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LSU grinds, kicks its way to 19-3 win, but loses Devin White for 1st half versus Alabama

LSU - for the first time all season - struggled to run the football, particularly in the first half. With two sacks of quarterback Joe Burrow included, LSU netted just nine yards in the first half on 17 carries.
Credit: Derick E. Hingle
Photo Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

BATON ROUGE - For the first time all season, No. 5 LSU struggled to run, pass and block Saturday night at Tiger Stadium against No. 22 Mississippi State.

But it can always kick with Cole Tracy.

The one-and-done senior graduate transfer from Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts, was a perfect, 4-of-4 on field goals from 25, 38, 29 and 40 yards as the Tigers kept the Bulldogs at a comfortable distance for a 19-3 win.

Tracy is 21-of-23 on the season. He is money.

"Just get it past the 30. Just get it past the 30," LSU coach Ed Orgeron has often said of the game plan.

In this case, it was just get inside the 23. Tracy's automatic points made what could have been a difficult game much easier.

So did two interceptions by star safety Grant Delpit, who leads the Southeastern Conference with five.

LSU - for the first time all season - struggled to run the football, particularly in the first half. With two sacks of quarterback Joe Burrow included, LSU netted just nine yards in the first half on 17 carries. That was one less yard than its point total as the Tigers led 10-3 at halftime.

The touchdown came courtesy of an interception of quarterback Nick Fitzgerald by linebacker Michael Divinity Jr. on State's first possession. Divinity returned it 31 yards to the State 3-yard line. It took LSU three plays to do it, but tailback Nick Brossette finally scored on a 1-yard run for a 7-0 lead with 12:37 to go in the first quarter.

And that was it for the offense until late in the first half when the Tigers drove 64 yards in 15 plays. But just 13 of that was on the ground over five rushes. Tracy's 25-yard field goal for the 10-7 lead came as time expired in the first half.

The Tigers finally got their running game going a bit to open the third quarter as they gained 22 yards on five rushes on their way to a 55-yard drive in 10 plays to set up a 38-yard field goal and 13-3 lead. Brossette gained 12 yards to get the drive going before adding 4- and 3-yard runs. He gained just 14 yards on eight carries in the first half.

By the end of the third quarter, Brossette had a decent 46 yards on 14 carries. And LSU was in control at 16-3 on a 29-yard field goal by Tracy. He kicked one from 40 yards out in the fourth quarter for the 19-3 final.

The Tigers finished with 110 yards rushing on 44 carries after the horrendous start with Brossette finishing with 57 on 17 carries. Clyde Edwards-Helaire added 46 yards on 16 carries.

LSU (7-1, 4-1 SEC) suffered a serious blow in the fourth quarter, however, when linebacker Devin White was called for targeting Fitzgerald. This means White - LSU's best player in its front seven - will miss the first half of LSU's next game by rule. That game is against No. 1 Alabama (8-0, 5-0 SEC) on Nov. 3 in Tiger Stadium after both teams have an open date this week. The Tide defeated Tennessee, 58-21, earlier Saturday.

The Bulldogs regrouped after the Fitzgerald interception to start the game by moving 73 yards in seven plays, which was better than any LSU drive. Fitzgerald gashed LSU for runs of 40 and 13 yards, but the drive stalled at the LSU 2-yard line. And the Bulldogs settled for a 19-yard field goal by Jace Christmann and a 7-3 deficit with 8:43 to go in the first quarter.

The Tigers had a great chance to go ahead 10-3 or 14-3 late in the first quarter, but this had nothing to do with their offense. Delpit intercepted Fitzgerald at the Bulldogs' 24-yard line for his team-high fourth interception of the season.

LSU quarterback Joe Burrow found wide receiver Dee Anderson on a 9-yard completion. But two plays later, Burrow was intercepted in the end zone by State cornerback Cam Dantzler on a pass intended for Anderson on first down from the 11-yard line.

Burrow finished the first half 9-of-19 passing for 70 yards and was 16-of-28 passing for the game for 129 yards and one interception.

Fitzgerald was far worse and had one of the worst passing games of his career. He completed just 8 of 24 for 59 yards with four interceptions. He finished with 131 rushing yards on 31 carries.

In the end, State outgained LSU, 260 yards to 239.

It was LSU's best defensive game of the season, but State (4-3, 1-3 SEC) has an offense that has not reached double figures in all three of its losses.

And that defense will be without Devin White for the first half against Alabama, and few have been able to stay with Alabama for a half so far this season.

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