Welcome back, Tiger fans! After months of talk and promises we were finally able to see the offense we’ve heard so much about. I’m not surprised to see the team defeat Georgia Southern, but I am impressed with the manner in which they beat them to get off to a 1-0 start. Friday I mentioned that I wanted to see discipline. The defense gave up 24 yards passing and 74 yards rushing; defending the option with discipline was not an issue. I wanted to see the team run the offense without holding back. Burrow completed 85% of his passes, finishing with 278 yards. FOURTEEN different players had at least one reception. That’s how you run an offense. The last specific area I was curious to see was the running back rotation. This one is hard to gauge as the entire second half was meaningless, meaning the rotation was meaningless. It’s no way to know how the carries would be divided if the game was still in doubt. However, it was obvious that Edwards-Helaire will get the bulk of the carries, Tyrion Davis is a load that does not go down easily, and Emery will embarrass people in the open field. It was also nice to see Emery run between the tackles without hesitation in limited action. Now, on to a few standouts from the game.

MVP

Easy call, Joe Burrow. He was completely comfortable and confident in the new offense. The check down to your running back is the most underrated play in football, and he took full advantage. Positive yardage plays are good plays, flashy or not. He also went downfield when the plays were there. The underthrow to Terrace Marshall in the end zone is an INT against a better team, but it’s unlikely to see perfection in the first game of the year (or any other game).

Most Outstanding Defensive Player

This could be controversial, but K’lavon Chaisson. He didn’t lead the team in tackles, sacks, or any other stats, but his impact was felt. Chaisson looks as though he’s been shot out of a cannon on every play. That kind of speed and aggression changes the way you approach passing AND running the ball. Fact is, there are a lot of positions with similar players. ILB’s Jacob Phillips and Damone Clark come to mind. NOBODY else on this defense can affect the game the way Chaisson does. I didn’t realize how significant losing him was last year.

Unsung Hero

Hero isn’t exactly the right word, being that the game was never in question, but this will be one of my awards given after every game so here we go. Dare Rosenthal’s play was very encouraging. Starting left tackle Saadiq Charles was out for the game, leaving Rosenthal to step in. I understand Ga. Southern didn’t have Lawrence Taylor rushing the QB, but Rosenthal moved well. He looked well prepared, nimble, and balanced.

You’d be hard pressed to find a negative take on this game from an LSU perspective. On one hand, LSU should have dominated Georgia Southern because of the gap in talent. On the other hand, I have to appreciate a good performance after seeing Tennessee, Missouri, and Ole Miss go down to smaller programs. This was a great start to the Joe Brady era. BRING ON TEXAS!!