STARKVILLE, Miss. — Looking to get to .500 in Southeastern Conference play, the LSU football team travels to Mississippi State for an 8 p.m. contest that will be nationlly televised by ESPN2. Listen live beginning with the pregame show at 6:30 p.m. right here on LSUsports.net.
LSU (3-2, 1-2 SEC) needs a victory and an Alabama loss to Tennessee to move into third place in the SEC West. Mississippi State (1-4, 0-3 SEC) has lost four straight since defeating Memphis to open the 2001 season.
The Tigers are coming off a 29-25 come-from-behind victory over Kentucky in Lexington on Oct. 13, while the Bulldogs were upended on Homecoming to first-year Division I-A opponent, Troy State, 21-9, in a game that was delayed by a torrential downpour.
Starting quarterback Rohan Davey, who threw for the third-highest pass total in school history last week against the Wildcats (383 yards), leads LSU into the contest. The senior team captain ranks third in the SEC in passing yards per game at 275.0.
Running back LaBrandon Toefield, who rushed for 129 yards against Kentucky, leads the SEC in scoring and ranks seventh in the nation with 10.8 points per game. He became the fastest Tiger to score nine touchdowns in school history, doing so in five games. Defensively, 2001 Butkus Award semifinalist Trev Faulk and fellow linebacker Bradie James lead the Tigers in total tackles with 50 and 51, respectively. Safety Damien James picked off two passes against Kentucky to take over the team lead in the category with four, and ranking second in the nation.
Although the Tigers have struggled in the secondary at times this season, LSU leads the league in interceptions with nine and ranks fourth in the conference in rushing defense. LSU has allowed only 106.6 rushing yards per game and four TD’s through five games.
Perhaps LSU’s most impressive team statistic is its 44-of-78 third-down conversions, leading the league by 8.5 percent at 56.4.
Check back after the game for the complete story along with stats.