When I learned Saturday morning that All-American CB Darryl Stingley would not play, I got very worried. The player we could least afford to lose as we took on Mike Leach's Air Raid offense from Mississippi State was Stingley.
His absence is immeasurable, but it's safe to say MSU's Joe Burrow, senior transfer K. J. Costello from Stanford, would not have set an SEC record with 623y passing. Maybe 400, but not 600.
I have numerous additional comments on the game.

• With only about 22,000 fans in the stands, LSU's home field advantage, like the Saints', was erased.
• Before we demand that new D-coordinator Bo Pelini be fired, let's recall that COVID-19 wiped out spring practice and spring games. So LSU not only lost valuable time to learn Pelini's defense, they had no video on the Leach/Costello offense. Presumably, Bo and his staff watched video of Leach's games at Washington State last year and Costello's at Stanford. But that can take you only so far.
• Staying with the defense, a big chunk of Costello's record yardage came after the catch. The 2020 LSU defense is not as fast as last year's and the tackling was poor.
• Turning to the offense, Myles Brennan threw for 345y and three TDs. But he had 19 incompletions and 2 INTs for a QBR of 32.2 (vs Costello's 83.1). We were spoiled by Joe who hit receivers in stride, thus producing more YAC (Yards after Catch). On a number of completions, the receiver had to turn or wait for the ball, enabling the defense to close faster. Hopefully, Myles will improve on that with experience.
• Myles often double-clutched, which may be a sign that he was afraid of making mistakes. He should improve on that game by game. It takes time to develop the recognition and decisiveness that Burrow displayed last year.
• It also must be said that LSU's O-line, like every other unit on the team, is not as good as last year. So Myles was sacked seven times, some of which he might have avoided if he had delivered the ball sooner or thrown it away if no one was covered.
• A big play in the game came in Q3 with MSU leading 27-24. Terrace Marshall, who continues to have dropsy problems, executed a beautiful stop and go. But as Brennan threw to him for an easy TD, a defender grazed Brennan's elbow, causing the ball to fall far short into the hands of a Bulldog. State then drove for a TD and a 10-point lead. So that defensive play made a 14-point difference.
• In addition to losing Stingley, LSU got another bad break on the fumble/incomplete pass by Costello in Q4. LSU had just scored 10 in a row to tie the game at 34. Shuffling to his right to avoid the rush, Costello started to throw the ball but seemed to hesitate halfway through his motion as if he changed his mind. He dropped the ball, and Jeremy Stevens recovered. But the rules say that as soon as his arm comes forward, he is in a passing motion and it's an incompletion, not a fumble. So the chance to continue the momentum and take the lead was aborted.
• The good news is that several newcomers had outstanding games for the Tigers. Transfer DE Ali Gaye had a sack to two tackles for loss despite being blatantly held (horse-collared) by the MSU tackle multiple times. OLB Jabril Cox, a transfer from North Dakota State. He had four solo tackles, two assists, and a pick six.
• We can't put the game in perspective because it takes many weeks to create a perspective. We'll see how Costello fares in the weeks ahead, but he may turn out to be the best QB the Tigers will face all season.