STARKVILLE — Mississippi State defensive lineman Kaleb Eulls is a man of few words.
But one subject that can get Eulls talking is MSU’s defensive performance in the fourth quarter against LSU last year. The Tigers scored 28-straight points in the final quarter to turn a 31-26 lead into a 59-26 victory. Eulls said it was the lowest point of the season for MSU’s defense.
“We don’t talk about it a lot, but it has come up,” Eulls said. “This week, it’s all about getting focused and making sure we do our job. It’s not really about last year because that’s in the past and we’re all about the next game. But it’s definitely something that’s probably in the back of our minds.”
The win was LSU’s 14th straight in the series, and the fifth straight for coach Les Miles against MSU coach Dan Mullen. But when MSU defense takes the field against LSU at 6 p.m. Saturday (ESPN) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, all the key players — quarterback Zach Mettenberger, tailback Jeremy Hill, and receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry — who made last season’s fourth quarter a nightmare for the Bulldogs won’t be there.
Mettenberger passed for 340 yards. Hill rushed for 127 yards and two scores. Beckham Jr. and Landry combined for more than 200 yards and two scores.
With those stars gone, No. 8 LSU will try to continue its series dominance against MSU — it has won 23 of the last 24 — with a new wave of offensive playmakers. Standing in their way will be a defense that returns eight starters from a year ago, starters who remember the fourth quarter in 2013 in Starkville.
“We remember it,” MSU safety Jay Hughes said, “but we don’t dwell on it. That was last year, this is this year. We know it’s going to be tough because they’ve always got a lot of talented guys.”
While defense has struggled in MSU’s 3-0 start — it allowed 435 passing yards to Alabama-Birmingham — it is among the Southeastern Conference’s best statistically, ranking fourth in scoring defense (12.3 points per game) and second against the run (80.3 yards per game).
The Bulldogs also lead the conference in tackles for loss (29) and are tied for the league lead in sacks with 11, a total bolstered by a five-sack performance last weekend in a 35-3 win at South Alabama. But Hughes said playing LSU in Tiger Stadium is a major step up in competition.
“Just like our coaches have been telling us all week, this is conference play,” Hughes said. “We have to step up our game because we know the competition is going to be stepped up. We’ve had good practices. Every player on the team seems more focused. It feels like everybody knows this week is more serious.”
When Hughes and the Bulldogs arrive in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, they will find an LSU team with new faces at the offensive skill positions, but faces that are skilled enough to have outscored Wisconsin, Sam Houston State, and Louisiana-Monroe 108-7 in LSU’s last 10 quarters.
Sophomore quarterback Anthony Jennings, who won the offseason battle with freshman Brandon Harris, leads the way. Jennings, who has started five games at LSU, has passed for 596 yards and five touchdowns. MSU defensive coordinator Geoff Collins said the Marietta, Georgia, native presents a unique challenge.
“He’s a good player,” Collins said. “Good skills, throws the ball well. Plus, he has a lot of weapons to work with, great playmakers out at receiver, a huge offensive line, powerful running backs. They just keep reloading at running back. Year after year after year they just bring guys through there that can run the football.”
A year after Hill amassed 159 yards on 16 carries against MSU, LSU will test MSU’s front with a number of options at tailback. Senior Kenny Hilliard has 41 carries for 216 yards and three scores, while freshman Leonard Fournette, the top-rated tailback prospect in the country last season, has 31 carries for 167 yards and two scores.
While LSU’s running game has been steady, it hasn’t been invincible. The Tigers average 4.3 yards per carry, down from 5.03 a year ago. Louisiana-Monroe stuffed LSU for losses eight times. That could play into the hands of MSU’s front seven that has feasted against the run. The Bulldogs allowed 57 yards on 27 carries at South Alabama, and have averaged nearly 10 tackles for loss per game.
“This is one of those games we love to play,” said MSU linebacker Beniquez Brown, who is second on the team in tackles with 15. “Last week, those guys passed it a lot, spread it out, so we didn’t get a lot of action. We know LSU is going to run straight at us, try to run downhill. We have to be ready.”
LSU can afford to run downhill thanks to the efforts of one of the SEC’s best offensive lines. Returning four of five starters up front, the Tigers enjoy a size advantage on a weekly basis. Leaning on players like left tackle La’el Collins, who is 6-foot-5, 321 pounds, the offensive line averages 325 pounds across the front, a fact not lost on MSU’s Collins.
“Just huge,” said Geoff Collins of LSU’s offensive line. “I think they average well over 300. Their tight end is up there at 295-300. They’re going to test you, going to run right at you.”
That has been a bad strategy against the Bulldogs this season. Behind a front seven led by linebacker Benardrick McKinney (20 tackles, two sacks) and Preston Smith (two sacks, four quarterback hurries), MSU has yielded 80.3 yards rushing per game.
“We want to stop the run, that’s part of our identity,” Eulls said. “Hopefully we can continue doing that Saturday night.”
Miles said MSU’s defensive line stands out.
“They’re opportunistic. They have five interceptions and three fumbles,” Miles said at his weekly press conference. “Preston Smith, among others (on the defensive line, is filled with) big, strong, mobile guys, and (it) will be a great challenge.”
MSU’s defensive front has been spectacular, but the same can’t be said of the Bulldogs’ secondary. MSU’s pass defense yielded a season-high 435 yards against UAB two weeks ago. Last week, it allowed 288 yards against South Alabama. While those numbers are alarming, South Alabama scored just three points, and the Bulldogs have allowed just one touchdown in six red zone trips this season.
“That’s big for us, making plays in the red zone,” Hughes said. “That means when it gets serious, when our back against the wall, we are making plays. We just have to keep working and eliminate the big plays. I think we’ve worked on it a lot and last week was much better.”
LSU’s Travin Dural will test MSU’s big-play vulnerability. Dural, a sophomore, will enter the game as the SEC’s top receiver with 12 catches for 371 yards and four touchdowns. He’s averaging 31 yards per grab.
“He’s explosive,” said MSU cornerback Taveze Calhoun, who likely will cover Dural one-on-one on the outside. “We know this offense can make big plays. We have to keep them in front of us, know our assignments and when the ball is thrown our direction, just have to make plays.”
No matter the statistics, LSU has had MSU’s number in recent years. The Tigers have won 12 straight at home against the Bulldogs by an average of 22 points per victory. Only two of the 12 games have been decided by 10 points or less (45-38 in 2000, 28-20 in 1996).
For players like Eulls, the chance to reverse history at Tiger Stadium is a tremendous opportunity.
“It’s loud. It’s definitely one of the best places in the country for a football game,” Eulls said of Tiger Stadium. “But we have to shut all of that out. What I like to do is look at all the home fans cheering and pretend they’re cheering for me.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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