t’s a year of firsts for Mississippi State’s Joe Moorhead.
On Saturday night, Moorhead will lead his No. 22 Bulldogs into Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for a 6 p.m. matchup with No. 5 LSU in the MSU coach’s first trip into Tiger Stadium, which is the place known as Death Valley.
“To me, more than anything, the great thing about college football is the passion of the fan bases, particularly in this conference,” Moorhead said. “I hear (LSU) is as good as any. They get fired up and they get after you.”
LSU has been dominant at home the last two decades. Since 2000, the Tigers are 110-18 on their home field. Mississippi State has historically struggled in Death Valley like many other schools. The Bulldogs are just 19-48-1 all-time in Baton Rouge.
The Tigers raucous fan base is a big reason why LSU has succeeded so much at home. It could be a particularly lively crowd this weekend as it’s the Tigers’ homecoming game.
Even so, the Tiger faithful that can cause nightmares for opponents is actually the thing Moorhead says he’s looking forward to the most.
“They’re into the game and they’re going to make it a challenging atmosphere,” Moorhead said. “I think that’s the thing I’m most excited for.”
The Tigers defeated then-No. 2 Georgia 36-16 over the weekend in Death Valley, and they are looking forward to the visit from the Bulldogs.
Last season, the Bulldogs hammered LSU 37-7 in Starkville.
“We still have that taste in our mouth from last year,” said LSU coach Ed Orgeron, referring to the defeat against Mississippi State. “They out-physicaled us on both sides of the football.”
nAnother night kick: MSU will be preparing for another evening kickoff for the seventh time in eight games this season.
The Bulldogs’ home game against Texas A&M on Oct. 27 is slated for a 6 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. It is the fourth time MSU has appeared on that network this year as well.
The Bulldogs hold a 6-5 advantage in the series over the Aggies thanks to last year’s 35-14 victory in College Station. State has a 2-1 edge in games played in Starkville in the series.
