No. 22 MSU Travels to No. 5 LSU for Primetime SEC Matchup
BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 22 Mississippi State will play its second straight game against a ranked team as the Bulldogs take on No. 5 LSU at 6 p.m. CT Saturday in Death Valley on ESPN. It will be MSU’s (4-2, 1-2 SEC) fifth straight night game. For complete gameday and stadium information, visit HailState.com/gameday.
State enters the game coming off an open week after earning a 23-9 victory against then-No. 8 Auburn at home. The win over Auburn was the Bulldogs' largest margin of victory over a top-10 team since beating No. 2 Auburn, 38-23, on Oct. 11, 2014, a game that catapulted MSU to its first No. 1 ranking. Since that memorable season, MSU has produced five victories over top-10 teams. That mark is third in the SEC.
LSU (6-1, 3-1 SEC), who was coming off a 27-19 loss at Florida on Oct. 6, knocked off No. 2 Georgia last Saturday at home, 36-16.
Viewing Information
The game will be televised live on ESPN with Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst) and Tom Luginbill (sideline) set to call the action. Live streaming video is available via the Watch ESPN app and WatchESPN.com.
Listening Information
The MSU Sports Network C Spire Tailgate Show, hosted by Bart Gregory and Matt Wyatt of the MSU Football Radio Network goes live at 4 p.m. CT. Neil Price, Matt Wyatt and Jay Perry will call the game on the network (check for affiliates here). Live audio is also available for FREE at HailState.com and via the TuneIn app. Fans in Starkville can tune to 100.9 FM. Fans inside Tiger Stadium can tune to 89.9.
Cowbells
Cowbells will not be permitted inside Tiger Stadium.
Social Media/Live Stats
Live updates from the game are available via MSU's official social media channels: Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (click the links). Live Stats are available via LSUstats.com.
Weather
Temperatures at kickoff will be around 75 degrees … partly cloudy skies with a five percent chance of rain.
Series History– MSU and LSU are meeting for the 112th time.
– The Bulldogs have played LSU and Ole Miss more than any SEC opponent dating back to 1896.
– The Tigers lead the all-time series 73-35-3.
– This is the latest the two teams have met on the calendar since Nov. 10, 2012.
– Last season, the Bulldogs scored their largest victory ever in the series with a 37-7 win in Starkville.
– The series is 2-2 in the last four matchups.
– Three out of the last four meetings have come down to the final two minutes.
– This is the third time that both teams are ranked at the time of the matchup in the last seven years (2012, 2015).
– MSU's last victory in Tiger Stadium occurred on Sept. 20, 2014 behind a brilliant performance from Dak Prescott that resulted in a 34-29 win. That was the Bulldogs’ first victory in Baton Rouge since Nov. 16, 1991.
By The Numbers18 – Sacks in 19 career games for Montez Sweat, the most by a player in the Power 5 since 2017
76 – Points allowed by MSU through six games this season, the fewest in the FBS
569 – Snaps in pass protection by Rimington Trophy candidate Elgton Jenkins at center over the last 19 games without allowing a sack
5 – Number of games MSU has held its opponent to less than 14 points, which is the most in the FBS
0 – Fumbles lost this season by the Bulldogs, who are the only team in the FBS without a lost fumble
2,999 – Career rush yards by Nick Fitzgerald, needing just one to become the 11th FBS QB ever with 3,000 rush yards/5,000 pass yards/40 rush TD/40 pass TD
Five Things To Know1. State leads the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 12.7 points per game, and ranks eighth in total defense (289.7). The Bulldogs also rank 13th in passing defense (174.3) and 19th in rushing defense (115.3). The Bulldogs boast the SEC's top rushing offense (240.7) and rank inside the top five in the conference in all major defensive statistical categories including scoring defense (1st at 12.7), total defense (1st at 289.7), rushing defense (2nd at 115.3) and passing defense (2nd at 174.3).
2. MSU has claimed four straight wins in the month of October dating back to the 2016 season. All four of those victories have come by double-digits, including a 35-14 fashion at No. 24 Texas A&M last season. The Bulldogs have outscored opponents 171-72 during the current October winning streak.
3. The Bulldog offensive line was named to the Joe Moore Award's midseason honor roll Tuesday. The Joe Moore Award is named in honor of Joe Moore, who was a long time offensive line coach at the collegiate level. Led by Rimington Trophy candidate center Elgton Jenkins, State's offensive line has helped pave the way for three 300-yard rushing games (the most in the SEC and the second most in the Power 5).
4. The national leader in sacks per game, Montez Sweat landed on four midseason All-America teams this week. Sweat earned first-team honors from Sporting News, Sports Illustrated and The Athletic and picked up second-team status from the Associated Press. Since arriving to Starkville prior to last season, Sweat has been a nightmare for opposing offensive lines and a thorn in opposing quarterbacks' sides. No player in the Power 5 since the start of the 2017 season has been credited with more sacks than Sweat, who has 18 to his name in 19 career games as a Bulldog.
5. MSU has allowed only 22 first-half points this season and leads the nation in fewest first-half points allowed average (3.67). State has not allowed a touchdown in the first quarter all season and allowed opponents to find the end zone in the first half only once (second quarter at Kentucky on Sept. 21). The Bulldogs have allowed only nine first-quarter points through six games this season and currently rank tied for fourth in the nation in first-quarter points allowed per game (1.5).
