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A week later than expected, LSU is 1-0. Maybe that warm-up with McNeese State wasn’t so important after all?
The No. 14 Tigers looked strong in some areas and were at least adequate in other equally important aspects, and snuck out of Starkville with a 21-19 win over No. 25 Mississippi State on Saturday night.
It wasn’t always picture perfect, but the end result — a win over a ranked conference foe on the road — still looks pretty good.
5 TAKEAWAYS
- Leonard Fournette is who we thought he was: Fournette picked up where he left off last year, and has now rushed for 448 yards and six touchdowns in his last three games. His career-high 159 yards and three scores against the Bulldogs included equal parts speed and power, and showed that the preseason hype was well-earned.
- LSU has a pass rush again: Tigers fans might not want to get too carried away — the Bulldogs are breaking in a handful of new linemen — but LSU was much improved Saturday night in creating pressure. The Tigers, who had just 19 sacks last year, had three Saturday night and were constantly making life uncomfortable for Dak Prescott.
- The Tigers looked much better at containing a mobile quarterback: Last year Prescott ran for 105 of Mississippi State’s 326 rushing yards, and even as the LSU run defense improved throughout the year, containing dual-threat quarterbacks remained a problem. The Tigers showed no such weakness Saturday night. Mississippi State ran 26 times for a total of 43 yards. Of that, Prescott was credited with 10 carries for minus-19 yards. Regardless of the relative strength of the Bulldogs offensive line, those are encouraging numbers for LSU.
- D-line depth ain’t what it used to be: The pass rush that the Tigers generated for much of the night —often just bringing four defenders — was missing late in the game as the Bulldogs mounted their comeback. LSU dressed just 10 defensive linemen for the game, which could be plenty, but also illustrates that the cupboard isn’t especially well-stocked after all the offseason attrition. Rotations up front are going to be important for keeping the Tigers fresh deep into games this year.
- Freshmen looking good: There were a couple of plays where they showed their lack of experience, but on the whole, LSU”s bevy of contributing freshmen earned a passing grade. Most notably: defensive end Arden Key recorded a sack and two hurries and played soundly against the run; cornerback Kevin Toliver showed five-star ability in coverage and recorded 6.5 tackles; and Maea Teuhema took over at left guard in the second half and looked impressive.
REPORT CARD
Offense: B+ — The running game looked salty and the passing game showed flashes, but the offense went into a bit of a lull for much of the game’s middle portion.
Defense: B+ — In stark contrast to last year, the Tigers completely shut down the Mississippi State running game. The only thing keeping LSU from an “A” here is Prescott’s herculean second-half effort to finish with 335 passing yards.
Special Teams: B- — Other than some poor tackling on a couple of early returns, the Tigers were solid. Punter Jamie Keehn put five of his nine punts inside the 20, include a 58-yarder (that benefitted from a nice roll), and kicker Trent Domingue had two touchbacks on four kickoffs and was automatic on his three extra points.
Coaching: B+ — Tip of the cap to Kevin Steele. The Tigers new defensive coordinator acquitted himself nicely in the LSU debut, and the Tigers looked vastly different from the team that was repeatedly gashed by Mississippi State last year. LSU’s offensive conservatism has some Tigers fans concerned, but the strategy worked — even if just barely.
Overall: B+ — The Tigers started fast and ended strong enough, though there were some iffy spots along the way. Nonetheless, LSU did what it needed to do get its 2015 started right.
GAME PLAN
After the game, Les Miles was asked if Brandon Harris should be allowed to pass more. His response was to read Leonard Fournette’s stat line and conclude that “we have some other good players on our team.”
The message was loud and clear. The Tigers, at least in the early stages of Harris’ maturation, are going to rely heavily on the run. One one hand, the strategy worked. LSU minimized the chances that Harris would make a momentum-shifting turnover and escaped with the win. On the other hand, it could be argued that by becoming one-dimensional on offense, the Tigers allowed Mississippi State to load up to limit the running game and allowed the Bulldogs to rally.
Anecdotal evidence of the latter: LSU’s first 26 plays netted 180 yards of offense — not including Travin Dural’s 89-yard touchdown run that was nullified by a holding call. But the offense sputtered midway through the game. Before the final touchdown drive in the third quarter, LSU’s previous five possessions included 20 plays and gained just 56 yards.
Time will tell if the Tigers plan to open up the playbook for their young quarterback as he grow more comfortable leading the offense.
GAME BALLS
- RB Leonard Fournette: He looked every bit the Heisman contender he’s been billed as and was arguably the best player on the field Saturday night.
- LB Kendell Beckwith: The junior middle linebacker was instrumental in stuffing the Mississippi State running game — especially Prescott’s designed runs — and finished with a team-high eight tackles (five solo, six assists).
- LG Maea Teuhema: The true freshman is definitely part of a three-man rotation at guard and may have supplanted starter Josh Boutte. Teuhema played most of the second half at left guard — with William Clapp moving to the right side — and was leading the way for much of the Tigers’ seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter.
INJURY UPDATE
- S Jalen Mills remained sideline by a fractured fibula, as expected.
- Freshman DE Isaiah Washington (hand) did not make the trip to Starkville.
- OL Adrian Magee (foot) remains out indefinitely after surgery in August.
Brent Holloway is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia, LSU and Mississippi State.
