BATON ROUGE — Senior running back and return specialist Domanick Davis amassed 286 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns while the LSU defense allowed less than 250 for the fourth straight game, as the 20th-ranked Tigers beat Mississippi State in the Southeastern Conference opener, 31-13, on Saturday afternoon in Tiger Stadium.
Playing its first morning start at home in nearly five years, LSU (3-1, 1-0 SEC) outrushed the Bulldogs (1-3, 0-2 SEC), 256-88, and overcame three first-half fumbles in its own territory which led to 10 of State’s 13 points. The Tigers outscored the Bulldogs 17-3 in the second half after leading 14-10.
LSU beat Mississippi State for the 10th time in the past 11 meetings, and the 15th in 18. LSU also proved that it could dominate a game during the day, as the Tigers came into the game with a 3-10-1 record in 11:30 a.m. starts on Jefferson Pilot Sports.
With very few plays from scrimmage in the first half and a pair of early fumbles, LSU starting quarterback Mauck Mauck wavered while trying to find a rhythm. He completed only 4-of-12 passes, one of which was fumbled, for 52 yards including a 36-yard touchdown pass to Devery Henderson. However, the sophomore rushed 11 times for 53 yards and a touchdown as well.
The Bulldogs, who were 5-of-19 on third down and without a conversion in the second half, were unproductive through the air, as quarterback Kevin Fant finished 15-of-39 with 122 yards passing and two interceptions. He was relieved by backup Kyle York, who completed 1-of-4 passes for 39 yards, in the game’s final drive. York was intercepted by Demetrius Hookfin, who returned 49 yards to the MSU 30.
Mississippi State won the toss and deferred to LSU. However Tigers team captain Bradie James elected to kickoff rather than receive, costing the Tigers a possession to start the half. The last time the Tigers were a victim of this miscue was in the Curly Hallman era, and, ironically, Hallman was on the sidelines as the defensive backs coach on Saturday.
The mental error didn’t affect the Tigers’ disposition, as the defense forced State to go three-and-out and punt from its 38-yard line. After a 40-yard punt, Domanick Davis took the ball on one bounce at the LSU 22 and weaved through the Bulldog punt coverage unit, breaking a tackle at midfield for a 78-yard touchdown. On the touchdown return — Davis’ third of the season but first that wasn’t brought back by penalty — Davis moved into third place in school history with 890 return yards. After John Corbello’s successful point-after attempt, LSU led 7-0 with 13:01 left on the first-quarter clock.
The return was the first against Mississippi State since former Tiger Eddie Kennison fielded a punt in the endzone and ran 100 yards for a touchdown on Sept. 10, 1994, and the first for the Tigers since Davis returned 71 yards against Ole Miss on Oct. 27, 2001.
State forced to punt once again, giving the LSU offense its first drive from scrimmage. On LSU’s second play, Mauck gave the ball back by fumbling after picking up a first down at the LSU 47.
The LSU defense gave up three first downs to the Bulldogs, but did not allow a touchdown after being faced with 1st-and-goal from the 5-yard line. MSU placekicker Brent Smith kicked a 21-yard field goal to cut the LSU lead to 7-3 with 5:02 left in the first quarter.
Near the end of the first quarter, Randall Gay intercepted Fant and returned the ball 35 yards to the State 42-yard line. However, LSU was flagged for being offsides and the pickoff was negated.
LSU finished the quarter with nine plays from scrimmage and only 4:36 in time of possession, but led the game by four points.
State took advantage of another Tigers turnover with 9:19 remaining in the half, as Devery Henderson fumbled the ball after a short reception and free safety Josh Morgan picked it up and ran to the LSU 2-yard line. Dontae Walker ran around the right side into the endzone to give Mississippi State a 10-7 lead with 9:15 to play in the half.
On 3rd-and-3 from the LSU 43, Mauck was hit in the pocket by Tommy Kelly and fumbled. After LSU’s third turnover inside its own territory, State recovered at the 36 but only advanced five yards before Smith attempted a 47-yard field goal. Smith missed short and right and LSU took over at its 31 with 5:50 to play in the half.
The Tigers returned to the running game that proved to be so successful in recent games, as Davis rushed seven straight times for 57 yards to the MSU 13-yard line before being relieved by Toefield. Toefield didn’t miss a beat for the Tigers, rushing twice to the 5 before Davis returns for a 3rd-and-2 with 1:09 to play. He ran around the right side — and over two State defenders — for his second score of the game.
LSU led 14-10 with 1:03 to play before intermission. A personal foul to end the half will allow the Tigers to kickoff from midfield.
On its first possession of the second half, the Tigers benefitted from a running-into-the-kicker penalty to gain a first down at its 35-yard line. After a third-down conversion from Mauck to Clayton, Mauck ran the option for the first time for 19 yards. Three plays later, Mauck found Henderson sprinting on an inside slant for a 36-yard touchdown, the first through the air in the NCAA Track & Field champion’s career.
The Tigers led 21-10 with 8:53 to play in the third quarter.
Another long punt return by Davis — 38 yards — to the MSU 49 gave LSU prime field position, but the Tigers were pushed back six yards on the drive and were forced to punt with 3:41 to play in the quarter.
On the ensuing possession, former wide receiver Corey Webster stepped in front of Fant’s third-down pass and returned the first interception of his career 26 yards to the MSU 9. LSU was unable to punch the ball in the endzone and were forced to settle for Corbello’s 26-yard field goal after State’s first turnover of the game. The Tigers held a 24-10 lead with 1:14 on the third-quarter clock.
A 32-yard kickoff return by Mississippi State Fred Reid allowed the Bulldogs to work their way into LSU territory at the start of the fourth quarter. When the drive stalled at the LSU 35, Smith launched a 52-yard field goal through the uprights to cut the lead to 24-13 with 14 minutes to play.
Davis and the Tigers again marched down the field, as the senior from Breaux Bridge, La., ran six times for 45 yards before Mauck took the ball in from 2 yards out for a touchdown. The score and PAT put LSU ahead 31-13 with 9:22 to play.
LSU completes its four-game homestand with a Homecoming game against Louisiana-Lafayette on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. in Tiger Stadium. The game will be televised on LSU’s in-house pay-per-view network, TigerVision.
LSU POST-GAME NOTES
- LSU’s captains for the game were permanent captains LaBrandon Toefield and Bradie James as well as Domanick Davis.
- The attendance for the game was 90,793, marking the 15th straight game LSU has drawn more than 85,000 fans. It is the ninth crowd of 90,000 or better to witness a game in Tiger Stadium. It is the largest crowd of the year and the seventh largest all-time in Death Valley.
- Mississippi State won the toss and deferred its decision to the second half. LSU chose to kickoff and the Bulldogs chose to defend the North endzone to begin the game. The Tigers also kicked off to start the second half.
- Jefferson Pilot televised the game live. It is the first time since a 36-21 loss to Ole Miss in 1997 that JP has televised a game from Tiger Stadium. LSU’s most recent JP game before today was a 41-9 loss at Florida in 2000.
- Side Judge Matt Moore was taken off the field with nine minutes to play in the second quarter after breaking his left fibula.
TEAM NOTES
- LSU extended its streak of consecutive games without being shutout to 67, which is the second longest streak in school history. From 1985-91, the Tigers went 70 straight games without being shutout.
- LSU extended its home win streak to six, the longest since winning six straight between the 2000 and 2001 seasons.
- LSU beat Mississippi State for the 10th time in 11 tries and the 15th in the last 18. It is also the sixth straight win for the Tigers over the Bulldogs in Tiger Stadium.
- LSU won an SEopener for the first time since a 31-19 victory over Auburn in 1998.
- LSU improved to 21-1 under Nick Saban when scoring 20 points or more.
- LSU won its fifth straight game over an SEopponent, including the 2001 SEChampionship Game, dating back to last year.
- For the first time since 1970, LSU has held four consecutive opponents to fewer than 250 total yards. That year, the Tigers stymied Texas A&M (230), Rice (182), Baylor (220) and Pacifi(126).
- The LSU defense stopped Mississippi State on its opening drive, marking the sixth straight game the Tigers have kept their opponent from scoring to start the game.
- For only the second time this year, LSU gave up first quarter points. The other came when Virginia Tech scored a touchdown with 30 seconds remaining in the opening frame.
- LSU scored more than 30 points for the third straight game and the eighth time in its last 10 games.
- LSU ran for more than 200 yards for the third straight game. The Tigers are 3-0 in that span and 6-0 under Nick Saban when rushing for more than 200 yards. It is the first time since 1997 (Ole Miss, Kentucky, Alabama) that LSU has rushed for 200 or more yards in three straight games.
- The defense did not allow a 100-yard rusher for the eighth consecutive game dating back to the Middle Tennessee State game of 2001 when Dwone Hicks rushed for 117 yards. It is the 10th straight conference opponent (including the SEChampionship Game) to fail to produce a 100-yard rusher against the Tigers dating back to the Arkansas game in 2000.
- LSU intercepted three passes in a game for the first time since picking off Kevin Fant twice and Wayne Madkin once last season in Starkville.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Jerel Myers extended his team-best streak of consecutive starts to 29. Rodney Reed pushed his streak to 25, which is the second best on the team. Demetrius Hookfin and Bradie James started their 17th and 12th consecutive games, respectively.
- Kenderick Allen started his first game of the season, opening in the defensive left tackle position. It is his 12th career start and first since the Mississippi State game last year.
- Domanick Davis tied a career high with 122 yards rushing. He had that against Illinois in the 2002 Sugar Bowl.
- Domanick Davis recorded more than 100 all-purpose yards for the ninth consecutive game. He later became the first Tiger to record more than 200 all-purpose yards in consecutive games since Kevin Faulk did so against Alabama and Notre Dame in games 10 and 11 in 1998.
- Domanick Davis returned a punt for a touchdown for the second time of his career on a 78-yard return in the first quarter. The return was also the longest of his career. His other return for a TD came in the Ole Miss game last season, which is the last time an LSU player returned any kick for a touchdown.
- On his 78-yard punt return in the first quarter, Domanick Davis moved into third place in LSU history for career punt return yardage, moving past Kevin Faulk (832). He later passed Sammy Grefazzi (905) for second. Davis finished the game with 940 career punt return yards, seven behind Eddie Kennison for first.
- Domanick Davis had his second multiple touchdown game of the season (Citadel) and the fifth of his career.
- With his reception in the third quarter, Michael Clayton extended his streak of consecutive games with a reception to 17, every game of his career.
- Devery Henderson recorded his first career touchdown reception on a 36-yard pass from Matt Mauck. Henderson, a running back converted to receiver, had previously scored three times rushing the ball.
- Domanick Davis’ 128 punt return yards ranked fifth in school history for punt return yards in a game.
- John Corbello ran his streak of consecutive field goals made to eight straight with a 26 yarder in the third quarter.
- Domanick Davis’ 286 all-purpose yards were the most of his career and the fourth best in school history. His old career high was 266 yards against Ole Miss and Illinois (Sugar Bowl) last season.
- Corey Webster intercepted his first career pass off of Kevin Fant in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, he became the first LSU player to intercept two passes in a game since Damien James last season against Kentucky.
- Demetrius Hookfin intercepted his third career pass late in the fourth quarter.
MISSISSIPPI STATE POSTGAME NOTES VS. LSU (9/28/02)
SERIES NOTES
LSU now leads the series with MSU 60-33-3 (96 games)…The Tigers have won 10 of the last 11 meetings and 15 of 18…LSU now leads 42-18-1
in Baton Rouge.
TEAM NOTES
The Bulldogs are 59-16-1 (.783) under Jackie Sherrill when outrushing their opponent, and now 12-43-1 (.223) when not.
MSU is 40-9 (.816) under Jackie Sherrill when scoring 25 or more points, 24-4 (.857) since 1996…The Dogs are just 31-50-2 (.386) during that
same span when they haven’t posted 25 or more points.
Over the last five seasons (1997-02, 63 games), MSU is 30-10 (.750) when rushing for 100-plus yards…Conversely, the ‘Dogs are now just 7-16
(.304) when failing to run for 100 yards.
State is 54-12-2 (.809) under Jackie Sherrill when leading at halftime, 4-6 (.400) when tied, and is now 13-41-0 (.241) when trailing at the
intermission.
LSU’s passing yardage of 52 yards was the lowest by an MSU foe since East Tennessee State managed just 27 against the Bulldogs in 1998.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
LB T.J. Mawhinney’s caused fumble in the first quarter was his first of the year and second of his career…DOG Rico Bennett’s recovery of that
fumble was the first of his career.
CB Korey Banks’ caused fumble in the second quarter was his first of the year and second of his career…FS Josh Morgan’s recovery of that
fumble was his second of the year and sixth of his career.
DT Tommy Kelly’s caused fumble in the second quarter was the first of his career…DE Jason Clark’s recovery of that fumble was his first of the
year and second of his career.
PK Brent Smith’s 52-yard field goal in the fourth quarter tied for the fifth-longest in MSU history and was the longest FG by a Bulldog since Brian
Hazelwood also connected on a 52-yarder versus Vanderbilt in 1998.
TB Nick Turner continued to show his versatility today with 87 all-purpose yards (28 rushing, 12 receiving, 47 KOR) before he left the game with
an injury in the fourth quarter.
P Jared Cook averaged 41.9 yards on eight punts today, marking the ninth time in 15 career games (and all four this season) he has averaged over
40 yards per punt in a game.
FL Darius Tubbs had a career-high three receptions in the game.
TB Dontae Walker’s rushing touchdown in the game moved him into sole possession of fifth place MSU’s career rushing TD list with 22,
surpassing Don Smith (21; 1983-86).
OPPONENT NOTES
LSU’s punt return for TD in the first quarter (Domanick Davis) was the first such return MSU had allowed since 1994 when LSU’s
Eddie Kennison took a punt return 100 yards for a score.
LSU HEAD COACH NICK SABAN QUOTES
MISSISSIPPI STATE GAME
SEPT. 28, 2002
“Well guys we did what we had to do to win the game today. We tried to have mix and balance in the first half and ended up having a lot of bad plays. We turned the ball over three times and that really kept them in the game and put our defense in a lot of bad positions. We felt like we could dominate the line of scrimmage and I think we did an outstanding job of doing that, especially in the second half. Domanick Davis had almost 300 yards of total offense and did a great job of running the football as well as Toe (LaBrandon Toefield).”
“The offensive line got a hat on a hat and the runners did a really good job. I was really pleased with the way we were able to run the ball. I think it is obvious to everybody that we need to be able to throw it more consistently, but that is not just all the quarterback. Sometimes he did not have chance today because we did not block them. They are a pretty good blitzing team and they were aggressive, and we didn’t do a good job of picking them up and just had too much pressure with no chance to throw it. We need to do that better. If we are going to be an offensive team that can score a lot of points I think we are going to need to do that.”
“We are going to do what we need to do to win the game. There is not any particular style that we are going to play. We are going to make the decisions that give us the best chance to win. Today, that was buttoning down the hatches and running the ball and playing good defense. I was pleased with the way that we played on defense. I really got after the defense there at the end of the game because I felt that one series before the last series we let down a little bit, and the game was not over. When there is eight minutes to go in a game or five minutes to go in a game and you have an 18-point lead or whatever it was and a team scores with a lot of time left it is not over. They can score with a lot of time left and gets an onside kick and they can let them right back in the game.”
“We got after them for playing 60 minutes, not 57 or 55 or 54. I thought when we went back out there we did a pretty good job. We did give up a big play at the end of the game but we got an interception out of it. I thought the offense did a good job once we got ahead in the game of taking the air out of the ball and shrinking the game. We controlled the ball completely in the second half, which was the key to the game. We wanted to dominate the game physically. I am not sure we did that in the first half but I was pleased with the way we did it in the second half.”
QUOTES FROM MISSISSIPPI STATE HEAD COACH JACKIE SHERRILL
“Early in the game, we gave them (LSU) too many return yards and we had two or three poor punts. We didn’t do a very good job, but then we overcame that but couldn’t overcome some of the things that we were doing defensively to hold them down. I thought that we came back out and played better, but then we gave up the big pass play.”
“It was very evident that we did not throw and catch very well and we had a lot of people that touched a lot of balls that would have been big plays. Some of them would have kept the chains moving and it would have made a difference. We didn’t catch the ball well and of course if we would have caught the ball, then it would have been a better game for Kevin (Fant).”
“The one that has been the most consistent offensively for us has been Justin Griffin, No. 31. The thing that really disappoints you is that we had a chance and just like the last part of their touchdown drive, we had a face-mask penalty and came back and got called for offsides. We were also offsides when they kicked their field goal and they missed it. When things go that direction, you’re not going to have a chance.”
On LSU’s fourth-ranked defense
“LSU’s a good football team. They are similar to Auburn in personnel except that they (LSU) have a better returner. There’s no question that they do a good job and (Domanick) Davis is not easy to get your hands on. I think that we would be able to make some plays on him today, but we just couldn’t get our hands on him. Well, the first punt that went for a touchdown was just a really bad punt. We just didn’t have a chance to get down and make some tackles.”
On if this game was decided up front
“Oh, they (LSU) took over for probably an entire half of the game. We did not do a very good job on two drives where they just kind of dominated our lineman.”
LSU Offensive Player Quotes
Running Back Domanick Davis
“It feels really good to finally get a touchdown on a punt return. Everybody was on their blocks and my boys did the job. We practiced all week long on that and had a lot of extra time to prepare since we were off. If everybody executes the way they are supposed to do, everything will work out fine. We played hard out there today, and it showed at the end of the game. After I returned the punt, I looked back to see if there were any flags. There were none. At the beginning of the game, we started out a little flat. We eventually got things going. If you pound the ball against them, you could see they were kind of giving up a bit. We just took advantage of that. If it was working, let’s do it. We made a few mistakes, but as the passing game keeps getting better, the run will open up. We will be able to do so many things.”
Quarterback Matt Mauck
“The running game was very dominant today. Our offensive line did an outstanding job. They should be very proud of themselves. We came out a little sluggish, but at the end of the second quarter, we dominated the game. We came out and wanted to show some different things today. We wanted to use the option a little bit today and see how they would react. We probably used it a little more than we wanted to. I am not concerned at all about the passing game. You can’t be too disappointed with a win. We would have liked to throw the ball a little more, but the running game really carried us today. I know we have the skill guys to get it done out there.”
On the touchdown drive at the end of the first half
“I had the easiest job. I just handed it off to Domanick (Davis) and he did the rest. I think that drive set the momentum for the rest of the game.”
Wide Receiver Devery Henderson
On his touchdown reception
“We came out and ran a post route there, and we came out successful. I knew I had to make up for the fumble earlier in the game. I thought I was going to fall when I reached the endzone, but luckily I kept my balance and scored.”
LSU Defensive Tackle, Chad Lavalais
“I thought we did a pretty good job of shutting them down in the first half. They got a few big runs, kept killing us on the sweep. I thought we did a good job rushing the passer but you can always get better.”
“I felt like at halftime we should have been up more than we were. They were in the game for a little while, but after the first couple of series they started giving up and in the second half we just took it to them.”
LSU Middle Linebacker, Bradie James
“We had fun out there today. Corey Webster stepped in and made two big plays for us. We just kept coming after them. We knew we had to play for 60 minutes and so defensively we wouldn’t let up.”
“We played well today. We talked about 11 guys making plays on the defensive side of the ball and that’s what we did. It’s a step by step process and we’re jelling as a defensive unit heading into league play. When you have 11 guys on the field trying to make plays you get an outcome like we got today.”
LSU Defensive End, Marcus Spears
“You can tell the difference when you get to SEC play. Guys are bigger and stronger but we have to stick with that same attitude, ‘are we going to beat him, or is he going to beat us?'”
“I think we did real well against them (MSU) today. They had a few nice runs, but that’s football. Overall though, we took care of what we need to do to win the game.”
“Our secondary has stepped up for us this year. They’ve gotten a whole lot better. The D-line, we focus on affecting the quarterback in every passing situation. It all starts with the quarterback on offense and if you can get to him you can pretty much shut down the whole offense.”