Domanick Davis amassed 285 all-purpose yards and the Tiger defense nabbed three interceptions as LSU surged past the Mississippi State Bulldogs 31-13 in Tiger Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Despite the fact that the LSU offense failed to really get going early in the first half, the Tigers charged into halftime leading 14-10 behind a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown by Domanick Davis and an amazing 70-yard touchdown drive that consisted exclusively of running plays.

The Tigers gave up three fumbles in the first half, all in LSU territory, but the Tiger defense played well and held the Bulldogs to only 10 points off of those turnovers.

LSU quickly took control of the game in the second half when Matt Mauck connected with Devery Henderson for a 36-yard touchdown pass with 8:59 remaining in the third quarter.  The Tigers led 21-10 at that point and never looked back.

On the ensuing MSU possession, Corey Webster intercepted a Kevin Fant pass and returned it to the Bulldog 9-yardline.  The LSU offense failed to score a touchdown, but a 26-yard John Corbello field goal extended the Tiger lead to 24-10.

Early in the fourth quarter, Bulldog kicker Brent Smith nailed a 52-yard field goal to draw the score a little closer at 24-13 with just over fourteen minutes remaining in the game.

LSU's offense answered the score with another long drive capped with a 1-yard touchdown run from Mauck.  With the score, the Tigers extended their lead to 31-13 with eight minutes remaining in the game.

LSU's 31-13 win over Mississippi State marked their ninth win in the past ten meetings with the Bulldogs.  With the win, the Tigers opened SEC play on the winning side for the first time since 1998.