LSU football got SEC play started the right way on Saturday when it defeated visiting Mississippi State by a score of 31-16. The Tigers’ victory over the Bulldogs takes them to 2-1 on the season and 1-0 in conference games. It was a massive victory for Brian Kelly’s team, who earned a bit of respect around the nation for their efforts in this contest.
The Bayou Bengals used a second half surge to power past their visitors after falling behind early on. The determination of Jayden Daniels and Co. was on full display for the nation to see. After going behind 13-0 early, LSU clawed its way back. The Tiger Stadium faithful roared as they watched their team outscore Mississippi State 31-3 the rest of the way behind some incredibly physical and fundamentally sound football.
Which LSU football players earned their stripes against Mississippi State?
It was truly a team effort across the board. There were many unspoken heroes in this match-up. Before getting into the best players on the evening, a couple of individuals deserve special shoutouts for their performances.
Daniels is the first one that comes to mind. While the Tigers’ signal caller didn’t have his best game in purple and gold, he fought until the final whistle. Jaray Jenkins also deserves a mention. It was the veteran receiver’s valiant effort on the goal line that opened up the scoring for the Bayou Bengals on the evening. Mike Denbrock’s offense was struggling up until Jenkins found the end zone, and he lit a fire underneath them that willed the team to victory.
Here are the LSU players who earned their stripes in the win over the Bulldogs:
1. Slade Roy
I think I speak for the entirety of the fanbase when I say I had no idea a long snapper would be one of the most influential players in this contest. Slade Roy ensured he would leave his mark on the game with his contributions though. Roy’s craft often goes unnoticed by many, but when he got his moment to shine, he seized the opportunity.
Set the scene.
The Tigers had scored 10 unanswered points on either side of the half, but the Bulldogs responded quickly. After LSU had cut the lead to three, Mississippi State answered with a field goal and a defensive stop. Things were looking grim for Denbrock’s offense once again as the third quarter drew to a close. The Tigers were forced to punt. The Bulldogs would be getting the ball back clinging onto a six-point lead heading into the game’s final period.
Special teams errors had plagued LSU for the entirety of the season up until this point. Roy—who was in on the play as the long snapper—sprinted down the field in coverage, where Mississippi State was set to receive the punt inside the 10. The punt was muffed and Roy was rewarded for his efforts as he picked up the loose ball. Daniels would go on to punch the ball into the end zone a few moments later. This gave the Tigers a lead that they would never relinquish.
Roy’s impactful fumble recovery was a game-changing moment. LSU’s special teams unit had another night to forget at the office, and if it weren’t for the East Carolina transfer’s heroics, it would’ve been a subject of conversation following the game. However, it was this heads-up play that would go on to help lift the Tigers to victory in the end.
2. Malik Nabers
Whereas Roy had one moment to shine, the next player who earned his stripes had many. Malik Nabers and the rest of the LSU receiving core must be slightly frustrated with their lack of involvement thus far. For one reason or another, the Tigers have run the ball (either with the backs or Daniels himself) a lot more than they should at times. There is still a lot of time left in the season and the offense is still attempting to work out some of its internal issues.
Nabers popped up and performed whenever he was needed most on Saturday though. Many will remember the Bayou Bengals’ No. 8 for his two muffed punts in Week 1. This is a bit unfair to the youngster though as he’s done so much more since then to redeem himself. Chances are his showing at the weekend will put those chats to bed once and for all.
LSU needed to move the ball downfield throughout the second half. A bleak offensive performance in the first half put the home team behind early. The defense held on as well as it could, the Tigers just needed to string some solid drives together.
Enter Nabers.
The young receiver came up huge with several third and fourth down conversions, including one of the most important plays of the game. Daniels turned to the sophomore on fourth and three from the Mississippi State 34-yard-line. Instead of trying to get cute and pick up just a couple of yards, Denbrock dialed up a slot fade for Nabers, who ended up picking up 25+ yards on the catch.
LSU would go on to score as a result of Nabers’ heroics on the drive and put the game out of reach for Mike Leach’s men. The Tigers would’ve stalled offensively on numerous occasions if not for the clutch catches by their young receiver. Nabers finished the evening with six receptions for 76 yards—both of which were team highs.
3. The running backs
As I touched on earlier, the running backs were a huge part of LSU’s game plan against Mississippi State. The run game was poor against Florida State, and it seems as if Denbrock—like many spectators—realized that after the Week 1 defeat. They became a lot more involved against Southern a couple of weekends ago, as well.
The Tigers’ insistence on trying to run the ball shows their commitment to trying to be a well-rounded offense. The entire country knows that Kelly possesses some of the most talented receivers, they will be the focus of any defensive coordinator prepping for the Bayou Bengals. Therefore, establishing a successful ground attack is paramount for LSU.
John Emery Jr.’s return to the field will be helpful as the Tigers try to construct a presence in the running game. He didn’t look great against the Bulldogs, but which running back did? LSU averaged 5.4 yards per carry (206 yards on 38 rushing attempts) on paper, which is a deceiving figure. Armoni Goodwin’s 47-yard touchdown rush skewed the numbers in the Tigers’ favor.
All of that being said, that doesn’t mean LSU doesn’t get credit. The Tigers were running behind a new offensive line for the third straight week. This time they were also facing an SEC defense.
The running game was mediocre—nothing more, nothing less—in the first half when LSU was struggling to move the ball. In the second half though, they came to life. Touchdowns from Daniels, Goodwin and Josh Williams helped propel the Tigers to victory and wear down an already exhausted Bulldogs defensive front.
It was a prototypical SEC win on Saturday for LSU. The Tigers utilized their running game and stubborn defense to power them to victory in a relatively ugly slugfest. Emery Jr.’s presence, along with Goodwin’s emergence, will allow LSU to be a lot more sound on the ground going forward. One does wonder where this leaves the Penn State transfer, Noah Cain, on the depth chart.
4. The defense
There are a lot of question marks surrounding this LSU team that remain, even three weeks into the season. Suffice it to say, defense is not one of them.
The defensive unit was the most heavily scrutinized heading into the year. Matt House was returning to the college game to become a defensive coordinator for the first time in four years. The Tigers lost a plethora of players due to graduation or the transfer portal. Nearly the entire secondary was comprised of incoming transfers. Maason Smith’s season-ending injury against Florida State just made matters worse and put the Bayou Bengals at a huge disadvantage.
Nevertheless, they didn’t give up. The defense has been phenomenal from the moment it first stepped on the field in the Caesars Superdome. There have been a couple of blunders here and there—such as struggling to get off the field on third down—but they have always come through when they’re needed the most.
The entire defense is named on this list because it’s too hard to narrow it down to one or two stars from the Mississippi State victory. Harold Perkins and BJ Ojulari wreaked havoc on the Bulldogs’ offense all night long. The pass rush from the Bayou Bengals’ defense was phenomenal and those two stood out amongst the rest.
The secondary also deserves a lot of credit; specifically Jay Ward. Whereas safety Major Burns has gotten a lot of the credit up until this point, it’s Ward who was the standout performer on Saturday. Ward showed up all over the stat sheet. The senior finished with a team-high 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one pass deflected and one interception. He was flying around the field making plays left and right.
The performances earned Ward Defensive Player of the Week and Ojulari Defensive Lineman of the Week honors in the SEC.
The Tigers’ defense deserves a lot of credit for the win over the Bulldogs. Leach’s air raid offense is one of the most difficult in the country to defend. LSU held its opponent to 16 points after Mississippi State came into the game averaging 44 points per game. The Bayou Bengals still have to prove their strength against other SEC opposition, it’s not farfetched to claim that they may have one of the best defenses in the country though.