The Tennessee Volunteers humbled LSU Saturday in a 40 -13 blowout. Going into the game, the Vols appeared to be the biggest challenge the Tigers would face to this point, and they lived up to the hype that came with their top 10 ranking. It’s obvious that UT had the better team, but how did LSU lose by 27 in a home game as a 2.5 point underdog? Friday, I brought up three aspects of the game in which LSU would need to succeed to win. Let’s take a look at how the Tigers fared in those areas.

Stop the Run

Nobody would’ve expected LSU to gain more passing yardage than Tennessee in this game, but they did. Jayden Daniels passed for 300 yards compared to Hendon Hooker’s 239. The bigger problem was Tennessee out rushing the Tigers 263 – 55. The Vols surprisingly manhandled the Tigers up front, leading to a 5.4 yard per carry average. The positive yardage gained on first down, whether runs or wide receiver screens, kept the LSU defense on its heels and the Vol playbook open for multiple options on second and third downs.

Pressure the Quarterback

The Tigers did not record a sack on the day, and that’s a recipe for an “L” against Tennessee. Part of the pass rush issues stemmed from UT’s running game neutralizing the rush, but even in third and long situations LSU could not get to Hooker. Tennessee’s offensive line held up on the edges consistently, but even when they didn’t Hooker was able to step up in the pocket and run to gain yardage. Be it his arm or his legs, Hooker always had an answer for the looks he was presented.

Man to Man Coverage

This was easily the worst game the LSU secondary has played all year. The Tigers gave up easy completions, pass interference penalties, and did not tackle receivers nor running backs well. Tennessee was missing their most talented receiver, but I couldn’t tell by the plays Jalin Hyatt and Bru McCoy made routinely.

Now that those are out of the way, I’ll get into other factors that led to UT taking over Tiger Stadium. The special teams gaffes immediately put LSU’s defense in tough spots early in the game. It’s bad enough that the Tigers don’t threaten other teams on punt and kick returns, but they don’t make the routine plays like catching kicks cleanly when receiving or maintaining lane integrity when punting.

LSU was actually better than Tennessee on third down conversions, but a woeful 0-3 on fourth down conversions. Brian Kelly felt like LSU would have to be extra aggressive to keep up with the Volunteer offense, but those decisions kept LSU from getting points on the board. It could have been a completely different game if LSU was down 20-10 at halftime instead of 23-7. Also, by trying to keep up with Tennessee’s offense, LSU helped them by giving them good field position.

I mentioned that this game would provide Kelly a chance to prove that LSU is ahead of schedule considering all the changes within the program. At 4-2 with most projections at 7-5 or 8-4, LSU is not ahead, but about where most thought they would be. As ugly as it was, it’s only one loss. The key is to learn from the loss and adjust accordingly. Arkansas has come down to earth recently. Alabama is not the machine it usually is this year, especially on the road. Texas A&M has no offensive identity. LSU still has a chance to establish the foundation with this team that will ultimately decide the fate of this program. While it’s understandable to be disappointed, keep in mind that this is a marathon, not a sprint. Win or lose, it’s still Geaux Tigers!!