The city of Baton Rouge is buzzing this weekend, as the LSU Tigers and Southern Jaguars will meet today for the first time in the storied history of the two schools. The significance of this game does not lie in the win/loss column; the result will not reveal much about the current state of the programs. This is a rare chance for two proud, tradition rich programs and fan bases to come together. The average college football fan would consider this a “money game”, but that wouldn’t have been the case just a few generations ago. For perspective, Texas A&M, Auburn, and Ole Miss each have two NFL Hall of Fame players – Southern has three. Both LSU and Southern entered the year with new coaches and are implementing new philosophies and standards for fan bases with high expectations. Obviously, these teams are in different divisions with different resources. I won’t direct my focus on specific matchups, but I will watch closely to see how LSU corrects mistakes from Week 1.

Special Teams

• Brian Kelly stated that Malik Nabers will not be “fired from his duties” as the punt returner after two muffed punts, but I’m curious to see who else gets opportunities to return punts. Of course, ball security is the most important facet of this position.
• Blocked kicks cannot happen at this level of football. Special teams coach Brian Polian had a rough start to his LSU career last week, but kick protection boils down to fundamentals. This should be an easy fix going into Week 2.
• Kick returns were overlooked in the aftermath of a game with so many miscues, but Nabers will need to be more decisive. Returners have to reach full speed faster on kick returns than punt returns, and in many cases it’s better to simply call a fair catch. Offenses can do much worse than starting a drive on the 25 yard line.

Running Game

• The rushing numbers for LSU didn’t look bad last week, but Jayden Daniels can’t (and shouldn’t) do it alone. The Tiger running backs combined to average 3 yards per carry against Florida State, and that simply won’t cut it.
• One of the most concerning disappointments of Week 1 was that the offensive line could not re-establish the line of scrimmage. Pass blocking can sometimes come down to technique and communication, but getting stood up in the run game is not a technical issue. Physically, I don’t know how much better they can be. LSU will give opportunities to more linemen today to prove their worth.

Play Calling

• Jayden Daniels made better decisions last week on short to intermediate throws. He does not currently have the protection for plays that take time to develop, especially without a checkdown. LSU should continue to run tempo with quick outlets, and let the receivers do the work. It’s tougher for a team to take shots down the field when it can’t run the ball.
• This could be a product of Daniels’ strengths vs. his weaknesses, but there were no screen plays called last week. Mike Denbrock has to call plays that discourage opposing defenses that bringing extra pressure.

LSU will improve in many areas, such as tackling, by simply playing more games. Keep in mind that many of the starters seen last week did not even practice until the summer. This new coaching staff is still learning what the players are capable of, and Florida State was just the starting point. This team will grow from week to week. The best thing that could happen for both teams today is for players to get valuable, in-game reps and walk off the field with no injuries. Jaguars vs. Tigers. Harding vs. Dalrymple. Hennessy vs. Jack Daniels. Life is good. Enjoy what will be an absolutely legendary tailgate and Geaux Tigers!!