LSU at Mississippi St – College Football Predictions
The Game
Here we go ! Some underrated SEC action to look forward to on Saturday as LSU travels to face Mississippi St. The Tigers have looked pretty good so far with a 2-0 start but have not been tested as of yet. The same can be said for the Bulldogs who started the campaign with victories over something called Charleston Southern and emerging JUGGERNAUT Louisiana Tech. Analysis – ENGAGE.
The Details
LSU -7 Mississippi St (51)
MEGALOCKS LINE – LSU -10
“Vegas” Implied Projected Score: LSU 29 Mississippi St 22
Massey Ratings Projected Score: LSU 30 Mississippi St 17
The Match-Up
LSU offense vs Mississippi St defense
It is often cliche but this time we really believe it. If LSU can run the ball effectively vs the soft underbelly of the Bulldogs’ defense it seems to us that the battle is won. RB Derrius Guice is off to a fine start with 224 yards rushing and QB Danny Etling has completed over 70% of his passes so far without throwing an INT. It remains to be seen how “explosive” this LSU attack can be but they get to face a defense this Saturday that was one of the worst in the SEC last season (32 ppg allowed). Mississippi St has allowed well over an average of 400 yards per game over the past three seasons so color us skeptical at the moment.
Mississippi St offense vs LSU defense
There is no doubt Mississippi St has a shot to win this one given the talent at QB. Nick Fitzgerald is a fantastic runner and dangerous enough when MATRICULATING down the field in the passing game. Of course it will not be like playing against high school kids on defense this week (see wk 1, wk 2 opponents) because LSU certainly has the speed to stop him from going nuts. We like the way RB Aeris Williams looked the first two weeks, but then again, this is LSU we are talking about. And they get star LB Arden Key in the fold even if he is not at 100%. That is a big plus for the Tigers in our eyes. They will need him as DL Rashard Lawrence appears to be unavailable as we go to press. Overall we think the Bulldogs can hit some big plays based on the mobility of Fitzgerald but find it hard to believe they will have sustained success.
MEGA-MAZING MORSELS
Both teams appear to have major issues at PK with missed FGs and XPs O PLENTY so far…..LSU has won 16 of the last 17 meetings although the Bulldogs have covered three straight…..LSU has covered 9 of the last 11 on the road in this series….Confused yet ?
Summary
It is tough to get a read on the relative quality of these teams. LSU completely dominated BYU but the Cougars are a HOT MESS on offense. And both teams have played an FCS opponent. If the Bulldogs’ defense is closer in quality to the units from earlier in the decade as opposed to what was on the field last season we may have a game. It does feel however that the edge has to go with team that should have better success running the ball and possesses the better defense.
The last 5 times Mississippi St faced defenses with a pulse the results were as follows – offensive output – 17 (Miami Ohio), 3 (ROLL TIDE), 21 (BYU – OT), 14 (Auburn) and LSU (20).
Official play
LSU -7 -105 (play up to -8) (released 7:03 pm Sept 13)