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LSU vs Mississippi State: Do the Bulldogs have a chance against the Tigers?

On Thursday, September 15, 2011, the LSU Tigers will travel to Starkville, MS to play the Mississippi Bulldogs in an SEC West Showdown. If MSU loses this game, they will most likely be out of contention for the SEC West Title. Having already lost once in the SEC, a second loss means MSU would need to win the rest of their SEC games and have both LSU and the Auburn Tigers lose at least 3 in conference games; they would also require the rest of the western division of the SEC to lose two SEC games each, one to them and another to someone else.

The LSU Tigers have looked great this year. They opened the season with a huge win over the #3 ranked Oregon Ducks from the PAC 12 in Dallas, TX. In week two, they crushed Northwestern State 49-3. Without starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson, suspended indefinitely following a bar fight, LSU must depend on their defense, special teams, and rushing game to win games. Quarterback Jarrett Lee is expected to merely protect the ball and manage the offense. They do not put a lot on his shoulders, and they do not need to. The Tigers are that good at the other phases of the game.

The MSU Bulldogs have also looked good this year, despite losing to Auburn in week two. In that game, the Bulldogs had more rushing yards, more passing yards, more total yards, and held the ball 16 more minutes than Auburn, however, they fell just short when quarterback Chris Relf was stopped at the one inch line as time expired. It was a bad loss and a game MSU should have and could have won. Unfortunately, they did not and now find themselves in a must win situation versus LSU.

Stat comparison of the two teams

LSU Tigers Statistics through Week Two

Rushing Offense - ranked 41st; 175.00 rushing yards per game
Passing Offense - ranked 99th; 161.50 passing yards per game
Total Offense - ranked 89th; 336.50 total yards per game
Scoring Offense - ranked 19th; 44.50 points per game
Rushing Defense - ranked 8th; 45.50 rushing yards given up per game
Pass Defense - ranked 28th; 169.50 passing yards given up per game
Total Defense - ranked 12th; 215.00 total yards given up per game
Scoring Defense - ranked 29th; 15.00 points given up per game

MSU Statistics through Week Two

Rushing Offense - ranked 6th; 321.00 rushing yards per game
Passing Offense - ranked 32nd; 267.00 passing yards per game
Total Offense - ranked 5th; 588.00 total yards per game
Scoring Offense - ranked 13th; 46.50 points per game
Rushing Defense - ranked 99th; 199.50 rushing yards given up per game
Pass Defense - ranked 26th; 160.00 passing yards given up per game
Total Defense - ranked 56th; 359.50 total yards given up per game
Scoring Defense - ranked 73rd; 27.50 points given up per game

This is going to be a very good game, and one that is definitely worth watching. For those of you that think MSU has no chance in this game, think again. If LSU had a more productive offense, that might be true. The Bulldogs are a really good football team and are capable of pulling the upset if LSU is not able to generate a passing game.

The opening line has LSU favored by 3.5 points, and I expect the Tigers to be able to cover. Their defense is just too good and will shut down MSU's offense. However, personally, I would not touch this game. It is too unpredictable. LSU did crush Oregon, but they had a lot of young players on both lines and MSU does not.

LSU vs Mississippi State: Do the Bulldogs have a chance against the...

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