LSU lost its second game of the 2020 season Saturday after falling to Missouri, 45-41. The Bayou Bengals’ defense struggled in the matchup that was relocated from Baton Rouge due to Hurricane Delta, allowing Missouri quarterback Connor Bazelak and his team to post 586 yards of offense.
LSU had a chance to win the game after a first and goal at the 1-yard line near the games end but the Tigers were unable to score as Missouri forced a turnover on downs with 16 seconds to play.
Here’s five takeaways from LSU’s loss:
LSU struggled with big plays
Both of Missouri’s running backs Larry Rountree and Tyler Badie each had a 29-yard run. Bazelak also hit six different receivers for a gain of at least 20 yards. LSU struggled to stop the big plays in much of Saturday’s game as three Missouri receivers had a gain for 40 or more yards. Those big plays either resulted in scores or led to them.
LSU couldn’t establish the run
The Tigers finished with 20 carries for a total of 49 yards with sophomore Tyrion Davis-Price leading LSU with 38 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Most of those rushing yards came in the second half as LSU had just one yard on seven attempts at the break.
Tigers also struggled on third down
LSU was 0-10 on third down Saturday which resulted in three-and-outs. The Tigers most notable failed third down came near the game’s end when Myles Brennan’s pass for Terrace Marshall was batted down setting up a fourth down play where Brennan had another pass batted away from Marshall to seal the game for Missouri.
Terrace Marshall Jr. had an impressive game
Marshall finished with the fourth most receiving yards of any LSU receiver in a single game as he finished with 11 catches for 235 yards and three touchdowns. Marshall is off to a hot start and has been a bright spot for LSU as he’s scored seven touchdowns through three games.
Arik Gilbert flashed his potential
True freshman tight end who drew a lot of praise from LSU coaches during fall camp had his best game so far as he caught six passes for 97 yards and touchdown in the loss.