Had Mississippi State played the first half like it did the second half, that opening-game loss to South Alabama would be way, WAY back in the rearview mirror.

The Bulldogs’ furious comeback came up short in a 23-20 loss Saturday at No. 20 LSU. Here is some analysis of the comeback that fell a field goal short of turning the season around.

5 TAKEAWAYS

The potential is there: There should be a lot less doom and gloom around the rebuild now. LSU was a 16-point favorite and a pick to win the SEC West. The Bulldogs went toe-to-toe. Had they done so for four quarters, the conversation is very different. The Bulldogs matched LSU in passing yards, just couldn’t get anything going on the ground.

Who’s the running back: Mississippi State has a running back for every day of the week but looks like it has no idea who to feature. The quarterback again had the most carries. Ashton Shumpert led the backs with 6 carries for 34 yards. Aeris Williams remains the most puzzling case, two carries in the loss. MSU rushed for 56 yards on 32 attempts, a 1.8-yard average.

Still two QBs: Nick Fitzgerald had thrown for 120 yards on a slender 12-of-24 passing for a QBR of under 20. Once his helmet popped off, Damian Williams went 5-of-8 for 94 yards and a touchdown. He ran for one and threw for one to make yet another case for the job.

Can’t do that on third down: The Bulldogs were 1-of-14 of third downs. That’s painful in a 3-point loss.

Looking ahead: Saturday at UMass starts a stretch of five games against unranked teams. The team is hoping this second-half showing carries over into that stretch.

REPORT CARD

Offense: C – The close game was courtesy of the second-half defense. The Bulldogs seemingly have talented running backs who either aren’t producing or aren’t being allowed to produce. The passing game was all over the map and just OK. There needs to be an identity outside of a running quarterback who plays only a portion of the game.

Defense: B – Kudos for holding LSU scoreless in the second half. The B is borderline because of key mistakes. Linebacker Leo Lewis had an unsportsmanlike conduct, and Jonathan Calvin ran into kicker Cody Delahoussaye and turned a 35-yard field goal into a touchdown.

Special teams: B – Just eh. Westin Graves hit a pair of field goals, one a 41-yarder. Coverage team allowed nearly 22 yards per Derrius Guice’s four kick returns.

Coaching: C – Dan Mullen talked about a lack of effort in the first half. Fix it. And pull a running back out of the hat and go with him.

Overall: B – Simply because of the effort to get back in the game. Just a smidge of that in the first half and one or two fewer penalties, and Mississippi State may have left Baton Rouge at night with a win and a whole new outlook on the season.

GAME PLAN

Who knew what to expect with Danny Etling starting at quarterback? The Bulldogs did a fair job against the unknown. His one touchdown pass was enough because Leonard Fournette did his thing – 147 yards and 2 touchdowns. Mississippi State’s offense couldn’t keep up with its defense, which forced a pair of fumbles and held the Tigers to 7-of-16 on third down.

GAME BALLS

LB Leo Lewis: Freshman had another strong game with 10 tackles. He is second on the team with 23 tackles.

WR Fred Ross: Had 6 catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. He needs six catches (minimum) per game.

LB Gerri Green: Had 5 tackles, half a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery.