For much of the offseason, we heard that Mississippi State would be a surprise contender in the SEC West in 2014. On Saturday night, the Bulldogs proved why.
Dan Mullen’s squad went into Death Valley and overwhelmed No. 8 LSU from the opening kickoff in a 34-29 win that was much more lopsided than the final score indicates (LSU scored twice in 28 seconds late in the fourth quarter). The Bulldogs racked up a whopping 570 yards of total offense – and they made it look easy en route to the first MSU win in Baton Rouge since 1991.
The Bulldogs’ offense came out firing early and often, leaving the vaunted LSU defense looking confused. Junior quarterback Dak Prescott was on point for four quarters as he threw for 268 and two touchdowns while also racking up 105 yards and another score on the ground. In addition to Prescott, the Tigers had no answer for the running prowess of Josh Robinson. The 5-foot-9, 215-pound junior running back registered 197 yards on just 16 carries.
The MSU defense never allowed the Tigers’ ground game to get going. Though the Tigers put up 430 yards of total offense, only 89 of those yards came via the run on 35 attempts – a 2.5-yard average.
LSU split snaps between Brandon Harris (6-of-9, 140 yards, two TDs, one INT) and Anthony Jennings (13-of-26, 157 yards) at quarterback, and both were subjected to some hard hits from the MSU front seven, especially when they tried to run. The two combined for just 25 yards on 13 carries.
With a strong start, the Bulldogs had the luxury of playing with a lead for most of the night. It was 17-0 early in the second quarter. When the second half rolled around, the Bulldogs pulled away for good early in the fourth quarter when it was 34-10.
LSU cut the lead to 34-16 when Kenny Hilliard scored on a one-yard run with 14:49 to go – and that looked like the closest the Tigers would get. However, Harris found freshman wideout Malchi Dupre on a 31-yard TD pass with 1:48 to, cutting the score to 34-22.
After a failed LSU onside kick, the Bulldogs had a major gaffe when the center snapped the ball over Prescott’s head as the offense tried to run the clock out. LSU recovered and Harris found Dupre in the end zone again two plays later for the Tigers’ second score in 24 seconds.
All of a sudden it was 34-29. The Tigers’ had a final crack at pulling out a miraculous win, but Harris’ Hail Mary pass was intercepted by Will Redmond as time expired, and the Bulldogs were finally able to exhale.
So what does it all mean? For one, Mississippi State is definitely a threat in the SEC West. The Bulldogs will find themselves ranked next week, but things won’t get easier. Next on the schedule? A home contest with sixth-ranked Texas A&M.
On the other side, LSU showed that it is still undergoing the typical growing pains of a very young team. Though the final score indicates otherwise, the Tigers really looked helpless at times and were thoroughly outperformed in front of a huge home crowd at Tiger Stadium.
Les Miles’ bunch will bounce back. His teams always do, but one can’t help but wonder if we overrated the Tigers a bit. New Mexico State, the team’s last non-conference game of the season, is next on the schedule for the Tigers before they enter the rigors of the SEC schedule.
The jury is still out on the Tigers – but I suspect we’ll learn a lot more after they face Auburn in two weeks.
For more Mississippi State news, visit BulldogBlitz.com.
For more LSU news, visit TigerBait.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
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Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Mississippi State racks up 570 yards of offense in road upset of No. 8 LSU 
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