Three Observations: LSU Defense Reverts Back to Explosive Nature, Kayshon Boutte Blossoms in Loss

It was a beatdown of epic proportion Saturday in Death Valley as the Tigers fell at the hands of No. 1 Alabama behind an offensive explosion that's been all too familiar with this LSU team.

Alabama scored on seven straight possessions to open the game, essentially slamming the door on LSU staying competitive after jumping out to an early 21-0 lead. Here were three takeaways from the 55-17 loss that dropped the program to 3-5 on the season.

Defense Reverts Back to Explosive Ineptitude

Explosive plays reared their ugly head at LSU once more. After a one week correction where the Tigers allowed just a few big plays, it seemed that Alabama was able to score at will because of the threat that DeVonta Smith and Najee Harris provided throughout the night.

The Crimson Tide had scoring plays of 24, 65, 61 and 20 yards throughout the course of the evening, averaging nine yards per play in the process.

Smith and Harris combined for 379 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns as LSU had no answers for their elusivity and playmaking ability. After making some strides against Texas A&M and Arkansas, the defense seemed to be on the up and up but is now back to the drawing board with an equally explosive offense right around the corner.

"I thought there were some parts of the game where our guys played very well," Orgeron said. "You gotta give them credit, they've got an excellent team. I'm not discouraged at all, I think our guys fought every down."

Linebacker Jabril Cox attributed the defensive shortcomings to a number of factors but first and foremost was the eye discipline the Tigers continually struggled with.

"Early on they hit us with some big plays and we just didn't adjust to them well as a whole defense," Cox said. "We were getting our eyes caught up in the backfield and just weren't on the same page."

LSU Quarterback TJ Finley Takes Strides in Valuing Ball

The consistency still isn't there but freshman quarterback TJ Finley made some plays and more important than anything, valued the football. That's been the one area that five starts into his career has been a weakness for the Ponchatoula native.

He’d come into Saturday’s matchup having thrown five interceptions and fumbling a handful of times as well. But against the No. 1 team in the country, Finley and the LSU offense committed no turnovers.

“TJ is ready for anything, he made some good plays, he made some poor throws but a freshman's gonna do that," Orgeron said. "He played pretty good to handle everything especially early in the game. Our guys came to fight and TJ's one of them."

There were other struggles for the freshman, who did miss on some throws and was pressured throughout the night. Following back-to-back scoring drives, the offense went down with a whimper with Finley in, recording four straight three-and-outs.

He completed just 14-of-28 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown in the loss. But the fact that he’s starting to learn to be more protective with the ball is an encouraging sign.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see LSU go with Max Johnson against the Florida Gators next weekend but considering Finley started 10-of-15 with the two touchdown drives, the coaching staff might find that encouraging enough.

Kayshon Boutte the Answer at Receiver Moving Forward?

One of the big questions this week was which receiver would step into that No. 1 role left behind by Terrace Marshall. One of the names that floated around was Kayshon Boutte and the true freshman stepped up in a big way against the Crimson Tide.

Boutte brought in eight receptions for 111 yards, career-highs in both categories. Whether it was Finley or Johnson in the game, the quarterbacks were looking his way often, an encouraging sign that he’s ready to step into a larger role.

“All of the receivers stepped up," center Liam Shanahan said. "They made some plays early on in the game when we needed it. We definitely left some points on the board tonight. They weren't Terrace at this point in their career but they definitely have the talent to get there."

This role could flip week to week as the program is still trying to find ways to best get Arik Gilbert involved in the offense. Gilbert was targeted plenty of times but he brought in five receptions for just 29 yards.

Orgeron has talked a ton about getting him the ball more consistently and that will be a prerogative with just two games left in the season.

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