Field goals proved critical for No. 3 LSU as the Tigers held on for a 19-6 victory against No. 25 Mississippi State on Thursday in Starkville, Miss.
Junior kicker Drew Alleman hit four field goals, and senior quarterback Jarrett Lee added a touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Rueben Randle to clinch the victory for the Tigers.
The LSU defense kept Mississippi State out of the end zone, holding the Bulldogs to just two field goals.
After holding Mississippi State to a three and out on the first series of the game, the LSU offense responded with a long drive inside the Bulldogs’ five-yard line. But two unsuccessful running plays and senior quarterback Jarrett Lee’s first incompletion of the game forced the Tigers to kick.
Junior kicker Drew Alleman nailed the 21-yard field goal to put the Tigers ahead 3-0.
The Bulldogs responded with a long drive of their own, aided in part by senior linebacker Karnell Hatcher, whose offside penalty on third down prolonged the drive. Mississippi State drove inside the Tigers’ 10-yard line but was held to a 26-yard field goal by senior kicker Derek DePasquale that evened the game 3-3 near the end of the first quarter.
Both defenses were stingy in the second quarter, as both teams had drives stall in the opponents’ territory.
An LSU drive looked promising as the Tigers drove 70 yards to the Bulldogs’ 25-yard line, but an incomplete pass from Lee on third down forced another Alleman field goal that gave the Tigers a 6-3 lead late in the first half.
After the Tigers were forced to punt on their first series of the second half, junior cornerback Morris Claiborne responded with an acrobatic interception on a deep pass by Relf.
LSU couldn’t capitalize on the turnover, and a penalty-plagued drive forced the Tigers to punt from their own endzone.
The penalties continued on the ensuing Mississippi State drive, as the Tigers helped the Bulldogs move into LSU territory. But another promising drive stalled for the Bulldogs, and DePasquale evened the game with a 42-yard field goal.
LSU again relied on Alleman’s leg on the next series. The junior kicker nailed his third field goal of the game, this one from 41 yards, and gave LSU a 9-6 lead late in the third quarter.
The Tigers finally found the end zone on its next offensive possession. Lee found Randle for two big gains on the drive, including a 19-yard touchdown pass that padded LSU’s lead early in the fourth quarter.