One question coming into to Saturday was just how much offense Cody Orgeron could muster against his father, Ed's team. The Tigers quickly proved it wouldn't be much.
LSU ran the McNeese State quarterback ragged all night at Tiger Stadium, rolling up 8 sacks as the team cruised to a 34-17 victory, their first of the season. The Cowboys fall to 0-2.
But what else? Here are my top 3 takeaways from a much-needed tuneup in Baton Rouge.
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SETTLING IN
No, LSU's starting quarterback didn't dazzle. But he did do something that's probably more important: He settled in.
Johnson finished with a pedestrian 161 yards and 3 touchdowns before leaving the game late in the 3rd quarter with LSU pinned to a 24-0 lead. He made some good throws, took some hits, but by and large appeared to have erased whatever jitters impacted his showing in the opener.
Was he perfect? No, but that's not the goal. The goal is to win. What hurts winning are foolish, nervous, undisciplined plays that lead to turnovers or missed opportunities. You can win games the way Max Johnson played on Saturday, particularly if his connection with Kayshon Boutte continues to thrive.
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Boutte caught 5 more passes for 31 yards and two touchdowns. That came after 9 catches and 3 touchdowns in Week 1.
Orgeron said last week that Johnson would get the time to improve. This isn't the end product for Johnson. It's a performance to build on. And, as Orgeron said at halftime, LSU's offensive line still needs to get better.
Garrett Nussmeier looked solid and his game is unquestionably exciting, but he was in there for experience ... not to steal a job.
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CADE YORK IS A WEAPON
There was once a time that LSU had strong distrust of its kicking game in big moments. That narrative began to change with the arrival of Cole Tracy, who then handed the torch to Cade York.
What York has done since has been mind-boggling. With two more made field goals from beyond 50 yards, the longest from 56, York has now made 12 of 14 kicks from more than 50 yards away in his career.
York is only a junior, but he'll be a top candidate for the Lou Groza Award handed to the nation's top kicker. And when LSU inevitably finds itself with an opportunity for a game-winning kick, they'll have no qualms about running him out there.
But do you take it a step further with a kicker that effective? No, of course you don't kick it on second down. But once you're into York's range, do you feel comfortable pushing it downfield a bit more? Max protect Max, don't take a sack and give LSU's talented pass-catchers a chance. If you don't get in the end zone, you know the points are on the board. If nothing else it impacts your decision-making on 4th and short.
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BIG HITTERS
The defense is a but tougher to gauge than the offense when it's facing an outclassed opponent, but there's no replacement for confidence. That's true even with the shutout spoiled on a long pass play in the 4th quarter.
The Tigers' pass-rush pressured UCLA's QB a good bit in the opener, but they struggled in containment and the defense was exposed on the back end. It was a brutally tough matchup for McNeese this time around, but the Tigers appeared to be a bit more composed throughout the game ... and they got into the backfield in a flash more than a few times. At least a half-dozen times there were two defenders meeting in the backfield before Orgeron or the running back could even react.
Somehow LSU only finished with 8 sacks, but they had an astounding 16 tackles for loss -- which really tell the story.
Andre Anthony had a particularly good night, at one point just pinning his ears back on an outside speed rush and cleanly beating the right tackle to Cody Orgeron's blindside. With Ali Gaye sidelined, such a performance will send LSU into next week with a lot of positive tape to review and success to emulate as the competition level steps up entering SEC play.
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Follow Jeff Nowak on Twitter @Jeff_Nowak or contact him by email at jeffrey.nowak@audacy.com