Entering Saturday's game at Mississippi State, it felt like a must-win for coach Ed Orgeron and the LSU Tigers.

When all was said and done, the Tigers left Starkville with a 28-25 victory in their SEC opener.

"Good team win. I wish we could've finished a little harder, but you have to give them the credit," said head coach Ed Orgeron.

LSU held an 18 point lead halfway through the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs scored 15 unanswered before the Tigers defense stepped up enough at the end of the game to hold on.

"Our defense played their heads out," explained quarterback Max Johnson.

Utilizing a 3 man front, LSU used 8 players in coverage to defend Mike Leach's aerial attack.

LSU linebacker Damone Clark forced a turnover on the Bulldogs opening drive, setting up the Tigers with good field position, leading to the first points of the game when Johnson connected with wide receiver Kayshon Boutee.

It wasn't Boutte's only score of the day, who showed why he's one of the best receivers in the country.

Johnson threw for 280 yards and 4 touchdowns on the day.

LSU still struggled to run the ball effectively, finishing the contest with only 63 rushing yards on 27 carries, a 2.3 yard per rush average.

Mississippi State outgained LSU in total yards (486-343), first downs (29-15), and handily won the time of possession battle (35:08-24:52).

But the Bulldogs turned the ball over twice, and lost the special teams battle for most of the game.

"We thought that if they threw the ball in front of us, and we could tackle, we'd win," explained Orgeron.

And they did.

LSU improves to 3-1 overall with the victory and 1-0 in SEC play.

Next week, they host #23 Auburn in Tiger Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8:00 pm.

 

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