BATON ROUGE, La. — Last year’s trip to Starkville, Miss., was a wake-up a call, sobering proof that Ed Orgeron’s Tigers were no longer the bullies they envisioned themselves as in the SEC West.

Mississippi State exposed LSU on Sept. 16 as Dan Mullen’s offensive line paved the way for Nick Fitzgerald and Aeris Williams shredded the LSU defense for a combined 234 yards rushing and two touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, the Jeffery Simmons-anchored defensive front man-handled LSU’s line, putting Danny Etling on his back twice and hitting the quarterback another six times in a 37-7 romping.

State’s domination in the trenches highlighted a glaring deficiency on LSU’s roster that’s almost ironic when you consider who the head coach is. The Tigers were thin up front on both sides of the ball and lacked star power on both lines, which was certainly an uncommon characteristic for the program in recent memory.

“We got the crap beat out of us,” said senior tailback Nick Brossette, who remembers watching from the sidelines as Simmons and the State defensive line bottled up LSU’s normally potent rushing attack. “I remember that game and I’m going to watch it. They played with way more energy than us, with more intensity, and we’re going to have to match it. They had a bye last weekend and they’re ready to go, and I’m excited for the opportunity. I’m sure my team is as well.”

If they weren’t, Orgeron wasted little time reminding his players of what occurred last fall in Mississippi.

Before the team could finish digesting the upset of No. 2 Georgia and the crowd storming to the field in celebration, Orgeron grounded them in the locker room. He brought up last year’s loss to the Bulldogs, LSU’s first of the season, and the lopsided nature it occurred in.

“Saturday night right after the Georgia game I reminded them we did not play very well against them last year,” Orgeron said on Wednesday. “We have a lot of respect for Mississippi State. I know the players there. I tried to recruit a lot of those players. They’re very hungry, physical, they play hard and with passion … it’s a good team.

“They out-physicaled us on both sides of the ball last year. We still have that taste in our mouth,” he added.

It’s difficult to imagine Orgeron being able to discuss Mississippi State without mentioning Jeffery Simmons.

The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder in the middle of the Bulldogs’ defense has been a headache for the LSU coaches the past 13 months. Simmons was unblockackle a year ago and won’t be taken as lightly this go-round. His unique blend of physical toughness and unrelenting drive is part of the obsession.

“Jeffery Simmons is probably the best defensive tackle in the country,” Orgeron remembered. “It was hard for us to block Simmons last year. 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.

“We obviously have a plan for him. Our guys got their work cut out for him. He’s a really good player.”

In last year’s contest, Simmons harassed Etling to the tune of eight quarterback pressures, six hurries and two sacks, according to Pro Football Focus. He scored an 82.0 defensive grade with an 83.1 mark as an interior pass-rusher.

The LSU coaches are scrambling for ways to contain Simmons, who is ranked as PFF’s 10th-best tackle this season. Through six games, Simmons boasts an even higher defensive grade he did last year (89.6), with superior grades against the run (88.0) and getting after the quarterback (81.4). On the field, that’s translated to 12 quarterback pressures and 10 hurries.

“He’s one of those alpha guys on the defensive line,” running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire said of Simmons. “We know we have to get a hat on him and that would help benefit a lot of things. We know being able to run the ball against Mississippi State is key for everything.”

The plan to slow down Simmons was revealed during meetings on Monday afternoon, but he was discussed way before then. Orgeron inserted the destructive defensive tackle into his players’ minds on Saturday night and his impact was a topic of discussion the following day during treatment.

Quarterback Joe Burrow wasn’t around for LSU’s 20-point loss at the hands of State last season, but he’s heard enough about Simmons in his short time in Baton Rouge. When that game is brought up, the word “toughness” often follows. Because of the style in which this team lost, there’s an obvious standard being set for the rematch.

“I’m excited to see what they have to say because they got their butts beat last year,” Burrow said. “I wasn’t here last year, but I know Mississippi State stomped them into the ground. What they’re saying is that their defensive line is really good, very physical and we’re going to have a tough task ahead of us … You can talk about it all you want, but it comes down to execution and toughness. If you’re not executing, if you’re not playing tough and mean, then you’re going to lose. It doesn’t matter that you lost last year.”

Orgeron wasn’t pleased to see one of his teams get pushed around like it did in Starkville a year ago.

In his media appearances following the loss to Mississippi State, the coach made no secrets about his solution. Orgeron ramped up his pursuit of junior college linemen on offense and defense in an effort to upgrade the team’s size, strength and speed.

Junior college linemen Damien Lewis, Badara Traore and Travez Moore all signed with LSU and joined the program in January. Lewis has started every game this season at right guard, seamlessly replacing Ed Ingram, a true freshman starter for the team in 2017 that was suspended prior to fall camp. Traore has two starts under his belt at both tackle spots, and has served as an effective swing tackle throughout the season. Moore, a defensive end, has seen his snap total increase each of the past two games and is increasingly becoming a more reliable part of Dave Aranda’s third-down blitz package.

Orgeron wasn’t done there.

The Tigers’ 2018 signing class featured 11 linemen, six on the defensive side of the ball and another five on offense. Freshmen Dare Rosenthal and Chase Hines made the switch from defense to offense at different stages in the season and Hines is likely to get his first start at left guard against Mississippi State on Saturday night.

Overall, LSU poured 3,546 pounds of reinforcements into its depth up front, including more than 1,600 pounds of defensive front-seven contributors and another nearly 1,900 pounds to fortify the offensive line.

“The way we recruit … if you come to LSU, if you coach at LSU, physicality is a part of your DNA,” Orgeron asserted. “That's always been LSU football. Some people like that, some people don't. The people that don't don't come here.”

Credit that physicality for LSU’s upset of No. 2 Georgia a week ago.

LSU started the same offensive line combination two games in a row for the first time this season, though Hines replaced Adrian Magee at guard on the second offensive series and never looked back. Ed Alexander, a junior nose guard, drew his first start of the season and played a season-high 42 snaps against the Bulldogs, allowing Breiden Fehoko — who got the nod at nose tackle the first six games — to shift out to defensive end and upgrade the Tigers’ pass rush with its down-linemen.

The nuances made up front on both sides of the ball were made as a result of a poor display in The Swamp the weekend prior. Like the Mississippi State in 2017, LSU’s loss forced the coaches to shuffle some personnel and address the toughness of the team.

“They beat us in the trenches,” Fehoko detailed. “They won that game up front on both sides of the ball. “It’s nothing we didn’t do like we weren’t as strong gas them or not fast enough; it was a mental thing. We try to come into games with our hands up. We took it upon us this week versus Georgia, as a defensive line, and we took it personally to be physical up front.”

Hands up?

“Like a boxer,” Fehoko clarified. “Ready to fight. Every time we’re on the field, Coach O is always the first person with his hands up. He’s our leader and we follow him.”

LSU may have lost a round to the Gators to open October, but it rebounded well with a knockoff of Georgia last Saturday. Next up is a chance at redemption against Mississippi State, a game that again has all the makings of a street fight.

Last year, the team went into Starkville with its hands down, Fehoko said, but nobody is sneaking onto LSU’s radar this turn.

Hands up.

“It was the first loss of the season and it took everybody by shock,” Fehoko said. “When we came back, a lot of the leaders had a players-only meeting about going into Mississippi with their hands down. That’s been a big motto for sure going into games with our hands up and locking the gate behind us, knowing what we’re capable of doing. Last year as a team, we overlooked some teams … this is the SEC and you need to bring your A-game every week. The great thing about this team is the leadership and the guys around you, playing games with your hands up and that’s exactly what we’re going to do every game.”