LSU Hangs On To Beat Mississippi State

LSU led Mississippi State 23-6 with less than 5:00 to go in regulation, appearing to cruise to an SEC victory at home.

The Bulldogs never gave up, stripping LSU running back Leonard Fournette, scoring a touchdown, recovering an onside kick, and scoring another touchdown two plays later.

In the blink of an eye, it was a 3 point game. The Bulldogs defense rode the momentum, forcing a three and out, getting the ball back with 2:26 left and a timeout.

Tiger fans who stuck around expecting a comfortable win were nervously cheering the LSU defense to make a stop.

In the end, the Tiger D stepped up, turning the Bulldogs over on downs in 4 plays as Arden Key got a 4th down sack to help procure a 23-20 LSU victory.

"It wasn't perfect in any way, but we got a real good start in conference play," said head coach Les Miles.

In his first start as a Tiger, quarterback Danny Etling (pictured) finished 19-30 for 215 yards and a touchdown, adding 23 rushing yards to boot.

LSU running back Leonard Fournette carried the rock 28 times for 147 yards and 2 scores, but uncharacteristically fumbled twice, killing two Tiger drives, allowing the Bulldogs to keep the door open late.

With the win, LSU improves to 2-1 on the year, 1-0 in SEC play.

Next week, the Tigers travel to Auburn (1-2, 0-1) for an SEC showdown. Kickoff at Jordan Hare stadium is set for 5:00.