Mississippi State’s futility against LSU is well documented.
The Bulldogs have lost 14 in a row against the Tigers dating back to 1999 and 21 of 22 since the Southeastern Conference split into two divisions in 1992.
As MSU gets set to travel to No. 8 LSU Saturday, State coach Dan Mullen says none of that matters.
“All that matters is this week,” Mullen said. “Every game that’s ever been played there has no impact on this game. Every game that we’ve played against them has no impact on this game.”
Maybe so.
A breakthrough win Saturday night in Death Valley as a 10-point underdog would do more than snap a lengthy losing skid to LSU but would also prove the Bulldogs may indeed have a chance to make some noise in the tough SEC West.
It would also be head coach Dan Mullen’s first signature win in his sixth season.
Mullen is a dismal 2-21 against ranked teams in his tenure in Starkville. In those 23 games, Mississippi State has scored 20 or more points just six times; the Bulldogs allowed more than 20 points in 18 of those games.
The Bulldogs have lost 12 straight games against ranked teams. Mullen’s only two victories vs. ranked foes came in his first eight tries.
The closest thing he has to a signature win is a 41-27 shocker over then-No. 20 Ole Miss in 2009. The next biggest was a 10-7 win over then-No. 22 Florida in 2010.
That win over Ole Miss is Mullen’s only victory over a ranked SEC West opponent in 16 tries.
Mullen has arguably his best team in his six years at MSU and finally has the players to fit his offensive scheme. There are some who believe LSU is overrated at No. 8 and is vulnerable to an upset Saturday.
But LSU hasn’t allowed a point in the last nine quarters and has outscored opponents 108-0 since falling behind 24-7 to Wisconsin in the second half of the season opener.
So can the Bulldogs do more than just keep it close and make things respectable?
Any hopes of proving MSU is ready to be more than a middle-of-the-pack program in the SEC West fall squarely on the broad shoulders of MSU quarterback Dak Prescott, who has been outstanding against three totally overmatched teams. Let’s see how he does on the road against a top-caliber defense.
Last year, the Tigers scored 28 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to rout Mississippi State by 33 points. Prescott was a woeful 9-of-20 passing with an interception, but he did run 12 times for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Prescott’s play will suffer in this one due to a suspect offensive line that will get exposed big time Saturday night against the kind of athletes the Tigers have on defense.
To win, MSU’s offensive line will have to rise to the challenge so Prescott can keep the LSU defense off-balance with accurate passes and successful designed runs.
Also, the Bulldogs’ front seven will have to contain the LSU rushing attack, and the secondary will have to stop getting beat deep and giving up big plays.
If the Bulldogs pull the upset, they will likely become the sixth of seven SEC West teams in next week’s Associated Press poll.
If they don’t, they will have several more shots at top-ranked teams. After an open date, the Dogs catch No. 6 Texas A&M and No. 5 Auburn back-to-back home games.
So is life in the SEC West.
