The LSU Tigers made a valiant fourth quarter comeback, but could not overcome a 24-point second half deficit in falling to the Mississippi State Bulldogs 34-29 in Death Valley Saturday night.

The Tigers lost to Mississippi State for the first time since 1999 and lost to MSU at home for the first time since 1991. They’ll likely fall out of the top 10 when the updated polls are released tomorrow, and became just the second SEC West team to lose a conference game (Arkansas’ loss to Auburn is the other). Anthony Jennings struggled at quarterback for most of the game, and it wasn’t until he was replaced by freshman Brandon Harris that LSU began its 19-3 fourth quarter comeback.

Here are a couple of thoughts on the game:

What it means: The loss means LSU has more problems on offense than we originally thought, especially at quarterback. Starting quarterback Anthony Jennings completed just 50 percent of his passes for 157 yards and no touchdowns, and he led the Tigers’ offense to just 10 points in more than three quarters of football. Harris, meanwhile, led LSU to 19 points in less than 15 minutes of game action, including two late touchdown passes to fellow freshman Malachi Dupre to cut an 18-point lead to five inside of two minutes remaining. LSU may have a quarterback controversy on its hands, as it was clear Jennings was not up to the test against a stout SEC defense Saturday night.

What I liked: The Tigers’ resiliency facing a steep deficit late in the game. LSU had been on the verge of being upset for much of the second half, and when it subbed in the freshman Harris it appeared to be somewhat of a white flag from head coach Les Miles. Instead, the Tigers never rolled over, even as a frustrated fan base piled out of Death Valley in masses. LSU almost made those fans sorry they left, as they scored 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter including 13 points in the final two minutes. The fact LSU had the ball and a chance to win the game on the final play shows this team is not willing to accept defeat, just as the Tigers showed in their comeback win over Wisconsin in Week 1. Saturday’s result didn’t go LSU’s way, but that resiliency will come in handy as the Tigers progress through SEC play.

Who’s the man: Travin Dural had another standard night at the office, catching six passes for 124 yards against Mississippi State (which actually dropped his yards per catch average this season). However, the “man” in this game is his fellow wideout Dupre, who made four catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns in a losing effort. Dupre established himself as a No. 2 option to Dural, stretching the field on both sidelines to give the Bulldogs’ secondary fits. Dupre had two touchdown catches of 31 and 30 yards late in the game, and could play a greater role in the Tigers’ offense moving forward. If LSU can find a stable quarterback, Dupre could be a budding star in the SEC for years to come.

Key play: Trailing 17-3 at the start of the second half, LSU linebacker Kwon Alexander worked his way into the Mississippi State backfield and stripped quarterback Dak Prescott, forcing a fumble teammate Danielle Hunter would scoop and return for a touchdown. The defensive score cut the lead to 17-10, and seemed to swing the momentum back in the Tigers’ favor at the time. For an LSU team struggling on offense in the first half, receiving a big play from the defense was the spark the Tigers needed at the time. LSU’s defense is going to keep it in games against quality opponents this season, and Alexander’s strip fumble followed by Hunter’s return touchdown is just one example of that.

What’s next: LSU will have an opportunity to regroup in a home game against New Mexico next week, but then will hit the road to take on Auburn on the Plains in two weeks. The Tigers will have to assess their quarterbacks and fine-tune a few things on offense this week at practice, and the game against New Mexico will be a perfect opportunity to work out some of their kinks. We won’t truly know how much LSU will improve until the game against Auburn, and a poor showing in that game could bury the Tigers in 2014.