers won the turnover battle, forcing two while committing just one.

Mississippi State was 12-of-18 on third down and still lost the game.

Johnson became the first quarterback since 2016 to throw more than one touchdown pass of 55+ yards in the same game. Johnson completed 17-of-27 passes for 280 yards and four touchdowns with an interception. Boutte had four catches for 86 yards and two scores.

It was not pretty and LSU had to hold on but the patient approach on defense worked just well enough, just long enough, for the better part of three quarters.

Eventually, it cracked but give Daronte Jones from learning from the mistake of Pelini a year ago. Rushing three, occasionally four defenders and playing zone coverage was the right call.

Next up, LSU hosts Auburn. Last year, the War Eagles demolished LSU 48-11, administering a physical beating to the Tigers.

Can LSU extract revenge once more?

You get the feeling that the Tigers, with key defensive players injured, adding Ojulari to the mix, that it will be difficult, particularly if LSU cannot find a running game of any sort.

Still, there is the record of 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the SEC. That is certainly palatable, considering the way all observers felt after the season opener at UCLA.