It wasn’t as easy as Ed Orgeron and LSU might have hoped, but the Tigers walked out of Starkville with a much-needed 28-25 victory to kick off Southeastern Conference play.
One thing we did learn was that LSU’s offense will keep them in ballgames this season. Max Johnson lobbed four touchdown passes, his fourth consecutive game with 3 or more touchdown. In doing so, he became the first LSU quarterback to throw three touchdown passes for 40-plus yards since Rohan Davey in 1999.
The LSU defense did its part in the first half, holding a Mike Leach offense to just 3 points. Considering Mississippi State’s air raid gave LSU fits while rolling up more than 600 yards of offense last year, Saturday’s game plan was a successful one for defensive coordinator Daronte Jones.
THE GOOD: A bend-but-don’t-break defense
The Tigers came in with a defensive game plan that held one of the top passing offenses in college football in check. Will Rogers III finished the game with 371 yards passing, but a good chunk of that came during a furious rally in the fourth quarter.
No Derek Stingley Jr., no problem. Big props to defensive back Cordale Flott who was a huge factor early in the ballgame. He forced a fumble on the opening drive that the Tigers capitalized on with a touchdown, then he sank in zone coverage to intercept Rogers with the Bulldogs driving deep into LSU territory. One play resulted in points for LSU, the other took a likely Mississippi State score off the board. However you choose to value it, he was indirectly responsible for a 10-point swing early in the game.
MORE GOOD: The big-play Connection
Johnson continues to fill up the box score, but it’s his top receiver who continues to come up big week after week. Sophomore Kayshon Boutte rolled up two more touchdown passes, giving him eight on the season through four games, the most of any player in the FBS so far this season.
Boutte’s biggest splash came right out of halftime, with Johnson hitting him over the middle of the field for a catch-and-run that went in the books as a 64-yard touchdown just 38 seconds into the third quarter. The momentum of a 7-3 game could’ve gone either direction out of the break. Boutte made sure it was squarely on LSU’s side, and he did it in a hurry.
But it wasn’t just Boutte making the big plays on Saturday in the passing game. Johnson also found Trey Palmer and Kole Taylor for long touchdown passes in the second half. Palmer’s speed burnt the Bulldogs, who seemed to forget about him as he gained about 20 yards of separation over the top of the defense. Johnson laid the ball out to him, and he jogged in easily for a 58-yard touchdown on his only target of the game. Taylor’s touchdown came on an broken play where he might not have actually been the intended target. But all’s well that ends well. Taylor turned upfield as two Mississippi State defenders collided in coverage, and ran in for another easy LSU touchdown, this time from 41 yards out.
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THE BAD: Tigers still learning how to close
LSU found itself in a situation on Saturday it hadn’t experienced in the first three games of this season. That would be trying to protect a lead late in the game with an opponent rallying. Up 18 points with under 11 minutes remaining, the Tigers offense wasn’t able to sustain offense and burn enough clock to keep the game out of reach.
The lack of a consistent running game made things more difficult, and the exhausted defense was burned a handful of times as the Bulldogs drove for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Tigers offense did the defense no favors, failing to record a first down on either of its final two drives.
With an offense built to score quickly, it was good that LSU was able to keep Mississippi at arm’s length as long as they were, and that experience will loom large during tough SEC matchups week in, week out the rest of the way.
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THE UGLY: The running game might not get any better
Week after week it continues to be the lack of a running game making everything more difficult on the offensive side of the ball. Johnson and some dynamic receivers have been able to bail LSU’s offense out the past 3 weeks, but with stronger SEC defenses looming, nothing gets easier.
The Tigers were hamstrung a bit with with injuries across the offensive line. LT Cam Wire was unable to return this week despite getting back to practice late in the week, and RT Austin Deculus went out with an injury in the second half. But logging just 7 rushing yards in the final quarter portends much larger issues on the run front.
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One bright spot was Ty Davis-Price, who looked much better early on Saturday. His longest carry went for 18 yards and he finished with a reasonably efficient 51 yards his 13 carries. But that was about it from the running game. Armoni Goodwin and Corey Kiner both saw action, but only managed 25 yards on their 7 touches.
LSU will take their 3-1 record and come back to Baton Rouge to face the Auburn Tigers next Saturday. It’ll be LSU’s biggest test to this point so far as it concerns their OL blocking and protection schemes.
LSU’s critics had been actively questioning LSU’s team chemistry before they arrived in Starkville, and I think the Tigers’ response should quiet some of that noise as this talented, young roster continues to come into its own.