No. 25 Mississippi State could take a huge step toward becoming a serious SEC contender with a win against the Tigers. LSU has won 11 games in a row against Mississippi State dating back to 1999. But the Bulldogs have possibly their best team in years, with a spread offense led by quarterback Chris Relf and running backs Vick Ballard and LaDarius Perkins. The trio was largely responsible for MSU gaining 333 rushing yards in last week’s 41-34 road loss to Auburn, and the ground-based plan will be the same against LSU.
Mississippi State also will have the advantage of a sold out Davis Wade Stadium, filled with fans and their trademark cowbells that will create a deafening atmosphere. The Bulldogs have been nationally ranked for nine straight weeks dating back to last season, the program’s longest streak since 1999. LSU tight end DeAngelo Peterson said the Tigers are well aware that Mississippi State will be desperate to stay in the Western division race.
“I think they’ll come out there 100 percent because they know they can’t lose another SEC game,” Peterson said. “That’ll put them out of it. So we know they’re going to come in and give us their all, so we’ve got to come give them our all.”
It’s a quick turnaround for the Bulldogs, who play just five days after losing to Auburn. Mullen called the loss “devastating” in the aftermath but was also encouraged by the MSU fanbase’s response, hate mail.
“The last time we lost a game on a goal-line stand, I got a lot of praise in emails from people all really excited,” Mullen said. “I’ve gotten a lot of hate emails in the last couple of days. I guess that’s a very positive culture change. Our people expect us to win games now. Before, they were just impressed maybe we competed. Now, they expect us to win, and I think that’s good.”
No comments:
Post a Comment