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Leavitt Throws Four Touchdowns as No. 22 LSU Shut Out No. 16 Mississippi State 31-0

Sam Leavitt completed 31 of 38 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns, and LSU recorded their first shutout of an SEC opponent since 2007 in a 31-0 win over No. 16 Mississippi State in Baton Rouge.

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Leavitt Throws Four Touchdowns as No. 22 LSU Shut Out No. 16 Mississippi State 31-0
Photo: Cmire4, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LSU_Tiger_Stadium_west_side.jpg)

Key points

  • No. 22 LSU beat No. 16 Mississippi State 31-0 at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge on Saturday, October 17, 2026, in a shutout built on a fast start and a clean game from quarterback Sam Leavitt.
  • LSU scored 14 points in the first quarter.
  • Harris finished with six catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns, but he left the game with an apparent ankle injury, LSU Wire reported.

No. 22 LSU beat No. 16 Mississippi State 31-0 at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge on Saturday, October 17, 2026, in a shutout built on a fast start and a clean game from quarterback Sam Leavitt. Leavitt threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, and LSU raced to a three touchdown lead by halftime, the Associated Press reported. LSU improved to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the Southeastern Conference. Mississippi State fell to 4-2 with its second straight loss.

Over by halftime

LSU scored 14 points in the first quarter. Leavitt found wide receiver Jackson Harris for a 27 yard touchdown, and the Tigers were in control from the start. Leavitt hit Harris again in the second quarter, this time from 17 yards, to make it 21-0. Mississippi State drove into the red zone on the next possession and went for it on fourth and goal from the LSU 6 yard line, but the Bulldogs came away with nothing. It was the first time Mississippi State had been shut out in the first half under head coach Jeff Lebby, Fox News reported. Ty Benefield intercepted the Bulldogs' backup quarterback in the second quarter as LSU's defense kept the shutout intact.

Harris finished with six catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns, but he left the game with an apparent ankle injury, LSU Wire reported. Running back Dilin Jones carried 18 times for 84 yards and added eight catches for 58 yards. Leavitt completed 31 of 38 passes, and Sports Illustrated noted it was his first game this season without an interception.

First SEC shutout since 2007

LSU added 10 points in the third quarter. Kicker Scott Starzyk made a 26 yard field goal, and Leavitt threw his fourth touchdown pass to Malik Elzy with 31 seconds left in the quarter. It was Elzy's first touchdown catch of the year and the first of his LSU career. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter.

Mississippi State played without quarterback Kamario Taylor and running back Fluff Bothwell, and its offense never reached the end zone. The Associated Press, through Yahoo Sports, reported that the win was LSU's first shutout of an SEC opponent since 2007. The result also answered a bad week for the Tigers, who had lost in overtime at Kentucky a week earlier and dropped in the polls. Under first year head coach Lane Kiffin, LSU likely cannot afford another loss if it wants to stay in the College Football Playoff race.

LSU plays at Auburn next Saturday. Mississippi State hosts Oklahoma next Saturday.

Sources