Lee leads No. 3 LSU over No. 25 Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, Miss. – LSU’s Jarrett Lee stepped back in the pocket, surveyed the field and let a pass fly. It was a beautifully thrown fade route to Rueben Randle, who beat two Mississippi State defenders to the corner of the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown.

Everyone already knew LSU had a great running game and defense. Now the Tigers might be developing a quarterback to match.

“Rueben made a great route – it was just a matter of putting it out there for him,” Lee said. “I feel like I’m becoming a more mature player. Really developing.”

The senior quarterback, filling in for suspended Jordan Jefferson, completed 21 of 27 passes for 213 yards and the touchdown and No. 3 LSU defeated No. 25 Mississippi State 19-6 on Thursday night.

Lee’s night was filled with conservative, but nearly perfect passes all over the field. Then in a crucial moment, his strike to Randle hushed a raucous Mississippi State crowd and gave the Tigers a 16-6 lead.

His only real mistake was an interception minutes later, but as it had all game, LSU’s defense stuffed Mississippi State with little trouble. LSU (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) had 15 tackles for a loss and held the Bulldogs (1-2, 0-2) to 193 total yards and two field goals.

“It was really fun to see,” LSU coach Les Miles said.

Despite Mississippi State’s cowbells providing an ever-present backdrop, LSU won its 12th straight game in the series dating to 1999.

Lee’s success is quickly making LSU fans forget about Jefferson, the expected starter who has been suspended all season after being arrested for his alleged role in a bar fight in August. Lee wasn’t necessarily spectacular, but he didn’t have to be, calmly managing the game and hitting open receivers when opportunities arose.

It’s a stark contrast from his freshman season in 2008, when Lee threw 16 interceptions, including seven that were returned for touchdowns.

Since those tough days he’s spent most of the time on the bench. Now with a new opportunity, he’s taking full advantage.

It helps that LSU’s running game continues to be spectacular. Spencer Ware rushed for 107 yards on 22 carries.

LSU was its own worst enemy much of the game before its late-game breakout. In a particularly brutal stretch in the third quarter, the Tigers committed five penalties in less than 9 minutes, losing 67 yards in the process. Lee’s interception gave Mississippi State newfound life after falling behind 16-6.

But LSU’s defense was good enough to make up for all those transgressions, constantly putting pressure on Mississippi State quarterback Chris Relf and disrupting the Bulldogs’ vaunted running game, which had gained at least 300 yards rushing in each of the season’s first two games.

MSU’s Vick Ballard managed just 38 yards on 10 carries, while Relf rushed for 10 yards on 16 carries. Relf was benched for Tyler Russell late in the game, but the sophomore didn’t have any success either.