The LSU Tigers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs meet in week 3 college football action from Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

LSU Bounces Back Vs. Grambling State

The LSU Tigers had a decent bounce back performance against Grambling State, taking out Grambling by a final score of 72-10 to improve to 1-1 on the year. Jayden Daniels has thrown for 615 yards, 6 touchdowns and an interception on 65.6% passing while Logan Diggs has rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown. Brian Thomas Jr. leads LSU with 13 catches for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns while Malik Nabers has 11 grabs for 154 yards this season. On defense, Major Burns and Zy Alexander each have a team-high 13 total tackles while Jordan Jefferson has a sack. Duce Chestnut and Greg Penn III each have an interception for LSU up to this point in the year as well.

LSU Tigers Team Facts

– LSU has won nine of its last 10 games against non-AP-ranked teams.
– The team ranked 14th in the AP Poll has covered the spread in each of its last five games.
– LSU has won the first quarter in four of its last five games against conference opponents at Davis Wade Stadium.
– Each of LSU’s last six games have gone OVER the total points line.

Bulldogs Start 2-0

The Mississippi State Bulldogs managed to take out Arizona in OT by a final score of 31-24, improving to 2-0 on the year as a result. Will Rogers has thrown for 389 yards and 5 tochdowns on 71.7% passing while Jo’Quavious Marks has rushed for a team-high 250 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. Lideatrick Griffin has a team-high 9 catches for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead Mississippi State’s receiving group. On defense, Nathaniel Watson has a team-high 18 total tackles, 1.5 sacks and an interception while Jett Johnson has 17 total tackles with a pair of sacks and a pair of interceptions this season.

Mississippi State Bulldogs Team Facts

– The favorite has won each of Mississippi State’s last nine games at Davis Wade Stadium.
– Mississippi State has failed to cover the spread in six of its last seven home games against top-15 AP-ranked teams.
– Mississippi State has lost the first half in three of its last four games against conference opponents.
– Seven of the last eight games between LSU and Mississippi State have gone UNDER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

– Mississippi State ranked 3rd among FBS teams for Q1 points allowed per game last season (2.1).
– Mississippi State ranked T9th among FBS teams for H1 points allowed per game last season (8.5).
– LSU was one of only five FBS teams to win 4+ games when trailing after Q1 last season.
– LSU ranked T10th among FBS teams for Q3 win percentage last season (.643).

Chris’ Pick

I’m sticking with Mississippi State and the points here. I get that LSU is a talented team, but this is an SEC game and Mississippi State is a tough place to go on the road and compete let alone win by double-digits, and the Bulldogs, with that high-octane offense, can be a really hard team to stop and pull away from. I think this has the makings of a 31-24 kind of game whichever way you slice it, so give me Mississippi State and the points here.