LSU (No. 14) holds on to win over Mississippi State (No. 25) in thriller
This one came down the the wire at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss.
It was a battle of differing philosophies, as LSU utilized a bludgeoning ground attack, led by Leonard Fournette, to control the clock and keep the dynamic passing offense of Mississippi State off the field. Fournette finished the game with 159 rushing yards and three touchdowns, which proved just enough to hold off the Bulldogs.
With just over a minute remaining on the clock in regulation, trailing by two, 21-19, Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott needed to move the ball about 60 yards to get the Bulldogs into field-goal range. LSU’s defense had been bearish all night long but Prescott had been getting into a groove throughout the fourth quarter.
With the cool confidence of a seasoned veteran, the senior quarterback drove his team down the length of the field to give kicker Devon Bell a 52-yard field-goal attempt to win the game. The try would have been five yards closer if not for an ill-advised delay-of-game penalty, however.
After a timeout called by LSU head coach Les Miles, Bell went to line up for the kick when Miles called a second timeout. Bell had missed his try to the left after he went ahead and kicked the ball following Miles’ first timeout call, and then he missed his second attempt to the right and short.
LSU’s tight victory keeps the program in the hunt for a top-10 spot in the rankings, while you can be certain Mississippi State will fall out of the top 25.