Film Room: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly From LSU's Week 1 Contest
Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers will look to improve this week in practice before they gear up for their home opener against Grambling this weekend in Tiger Stadium, but there are a few instant takeaways from Week 1 against Florida State.
Despite the horrific second half, LSU saw production from Jayden Daniels and the defensive line in Orlando.
With the good comes the bad, and this program will look to carry its success in a few areas while heading back to the drawing board in others.
Evaluating the good, the bad and the ugly from Week 1 against Florida State:
The Good: Mekhi Wingo, Defensive Line
Despite LSU’s defense giving up 45 points to Florida State on Sunday, there were several takeaways with the defensive line.
Without star Maason Smith suited up for the Tigers, many feared LSU would get exposed inside, but this unit held it down for much of the contest.
It started with Mekhi Wingo. The second-year Tiger played a pivotal role for Matt House’s defense, ultimately coming out as the highest graded defensive lineman in Week 1, according to PFF.
Wingo played 66 snaps with four tackles and four quarterback pressures. He got in the backfield on several reps, forcing two incompletions while adding two quarterback hits.
It was an impressive season debut for Wingo with many prepared to see the former Missouri transfer take that next step this season alongside Maason Smith in the trenches.
Along with Wingo, it was an impressive day for Oregon transfer Bradyn Swinson. Swinson emerged towards the end of Fall Camp, taking significant reps late, and made an impact during his snaps on Sunday.
In only 26 snaps, Swinson added five tackles for the Tigers with three quarterback pressures and one tackle for loss.
The Tigers will need to see their defensive line take that next step in order to relieve the secondary this season with a “good” start against the Seminoles on Sunday.
The Bad: The Rushing Attack
LSU’s running backs gained 49 yards on 12 carries against Florida State with 35 of the yards coming on one play. The lack of support in the Tigers’ rushing attack raised eyebrows once again after 2022 was the same story.
Looking ahead, could the Tigers look to use freshman Kaleb Jackson as a key piece in the run game? The youngster looked the part during Fall Camp, and with Logan Diggs still looking to get back to 100%, there are snaps available for the first-year Tiger.
The Tigers’ offense became predictable last season. It was a mix of pass plays and Jayden Daniels utilizing his legs to get downfield, but looking at this season, the Tigers attain several weapons.
With eight scholarship running backs on the roster, it’s imperative LSU uses its weapons sooner rather than later.
Against Florida State, this unit couldn’t get into a groove whatsoever. The Seminoles’ defensive line shined against LSU’s offensive line and put consistent pressure on Jayden Daniels while shutting down the rushing attack early and never looking back.
This is an area that must come alive in order for this program to take that next step offensively.
The Ugly: The Secondary
Through the air, Florida State shined with Jordan Travis totaling 342 yards on 23-of-31 passing and four total touchdowns. There was no answer for the Heisman candidate with Travis consistently getting the most of the LSU secondary.
On three of his incompletions, Florida State’s wide receivers flat out dropped passes that hit them right in the hands, which would have put Travis at a near 84% completion rate.
The Seminoles played pitch and catch all night with the LSU defensive backs struggling to stay afloat once the third quarter rolled around.
It was about as horrific as one could have asked for on Sunday. The LSU secondary has been coined as the weakest link on the defense and it lived up to the name and then some against the Seminoles.
In order to see success in the defensive backfield, LSU will need true freshman Ashton Stamps, sophomore Laterrance Welch and first-year Tiger Denver Harris to step up.
Will Kelly be willing to give Harris a chance to earn impactful snaps? Time will tell, but it’s a must in order for this secondary to hold its own.
We saw Zy Alexander and Greg Brooks make a few plays in the secondary, but come SEC play, this unit must mesh as one in order to compete.
