On a day that saw the program’s record book rewritten by quarterback Joe Burrow, No. 2 LSU (7-0, 3-0 SEC) pounded Mississippi State (3-4, 1-3 SEC) to the tune of 36-13 in Starkville. Four touchdown passes saw Burrow move into first place in LSU program history for the most passing touchdowns in a season,.
Burrow, with at least five games left to play this season, has thrown 29 touchdown passes this season. His 29th, an 18-yard pass to Justin Jefferson to put the Bulldogs up 36-7 in the third quarter, moved him past Matt Mauck and JaMarcus Russell. Mauck set the LSU school record of 28 touchdown passes during the 2003 season. Russell tied the mark a few years later in 2006. Burrow has five more regular-season games to play, and as many as three more on top of that if things go well for the Tigers; LSU could play in the SEC Championship Game and as many as two postseason games after that in the College Football Playoff. In other words, Burrow is going to obliterate the old record and leave it in the dust before he gets to his final number, regardless of if the Tigers play for the SEC title or in the playoff for the first time in school history.
Joe. Freaking. Burrow. pic.twitter.com/VSujJEUSig
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) October 19, 2019
Burrow, who ended his afternoon with 327 yards and four touchdowns before getting an early rest, was just one half of the dominance against the Bulldogs. LSU forced three Mississippi State turnovers, leading to 10 points by LSU’s offense. LSU also held the Bulldogs to just three third-down conversions in 11 attempts, and Mississippi State was 0-for-2 on fourth down. Mississippi State running back Kylin Hill was limited to 34 rushing yards on 15 carries, and quarterback Garrett Shrader had a rough afternoon completing 12 of 21 passes for 168 yards with two interceptions (he did rush for 61 yards and a touchdown as well).
While a mega matchup with Alabama is coming into view on the horizon, LSU has some other business to attend to first, and it is hardly something to look past. LSU returns home next week to host No. 11 Auburn, who dominated Arkansas earlier in the day. Auburn will arrive in Baton Rouge with a 6-1 record overall and 3-1 mark within the SEC. LSU will get a bye week after facing Auburn, which will then lead to the big road game at Alabama. In brief, the SEC West has some big games the next few weeks.
As for Mississippi State, any wild card shot at the division crown is long gone now.
Now, the quest to get to a bowl game is beginning to fall into some slight jeopardy. Mississippi State players their next two games on the road against Texas A&M (next week) and Arkansas (Nov. 2). They also still have to play Alabama. If Mississippi State goes any worse than 1-2 in their next three games, a bowl game may come down to having to win in the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss in the final game of the regular season.