BATON ROUGE, La. -- Reality hit LSU like a downhill freight train last week in a 37-7 wipeout loss at Mississippi State, dropping the Tigers to No. 25 in the national rankings and shaking the swagger they had developed in two relaxed wins over BYU and Tennessee-Chattanooga.

That heaping dose of SEC humility may be exactly what a flag-happy and inconsistent LSU team needs to rebound against Syracuse on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.

"Mississippi State played as good as they can play, and we played as bad as we can play," LSU coach Ed Orgeron said in assessing the Tigers' 30-point upset loss last week. "We didn't prepare (the players) as well as we should. I think this is going to be a turning point. It better be."