Thanks to a few key big plays from the offense and a patient, yet opportunistic defensive game plan, the LSU Tigers came out with a 28-25 win against Mississippi State. The offense had chances to put the game away, and the defense gave up two touchdowns with blown coverages. That’s not exactly encouraging, but the win itself outweighs any criticism of the process. We’re seeing a young quarterback and first year coordinators grow each week, and it’s imperative to do so with the schedule ahead. Jake Peetz is finding a rhythm with plays that set up bigger plays; he just needs more consistent execution. Daronte Jones challenged Mississippi State to be patient, and he won that battle. Max Johnson showed a willingness to step up in the pocket when the faced with a pass rush. He still makes throws without setting his feet at times, but who wouldn’t with the protection (or lack thereof) he’s had this year? Now that the Tigers have another W in the bag, I’ll evaluate their performance in my somewhat misguided keys to the game from the game preview.

Don’t abandon the run

LSU finished with 27 carries as a team for a whopping 63 yards. Oddly enough, I think they took a step in the right direction. While some runs went for minimal yardage, many of them were in short yardage situations. This means the offense put themselves in 3rd and short, so the offense did well on 1st and 2nd down. This is exactly what you want as an offensive coordinator, manageable distances on 3rd down to keep drives going. Ty Davis-Price had his best game yet, averaging almost 4 yards a carry. Corey Kiner showed toughness, elusiveness, and immaturity with the attempted hurdle (flashes of Richard Murphy) on the sideline. Fortunately, he wasn’t injured, but let’s hope that’s a lesson learned. Obviously, the running game isn’t where it needs to be, but it’s better. The little success they had was instrumental in opening up other options for the offense. We don’t get the 64 yard Kayshon Boutte RPO touchdown without the threat of the run. I’d like to see more jet sweep action simply to make the defense hesitate before keying in on the ball carrier.

Hit Will Rogers

Here’s where I missed the mark. It would have been great to see Rogers pressured more, but as it turned out they didn’t need to hit him often to win. Rogers got impatient on the early interception to Cordale Flott. Repeatedly running the ball, while effective in this game, is like torture to Mike Leach. Daronte Jones conceded the short passes and runs with 3 down linemen, and rarely brought a fourth lineman in the game. Jones felt it was more important to have an extra DB on the field, and his plan clearly worked. Maason Smith held his own after moving from defensive tackle to defensive end, and it’s a luxury to have a an end with his size available as the Tigers approach more physical teams in the near future.

No Blown Coverages

Despite the Tigers’ defensive improvements they still had two costly mistakes that resulted in touchdowns. LSU’s margin for error is too slim at this point to continue to win games with such self destructive plays. It helped to get Jay Ward back at safety, but Jones has to somehow eliminate the mistakes going forward.

The LSU players and coaches have faced a lot of criticism since their opening loss, and rightfully so as there is room for improvement in all phases of the game. However, college football has proven to be unpredictable in 2021. There are no dominant teams, and most of the perennial powers are fighting to find their identities. Clemson can’t score, Oklahoma fans are clamoring for the backup quarterback, Texas A&M can’t score, and Ohio State was embarrassed at home by Oregon. Even the Fighting Sabans had trouble putting Florida away after gaining a three score lead. There is more parity in FBS football than there has been in years, so all the Tigers’ goals are still attainable. It sounds cliché, but the key is to focus on getting better each week. The offensive line can’t possibly get worse . The young receivers will get more comfortable with experience, but there will be drops along with highlight reel catches. Damone Clark and Micah Baskerville are playing their best football at linebacker right now, and they’ll be key contributors when a different set of Tigers bring a physical running game to Baton Rouge this weekend. The focus now shifts to an all too familiar opponent, Auburn. Geaux Tigers!!!