BATON ROUGE — The Tigers went into attack mode on offense.

After LSU’s offense was bogged down the week before in the loss at Florida, managing only 372 yards and two touchdowns, the team changed its mindset and went with a more up-tempo and attacking approach against Georgia.

“We have to attack,” LSU head coach Ed Orgeron said about the change. “We have to get it. We were pissed off on Monday, okay, to be honest with you. We’re not going to do that again. Let’s go for it. Not that we didn’t go for it against Florida. We had to change our mindset. We wasn’t going to just sit in there.” 

That more fast-paced offense proved to be key in the 36-16 victory as the Tigers outgained the then second-ranked Bulldogs 475-322 while running 17 more plays than Georgia did. That faster tempo also prevented the opposition from subbing players in and out in the front seven, which resulted in the defense being gassed.

“We were going to do everything we could,” Orgeron said. “Hurry up. You see the big defensive linemen they have. Hurry up was a big part of the game plan. You have to be careful, especially if their offense is moving the football. We don’t want to hurry up and tire our defense. We talked about it as a staff. Stay on the attack, and we did.”

No. 5 LSU (6-1, 3-1 SEC) will look to continue that attacking approach when it welcomes No. 22 Mississippi State (4-2, 1-2 SEC) to Tiger Stadium Saturday night. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.

That more aggressive new mindset won’t change the fact that Orgeron and offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger will continue to run a balanced offense. Heading into Saturday’s contest, LSU has the same number of rushing yards as it does passing yards — 1,415.

For Orgeron, he is more than pleased about the offensive direction.

“I like the daily operations,” Orgeron said. “I know when I walk into that meeting, we have seven coaches, whatever the amount of coaches in there, working on football all day. They’re all on the same page, led by Steve (Ensminger). Giving the LSU Tigers their best shot. Covering everything from A to Z. We watch every bit of practice film. If it’s broke, we fix it. They’re doing everything I ask them to do.”

The one thing that might still need to be fixed is the protection of Joe Burrow.

The Tigers signal caller has proven to be a tough leader for the team as he has not only thrown for 1,415 yards and six touchdowns but is also third on the team in rushing yards (242) and rushing touchdowns (4). 

Burrow, though, has also been sacked 16 times this season and LSU is tied with Arkansas, Central Michigan and Miami for No. 76 in the country in average sacks allowed per game.

This Saturday, LSU will face one of the best pass rushers in the SEC. Mississippi State is tied for fourth in the SEC with 17 sacks, averaging 2.83 per game. The Bulldogs are led by Montez Sweat (team-high 7.5 sacks and 10 tackles for a loss) and Jeffery Simmons (8.5 tackles for a loss), who are projected to be first-round picks in next year’s NFL Draft.

“It was hard for us to block Simmons last year,” Orgeron said. “He’s physical. He plays over the guard. Big, long and lean. He reminds me a lot of Leonard Williams, coached him at USC, a first-round draft pick. Montez is tall, great pass-rusher.”

LSU, though, has its own stout defense as the Tigers are giving up only 340.3 yards per game and have racked up 17 sacks and forced 15 turnovers.

“I think a thing that a lot of top-notch defensive coordinators across the country like Dave Aranda, in their schemes they understand how an offense is attempting to attack them and why, and (they) work to take those things away, but at the same time combines a bunch of aggressiveness where they are attempting to force the hand of the offense,” Mississippi State first-year head coach Joe Moorhead said. “They know, based on what they run, how people are going to attack them and have a bunch of good counter punches. So, I would say it’s a combination of aggressiveness, scheme and in-game adjustments that he does a really nice job of.”

LSU, meanwhile, will be looking to do a better job at defending Mississippi State quarterback Nick Fitzgerald who in last year’s 37-7 victory threw for 180 yards and two scores while adding 88 yards on the ground with two more scores. Fitzgerald has been up and down this season as he enters Saturday’s’ game leading the team in rushing with 513 yards and seven scores, but has completed only 49.6 percent of his passes for 709 yards with a TD-INT ratio of 4-3.

“He is a very dangerous runner,” Orgeron said. “He can pick and choose his holes. He likes to run them between the tackles. Big, strong, quarterback. We watched him this morning, watched his runs, especially against Auburn. He’s very dangerous. He can get up the field, can make you miss. Very smart with the football, makes decisions. This is going to be one of the best quarterbacks we see all year.”

Despite coming off a signature win, the program’s first victory at home over a No. 1 or No. 2 ranked team in the AP Poll since 1997, Orgeron wants to thank the Tiger faithful for being a factor in last week’s game — and to ask them to come out once again.

“I invite our fans to come out early, homecoming night, to Tiger Stadium,” Orgeron said. “I want to thank them for their support for the Georgia game. It was a home-field advantage. We’re going to need it again this Saturday night.”