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GAME NOTES: The seventh-ranked LSU Tigers will attempt to remain undefeated as they take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs in SEC action. LSU owns a commanding 66-33-3 series advantage, which includes nine straight wins over the Bulldogs.

The Tigers played relatively close games against both Washington and Vanderbilt in early victories, but they completely dominated UL-Lafayette last weekend in a 31-3 final. Les Miles' Tigers haven't gotten nearly as much hype as fellow SEC squads Florida, Ole Miss and Alabama, but LSU will be a tough out all season. The schedule is brutal, but that is simply the nature of the beast for members of the nation's elite conference.

As for Mississippi State, it is 2-1 under the guidance of first-year head coach Dan Mullen, but we still don't know how good this team really is. After all, the Bulldogs crushed Jackson State in the opener, and won a defensive slugfest against Vanderbilt last weekend, 15-3. In between was a 49-24 loss to Auburn which was ugly to say the least. Mullen was a member of the Florida staff that won the national title last season, and he inherited an MSU program that won just four games in 2008.

"Tonight was a tough, SEC battle," said Mullen after the win over Vandy. "Any victory is an unbelievable feeling. We put in a lot of time into the game and to celebrate as a family is great."

Heading into this season, many wondered whether Jordan Jefferson was good enough to win under center for LSU. Through three games, he has completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 475 yards and five touchdowns with only one interception, so the answer to that question is yes. Star receiver Brandon LaFell has three receiving scores to his credit, although his average of 9.2 yards per reception needs to improve. In regard to the running game, Charles Scott and Keiland Williams have rushed for 164 yards apiece, but Williams has been the better of the two in regard to yards per carry. LSU is averaging 28.3 ppg and 325.7 total ypg, solid numbers that can obviously stand some improvement.

Defensively, LSU is limiting foes to 320.0 ypg, and opponents are only scoring 11.7 ppg against the Tigers. The run defense has been solid, yielding a mere 3.7 yards per carry and 129.3 ypg. LSU can clearly take pride in the fact that opposing offenses have scored a grand total of three touchdowns in three games. Meanwhile, the Tigers have posted six takeaways, including four interceptions. Harry Coleman leads LSU with 25 total tackles, and Rahim Alem has 3.5 TFLs to his credit.

In the victory over UL-Lafayette last weekend, the Tigers posted a modest total of 330 yards while yielding 272. Most important, however, was the 28- point differential in the final score. Sure, the defense didn't have a single sack, but it is hard to complain when allowing only three points while generating three takeaways. Jefferson threw two touchdowns, and Scott paced a solid ground attack.

"I'm really getting the feel of it," said Jefferson when asked to discuss his comfort level at quarterback. "I'm getting really comfortable, and I'm able to trust my offensive line and my receivers."

UL-Lafayette hasn't scored a touchdown against LSU in Baton Rouge in the 85- year history of the Tigers' current stadium. In 12 all-time meetings in Baton Rouge, LSU has outscored its in-state rival, 611-6.

"We are just trying to play ball," said linebacker Jacob Cutrera after the tilt. "The goal is to not let them score at all. We just tried to do our job and get ULL's offense off the field."

Mississippi State is averaging 28.0 ppg and 349.3 total ypg through three outings, but those impressive numbers are due in large part to the romp over Jackson State in the season opener. Both Tyson Lee and Chris Relf have seen action under center for the Bulldogs, and while Lee has a higher completion percentage, more yards and no interceptions, Relf has tossed three touchdowns -- two more than his teammate. Clearly, both signal callers fit into coach Mullen's plans. Anthony Dixon paces the club with 215 rushing yards, and Relf is second with 178 yards. As for the receivers, no one has more than seven catches or 77 yards.

Opponents are scoring 19.7 ppg against Mississippi State, which was terrific defensively against both Vandy and Jackson State but terrible against Auburn. So once again, we really don't know what we have with this group. The run defense has been average, yielding six scores in three games, and the fact that opposing quarterbacks have averaged 14.7 yards per completion thus far is concerning. K.J. Wright leads MSU with 21 total tackles, and three of his stops have been behind the line of scrimmage.

Mississippi State posted 341 total yards against Vanderbilt while yielding a mere 157 yards. In that tilt, the Bulldogs were just 2-of-15 on third down conversion attempts and scored just one offensive touchdown, but a 3-of-3 effort on field goals by Sean Brauchle proved to be the difference. MSU was tremendous against the run, giving up a mere 1.1 yards per carry on 29 attempts.

"To hold a team like Vanderbilt to 33 rushing yards is just a great job by our defensive staff," Mullen said. "For four quarters, our guys cannot play much better. They fought right down to that last second on the clock."

LSU is clearly the better team in this matchup in regard to talent, but don't expect a blowout. Mullen is a good enough coach to keep his team competitive, albeit in a loss.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: LSU 20, Mississippi State 13