Talented Bulldogs mow down Tigers

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Nick Fitzgerald threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores to help Mississippi State rout No. 12 LSU 37-7 on Saturday night.

Aeris Williams led the Bulldogs with 146 yards rushing and averaged 6.3 yards per carry. Mississippi State (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) beat LSU for just the second time in 18 tries dating to 2000.

LSU (2-1, 0-1) easily won its first two games of the season but was overmatched by Mississippi State on both sides of the ball. The Tigers were also sloppy — two touchdown plays were negated because of penalties. In all, LSU was penalized nine times for 112 yards.

Fitzgerald was 15-of-23 passing for 180 yards. Keith Mixon caught six passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. Freshman Jace Christmann made the first three field goals of his career, connecting from 30, 45 and 27 yards.

LSU tied it at 7 in the second quarter on Darrel Williams' 10-yard touchdown run. But Mississippi State responded with 30 straight points.

LSU's Danny Etling completed just 13 of 29 passes for 137 yards. Derrius Guice had 76 yards rushing.

It's not just that the Tigers lost, but how they lost. Mississippi State dominated LSU at the line of scrimmage on most plays and the Tigers looked undisciplined and overmatched. LSU has nonconference games over the next two weeks against Syracuse and Troy to get things right before jumping back into SEC play.

It's a huge win for the Bulldogs, who now have a very interesting road game against Georgia next weekend. Mississippi State has a very good running game with Fitzgerald and Williams, and the defense is playing very well.