LSU vs. Mississippi State 2017 live stream: Start time, TV channel, and how to watch online

The LSU Tigers have only allowed 10 points through their first two games of the season, but they have only seen underwhelming offenses in that span. On Saturday, they’ll kick off their SEC schedule against one of the country’s highest-scoring teams when they travel to Starksville for a showdown with the Mississippi State Bulldogs. That game kicks off at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ESPN (live stream).

No. 12 LSU is currently one of three SEC West teams in the AP Top 25, but a Bulldogs’ win could drag Mississippi State into the rankings. It’ll be a challenge to get there; while MSU is currently 2-0, those two wins have come against Charleston Southern and Louisiana Tech. The program did its job by blowing out those cupcake opponents by an aggregate 106-21 score but still has to prove this team can hang with the SEC West’s giants.

This is a pivotal moment for Mississippi State’s 2017 season. We have marveled about Todd Grantham’s defense and been captivated by State’s ability to run the ball. But, although the first two performances have been very impressive, Charleston Southern and Louisiana Tech are no LSU.

That’s where offensive coordinator Matt Canada comes in. Canada led NC State to its two best offensive performances of the last 12 years in 2014 (40th in Off. S&P+) and 2015 (35th), then went to Pitt and fielded a truly elite offense (fourth). And his task for 2017 is to unearth a couple of extra successes per game. And maybe close drives a little better.

LSU held an (admittedly very overmatched) opponent to just 4.1 yards per play, put up more than 450 yards of offense and put the game away in relative short order with a number of impressive plays. This game was 28-3 at the half, and the backups were in for, more or less, the entire fourth quarter. From a raw numbers standpoint, there really isn’t much to complain about.

The Bulldogs have smoked their two opponents this fall, but their 106 points came against Charleston Southern and Louisiana Tech — an FCS program and Conference-USA standby, respectively. The difference between that duo and LSU is stark; the Tigers have dominated their opponents’ offenses this fall. Mississippi State has five players averaging more than five yards per carry in 2017, but LSU has held opponents to an NCAA-best 31.5 yards rushing per game.

The Tigers will have to rely on Derrius Guice to grind down the Bulldogs.