BATON ROUGE — LSU wrapped up its third day of practice for Mississippi State here Wednesday with a workout in full pads indoors at the Charles McClendon Practice Facility.
It was the second day this week that the seventh-ranked Tigers were forced indoors due to rain. The Tigers will practice again on Thursday followed by a walk-thru on Friday. LSU will depart for Starkville on Friday afternoon.
Kickoff for Saturday’s contest is scheduled for 11:21 a.m. The game will be televised on the SEC Network with Dave Neal and Andre Ware handling the call.
“Today was a good practice,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “This was the last work day, and it looked like the team got around, looked good and improved. I think we’re healthy and we’re looking forward to playing.”
LSU goes into Saturday’s game with a 3-0 overall mark and 1-0 league record. The Tigers are coming off a 31-3 win over Louisiana-Lafayette last week in Tiger Stadium. Mississippi State, under first-year coach Dan Mullen, is 2-1 overall and 1-1 in conference action after last week’s 15-3 victory over Vanderbilt.
“It appears to me he’s done a great job,” Miles said of Mullen. “You watch them play and they have a really sound attack. They’re playing the right guys and he’s done a great job.”
One of the strengths for the Bulldogs is that of their running game as they are averaging 221.7 yards per game. Senior running back Anthony Dixon leads the Bulldogs with 107.5 yards per game.
“Anthony Dixon is, in my opinion, one of the best running backs in the Southeastern Conference,” Miles said. “He’s a big, physical back. They run him out of the I-back occasionally, but more often than not it’s a one-back attack for him. He looks just as capable as he’s ever looked.”
The Bulldogs also employ a two-quarterback system with Tyson Lee and Chris Relf each getting snaps at the position. Relf has rushed for 178 yards and one score and he’s added another three passing touchdowns. Lee has thrown for 216 yards and one score.
“We know they can both run it and throw it which makes them very dangerous,” Miles said of Lee and Relf.
LSU will counter Mississippi State’s running game with a defense that is allowing 11.7 points and 320 yards per game, including 129.3 rushing. LSU’s defense goes into the game holding opponents without a touchdown for six straight quarters.
LSU has dominated recent games in this series, winning nine straight and 16 of the last 17, against the Bulldogs. However, Miles said his team is ready to play its best football on Saturday and that they aren’t looking past Mississippi State.
“I don’t think there’s any question that a conference game makes a difference,” Miles said. “I think it counts for more, and I think it’s important to our guys. I think our guys understand that playing in this conference you face a better caliber athlete than when you play against other teams.
“I don’t think there’s any chance we’re overlooking this team. I think we’re looking forward to playing and playing well.”