LSU-Mississippi State moved to Thursday

LSU's 2011 football schedule shifted a bit Wednesday when Mississippi State announced its home game with the Tigers next fall has been moved to Thursday night and will be televised on ESPN. The move had been expected for weeks and became official when State released its schedule with LSU headed to Starkville, Miss., on Sept. 15. "It's a road game that doesn't affect us at home, and we really feel like it gives us an advantage if you look at our schedule and how it plays out," LSU associate athletic director Verge Ausberry said Wednesday. "Mississippi State has talked about doing this for a while and we were on board." The trip to State will be the first of consecutive true road games for the Tigers after they open the season in Arlington, Texas, against Oregon and then come home to entertain Northwestern State on Sept. 10. Following the trip to Starkville, LSU heads to West Virginia on Sept. 24. "Playing on that Thursday gives us a chance to come back and have some extra time to prepare for the trip to West Virginia and that's something that appealed to us," Ausberry said. It doesn't hurt that playing in the Thursday slot also guarantees LSU and the Bulldogs a national audience. The ESPN game on Thursday has become one of the more popular television draws each week of the season. The Tigers began the 2007 season at State and rolled to a 45-0 triumph. "We're excited for the opportunity to again play in front of a national audience," Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen said in a MSU news release. "Thursday night football on ESPN has become one of the most watched games each week, and we're happy to have the chance to showcase Mississippi State University, our fans and our players to the nation." The Bulldogs are regulars on the Thursday game, with a 6-9 record through the years. That includes a 17-14 loss to Auburn in Starkville this fall — AU's closest call on the way to a 13-0 season. State is 8-4 this season and will play Michigan in the Gator Bowl on New Year's Day. The Bulldogs' losses all came to West Division foes who are playing January bowl games: Auburn, LSU, Alabama and Arkansas. "Their program is hot right now and (Mullen) is hot right now," Ausberry said. Getting the chance to play them on national TV worked out well for us."