The game of football is about adjustments and we saw that clearly Sunday night in a 45-24 Florida State win over the LSU Tigers.
LSU went into halftime leading the Seminoles 17-14, but were outscored in the 2nd half by 31 points. The Tigers could only muster up one score late in the 2nd half when the game was out of reach, and had no answer for the Jordan Travis to Keon Coleman connection.
This is a troubling flashback for LSU, as the Tigers find themselves on all too familiar turf, losing the season opener to Florida State on a national stage, But, this rematch loss leaves fans stunned as the Bayou Bengals were outscored, outplayed and go back to Baton Rouge with more questions than answers.
Let’s take a look at the good, bad and ugly in the Tigers' season opener loss to the Florida State Seminoles.
GOOD
LSU Defensive Line:
For most of the game, the LSU defensive line held their own, not allowing much of a Florida State rushing attack. FSU QB Jordan Travis was bothered by Mekhi Wingo and the LSU pressure in the 1st half, but the Seminoles were able to make adjustments and tire out the LSU defense in the 2nd half.
No FSU running back rushed for over 50 yards in their victory, and the majority of the yards came in the 4th quarter, when the game was hanging on by a thread. The Tigers faced probably the best QB they’re going to see all season. Jordan Travis’ talent and skills were on full display, as he was able to move in the pocket and find his playmakers down the field and beat LSU through the air.
The Tigers lost some key players on defense in the offseason to the NFL Draft, and it looks like they’ll be fine when it comes to replacing those holes. Linebacker Harold Perkins was quiet for most of the night only recording five total tackles.
BAD
LSU Rushing Attack:
Florida State was able to bully LSU’s interior linemen, and that was a problem for both quarterback Jayden Daniels and the running backs. The Tigers rushing attack was pretty much non-existent for most of the night, when it should have been a huge factor early on in the game.
The Tigers couldn’t convert two 4th down and short opportunities, which took points off the scoreboard in the 1st half. Instead of punching the ball up the middle, Brian Kelly’s offense decide that passing the ball was the best opportunity to land in the end zone. That failed to work out in the end.
Josh Williams led the running backs in rushing with 44 yards with most of it coming off a 35 yard run before halftime. Noah Cain and Tre Bradford were brief in their stints on the field, although Cain added the second Tigers touchdown of the night in the 2nd quarter. Daniels led the team in rushing with 64 yards on the ground.
Coach Kelly will look at the film and likely figure out a way to get the running game going. Jayden Daniels, for as talented of a player that he is, cannot lead the Tigers in rushing yards every game.
UGLY
Defensive Secondary:
The Tigers brought in some new faces at CB, who faced tough tests throughout the night, guarding two of the most talented WRs in the ACC in Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson.
Transfer Zy Alexander and Deuce Chestnut had a hard time defending the ACC pair, who finished with a combined 226 yards receiving. Keon Coleman, a Louisiana native, stacked up
three touchdowns against LSU, starting FSU QB, Johnny Travis, Heisman highlight reel early this season.
LSU’s secondary was frustrating to watch due to their inability to get off the field. The Seminoles finished the game 9 for 14 on 3rd down conversions, and converted the only 4th down of the game. In comparison, the LSU Tigers were 3 for 10 on 3rd down and 0 for 3 on 4th down with two of those being in the FSU red zone.
There’s going to be some growing pain for the LSU defensive backfield, but as the season progresses they should gel together and fix their problems.
Up next for LSU is the Grambling State Tigers this Saturday in the home opener. Like most of college football this past week, LSU will get a chance to face a cupcake opponent and have a chance to work on some things before their first SEC opponent on Sept 16th.