Three Observations: LSU’s Jarring Defensive Struggles Outweigh Productive Offensive Outing
LSU put forth an “embarrassing” effort on the defensive side of the ball, leaving many questions along the way. Here are three observations from Saturday’s game.
LSU Passing Attack Leads to Offensive Explosion; Run Game Needs Revamped
It seems so long ago when Myles Brennan looked shaky against Mississippi State. Now, the redshirt junior from Long Beach, Miss. looks far more like a polished veteran. A mere 14 days after the opening-game loss, Brennan looked calm in the pocket, knew when to move outside the pocket and delivered several strikes even when his feet were not set.
He threw for 430 yards and four touchdowns in a losing effort on Saturday. Did Brennan suddenly become an upper-tier SEC quarterback?
Not yet. LSU was 0 for 10 on third down. That’s not good enough. There are several things to like, however.
Brennan is really trending toward being a go-to player that LSU coach Ed Orgeron can rely upon. That’s what matters most. Consider the following:
The LSU defense was gashed all game long (more on that in a moment), but Brennan never flinched. Even after an errant throw, Brennan would come right back. The touchdown strike to freshman tight end Arik Gilbert was a gorgeous pass. That’s an NFL toss, as well as catch. A true SEC quarterback must make plays to lift his team.
Brennan did that all game long.
While the final drive ended poorly, Brennan still made several excellent passes to get LSU in position to score. How about his go-to receiver?
Goodness, Terrace Marshall was a stud with his 11 receptions, 235-yards and three touchdowns. He’s an absolute mismatch. Now Brennan, Marshall and the LSU passing attack needs some help from the run game.
At some point, however, the LSU offensive line must be able to push the football into the end zone. The offensive line looks passive. The running backs had little room to run today, and the Missouri goal line stand is the exclamation point to that fact.
Look for an article about LSU’s run game later this week.
Special Teams Played Very Well
A fumble recovery from a muffed punt, a well played defensive effort against a fake punt and a punter that absolutely kept Missouri’s returners off guard all led to helping LSU win a game that it otherwise would have lost. It’s that simple.
If LSU plays Missouri even in the special teams game, Missouri wins going away. That’s the reality of the game. LSU needed help from the special teams, and it delivered big time.
Even the blocked field goal aside, LSU’s special teams were far superior to Missouri. Hats off to LSU special teams coordinator Greg McMahon; the 38-year coaching veteran earned his paycheck Saturday. His players deserve a great deal of credit as well.
There are three phases to the game of football, and LSU showed why every game can swing due to special teams.
Take a bow, gentlemen. You deserve the credit.
Defense Looks Like a Sieve
Let’s just get this out of the way: LSU’s defense looked horrible. Nobody knew who Missouri quarterback Connor Bazelak was prior to today. After LSU rarely pressured him, the redshirt sophomore went 29 of 34 for 406 yards and four touchdown passes.
Yes, that happened against LSU.
Burn the tape? Maybe, maybe not. LSU tackled horribly, lost gap control for most of the game and looked lost versus all the motions and shifts discussed early this week on LSU Country.
Great game plan and execution by Missouri, but 406-yards passing? That’s just the beginning.
LSU also allowed Missouri to consistently run the football. Mizzou rumbled for 180 yards on the ground. With the run game and pass game clicking, the LSU defense had no answers.
Overall, LSU allowed 586 yards of offense. That’s never acceptable at LSU.
Perhaps little-to-no pressure on the quarterback was the biggest culprit. Maybe it was the aforementioned lack of tackling. The wide open receivers down the field.
Pick one. There's all kinds of issues to discuss. LSU’s defensive staff needs to start from scratch after this complete dud.
Look for more details about the defense and how it can improve on Sunday at LSU Country.
