LSU started the day with a chance to prove it was for real in the Southeastern Conference.
That's not what happened. Tennessee dominated from the opening snap en route to a 40-13 victory.
With all that in mind, here are my top three takeaways after a tough morning at Tiger Stadium.
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AT LEAST IT WAS OVER EARLY?
This was LSU's first early kickoff of the 2022 season -- and it's probably a safe bet we'll see more of them as the season rolls on. This isn't a team that needs to be in primetime.
And that's fine. The feeling around LSU during its beatdown at the hands of Tennessee was more a product of its better-than-expected SEC start than anything else. The Volunteers are legitimately good. Hendon Hooker is a clear NFL talent. They move at a breakneck pace. LSU couldn't keep up.
A game like this will usually result in a reflexive "how could this happen response." We already saw it after a season-opening loss to Florida State and the resultant wave of negativity thrown at Brian Kelly. We'll certainly see it again. But this was always going to be a hard rebuild from the depths this LSU program sank to after a national title run in 2019.
Saturday's game wasn't so much a red flag and as a measuring stick for how far this Tigers team has left to go. It was painful to watch, but take-your-medicine games always are. Stay the course, and hopefully this team is can follow a similar blueprint back to national relevance as Tennessee did as it went from the Jeremy Pruitt to Josh Heupel era. Kelly's early recruiting returns have been excellent. That won't impact this group.
Either way, the tough SEC matchups are only getting started. What can you say is this Tigers squad have an honest chance against the middle-of-the-road SEC teams (and that should include Florida next week). But brace yourself, because Alabama week won't probably won't be any prettier.
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I'M OK WITH THE AGGRESSIVE DECISIONS
The Tigers went into this game knowing they would have to keep pace to have a chance. That's just the reality when you go against a warp-speed offensive system like Tennessee's.
I do take slight issue with the decision to go on 4th and 2 early in the game from chip-shot field goal range. I don't take issue with the idea, I just place a premium on getting a zero off the scoreboard early in the game. To me that's a mental hurdle. If you can clear it early, you do it. At least that's my opinion.
But I'm perfectly fine with the choice to go on 4th and 9 from the Tennessee 45-yard line, trailing 20-7 with less than a minute to go in the first half. The result was worst-case scenario. Jayden Daniels took a sack setting up Tennessee on LSU's side of the field, and they got into field goal range for a 23-7 halftime lead.
But the risk-reward was on the "go" end, by my estimation.
Here are the potential outcomes:
- Conversion and FG attempt to cut the lead to 10
- Failed conversion, Tennessee chance at FG and 16-point lead
- Punt to Tennessee, longshot chance at FG (or block/bad punt)
We all saw how this game went. You're kidding yourself if you think punting to Tennessee with under 30 seconds left is guaranteeing they don't get into field goal range. We also saw how the second half went. Cutting the deficit to 10 and heading into halftime with significant momentum would've been a huge shift. Playing it safe and for a 13-point deficit wouldn't have changed the equation, it'd just have allowed you to lose by three fewer points.
There will hopefully soon come a day when these two teams can match up and LSU doesn't have to be overly aggressive to give itself a chance. That wasn't the case today. Everything had to go right. Very little did. That's why you lost the game.
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BIG ABSENCES CONTINUE
The fist absence was literal and sizable. It was LT Will Campbell, who was a surprise scratch after being hospitalized for dehydration overnight.
The second absence was metaphorical, and it continues to be the most confusion. It was Kayshon Boutte, who despite some his first touchdown of the season continued to underwhelm in a year he was expected to dominate.
Put it on Jayden Daniels if you want (and there's fair criticism there). Put it on Kelly's decision-making if you must (we addressed that a bit above). But the reason that 4th and 9 play before the half was destined to fail is that backup LT Anthony Bradford was blown by for a free run at his quarterback. You wonder how a true freshman LT can be the clear-cut best option? Well, there you go.
You wonder why a high-powered LSU offense is struggling so mightily in the receiving game? Well, 6 catches for 33 yards -- a majority of which came in garbage time -- for a preseason All-American just won't get it done. And it wasn't just Tennessee's defense shutting him down. Boutte entered with an average of 2.5 catches for 24.7 yards in his four games this season. This is a player who once caught 14 passes for 308 yards in a single game.
Something isn't adding up.
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LAGNIAPPE
We've heard over and over against about Mason Taylor. Well, he had a nice moment today with a third-down conversion to set up a Josh Williams TD drive at a point when the game still felt within reach. Gold star for the freshman. ... LSU's special teams is still a huge problem. The Tigers needed everything to go right in this game. Well, Tennessee was allowed to start its two opening possessions on LSU's 25 and 27 after a muffed kick (Jack Bech) and a 58-yard punt return. Starting this game in a 10-point hold meant you never really had a chance. ... The running game is nonexistent, at least from the running backs. Josh Williams, John Emery Jr. and Noah Cain combined to carry the ball 12 times for a total of 17 yards (1.4 yards per carry). ... Jayden Daniels' job doesn't appear in question. If it was, this is the game you'd likely have turned to Garrett Nussmeier. With the game clearly over, the Tigers' starting QB remained in the game and finished 32-of-43 for 300 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. That speaks volumes. ... Guard Garrett Dellinger was playing in a cast after missing a week with a broken hand, but he left early with a knee injury. It's been a rough few weeks for the sophomore.