LSU football had a lot of questions to answer in their Southeastern Conference opener, and they passed the test against a challenging Mississippi State offensive attack.
The Tigers surrendered yards, but limited the Bulldogs offense just enough to hang on for a 28-25 victory.
Now at 3-1, here are my top 3 takeaways from an impressive showing in Starkville as the Tigers proved they'll be a factor in the SEC this season.
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1. THE DEFENSE IS IMPROVING QUICKLY
The Tigers were playing against a Mike Leach air raid scheme that ripped them to shreds a year ago, and were again doing it without star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.
The team has been trying to correct coverage lapses that have continued to crop up through the first three games this season. Those lapses didn't appear most of Saturday, with the Tigers keeping the play in front of them and forcing the Bulldogs to execute. Mississippi State rolled up 486 yards compared to the Tigers' 345 and easily won the time of possession battle. But after only managing 3 points in the first half, the Bulldogs furious attempt at a rally fell short on a failed onside kick.
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Cordale Flott was particularly impressive, forcing a fumble on the opening possession and sinking perfectly to undercut a Will Rogers pass later in the quarter.
But with Mississippi State driving for a furious comeback attempt late in the game, LSU completely lost Jo'Quavious Marks on a wheel route, and surrendered the 2-point conversion to allow an onside kick chance by the Bulldogs with just under 2 points remaining. The Bulldogs got it back, but the ball didn't travel the 10 yards necessary and LSU was able to salt it away from there.
LSU's defense doesn't have to be perfect, but it does have to at least make the opponent earn its points. That's exactly what it did on Saturday, even with that late-game hiccup. The Tigers slow-starting offense did more than enough to earn the win.
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2. MAX JOHNSON HITS HIS MARK
Much like the defense, LSU's sophomore quarterback doesn't have to be perfect. But he does have to take advantage of opportunities when they're presented.
That was the case on the first possession, when Flott took the ball away from the Bulldogs and set the Tigers offense up in plus territory. Johnson moved the ball into the red zone despite constant pressure. He climbed the pocket well to escape the rush on third down and hit Kayshon Boutte for one of his two touchdowns on the day. His lone bad moment came on an interception in the first half, but he avoided any more major errors as the Tigers held a 7-3 lead at halftime.
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But Mississippi State left the door open early and often in the second half. Just 30 seconds into the third quarter, Johnson found Boutte again up the seam for a 64-yard touchdown. Later in the quarter the Bulldogs completely forgot to cover speedster Tre Palmer for a 58-yard score. And after a Mississippi State penalty extended the drive, Johnson found tight end Kole Taylor on a broken play, with the TE rumbling 41 yards for the first touchdown of his career after two Bulldogs defenders collided in coverage.
It was far from his most efficient day, but Johnson walked off the field for his third career SEC game with 280 yards and 4 touchdowns. Can he keep it rolling when Auburn comes to town with a former teammate potentially leading them in TJ Finley?
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3. THE RUN GAME IS STILL A STRUGGLE
Ty Davis-Price had his most efficient game of the season with 51 yards on his 13 carries (3.9 YPC), but the Tigers still failed to get untracked on the ground against one of the SEC's lesser defensive fronts.
Freshmen Corey Kiner and Armoni Goodwin both saw action, combining for 25 yards on 7 carries. After two impressive games, Kiner had a bit of a rookie moment as he appeared to attempt a hurdle as he went to the sideline. It didn't work and he was driven into the turf. He appeared to be shaken up on the play and didn't touch the ball again. His status will be something to watch going forward.
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The Tigers' offensive line shares in the difficulty of the run game. Despite playing with a backup left tackle, they held up reasonably well in the pass game and allowed Johnson time to set and go through his progressions, but didn't clear much space for the backs to navigate. Senior right tackle Austin Deculus went down with an injury in the second half and was replaced by Anthony Bradford. It's clear this LSU offense is going to rely heavily on its prolific passing attack -- and for good reason -- but the lack of an effective run game will make things difficult in the smashmouth SEC games sure to come as the season rolls on.
That said, today was a good day for LSU. We can nitpick some of the issues on Monday. After a brutal start to this season, the Tigers made a statement in a difficult situation. They're going to be heard from in the SEC this season.
Next up: The Tiger Bowl.