The 2023 LSU-Mississippi State game will be remembered for how Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels and wide receiver Malik Nabers torched the Bulldogs defense in a 41-14 victory.
Daniels and Nabers shared SEC Offensive player of the Week honors for their dominating performance. Daniels threw for 367 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and the 5th year senior also rushed for two touchdowns and accounted for 425 yards of offense.
Nabers was targeted 13 times and caught 13 passes for 239 yards and two TDs.
While LSU’s offense was humming along on a lovely afternoon in Starkville, the Tigers defense shut down a struggling Mississippi State offense that is transitioning from a pass happy scheme to a more balanced attack.
LSU linebacker Whit Weeks made his first start, and the true freshman from Watkinsville, Georgia led the Tigers with eight tackles.
Coach Brian Kelly says one of Weeks’ best assets is his speed. The six-foot-three, 222-pounder also saw time at running back, wide receiver and kick returner at Oconee County High School in Georgia. His speed allows him to make up for the mistakes a freshman linebacker would make.
Weeks got the start because veteran Omar Speights missed the game with an injury. Speights is listed as probable for Saturday’s home game against Arkansas.
It’s a mystery on who will start against the Hogs, but one guy who is not leaving the field is linebacker Greg Penn III.
The junior from Maryland started all 14 games last year and finished second on the team in tackles.
But LSU’s decision to begin the year with Harold Perkins as an inside linebacker had Penn coming off the bench against Florida State.
We all saw the results, a blowout victory for the Seminoles.
Penn returned as a starter for the Grambling game and helped settle down a defense that got off to a slow start.
Kelly said in the Mississippi State game, Penn provided what he called a settling factor again.
“He gets guys lined up, communicates very well and that’s a guy we want to keep on the field, so we’ll be moving guys around to complement that and I think the best rotation keeps Greg on the field and then we’ll move guys in and out with him,” said Kelly.
The stat sheet shows Penn with only three tackles last Saturday, but what he means to this defense can’t be read on a stat sheet.
The Tigers defense faces another offense in flux this Saturday when Arkansas comes to Death Valley.
Quarterback KJ Jefferson is a second-team All-SEC preseason selection. The fifth-year player is big, physical and hard to bring down. He also possesses a big arm but is throwing to a new group of receivers.
Andrew Armstrong leads the team with 18 catches for 197 yards and three touchdowns. He transferred in from Texas A&M Commerce. Second leading receiver is Isaac TeSiaa, who transferred in from Division II Hillsdale College.
The Razorbacks are missing running back Rocket Sanders. The All-SEC performer from a season ago injured his knee in the season opener and has not played the last two weeks.
Sanders rushed for 1,443 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman said on Monday it’s too early to tell if Sanders will be healthy enough to play this Saturday against LSU.
Greg Brooks update
LSU safety Gren Brooks will be out indefinitely after suffering a medical emergency prior to Saturday’s win at Mississippi State. Kelly is not providing any other details. Pittman said during his Monday press conference that he was praying for Brooks.
Brooks transferred from Arkansas to LSU following the 2021 season. He was elected a team captain this year.