Three Observations From LSU's Loss to Florida State
Sunday night’s loss against Florida State doesn’t define the Tigers’ season. There were always going to be hiccups along the way with such a fresh beginning and head coach Brian Kelly understood that when heading into his first year with LSU.
This team’s challenging start is what set the tone early, but their miracle of a fourth quarter comeback did show what this team is made of.
“What we learned is we've got to coach better,” Kelly said. “We've got to have our kids coached in a manner where they're ready. And I'm accountable for that. And we have to have them tackling better, executing better in all phases.”
Here are a few takeaways from Sunday night:
Offensive Line Struggles
The battle in the trenches will likely decide the fate of a game no matter the opponent and that was precisely the case against Florida State. The inexperience of the Tigers showed in their season opener and the Seminoles took advantage of it for all four quarters.
Jayden Daniels was seemingly running for his life from the first drive of the game all the way to the last. It was difficult to watch, but in-game situations are what will help grow this young unit. With freshman left tackle Will Campbell getting his first career start, time will tell just how good this offensive line will be.
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Aside from Daniels’ scrambles, the Tigers were seemingly nonexistent in the run game, making this offense incredibly one dimensional. This unit must be better in order for this team to be better long term.
Third Down Defense
Florida State went 11-for-17 on third down conversions Sunday night. Just when this LSU defense felt they had began to get into a rhythm, Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis would carve them up.
Third down defense was a huge factor in this loss for the Tigers. Kelly harped on the inability to get off the field on big plays.
“If I could give you one particular reason that we could have settled into, we would have made even more adjustments,” Kelly said. “It was a variety of things. Most of it had to do with their quarterback improvising. We had them dead to right on two or three occasions. We didn't get him on the ground, quite frankly.”
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The secondary was a major concern coming into this game. Their inexperience together showed Sunday night and allowed Travis to get just about anything he wanted. Aside from the defensive backs, the LSU defensive line has work to do, especially after losing All-American candidate Maason Smith.
Horrendous Special Teams Play
Two muffed punts. A blocked field goal. A blocked extra point. There is no other way to put it other than this group didn’t show up Sunday night. By no means did this one unit cost LSU the game, but there is tremendous room to grow with special teams coordinator Brian Polian’s squad.
For Malik Nabers, LSU’s return specialist, it was a night to forget very, very quickly. Dropping two punts that set up the Seminoles in great field position is something this team will have to put in their back of their minds.
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“You put a guy back there, a guy like Malik Nabers, you watch him, you evaluate him through four weeks of practice, and you feel comfortable with his elite skill set and his mindset that he's going to be able to do a great job, and that wasn't the case,” Kelly said. “That was a mistake that we made. He wants to do it, and we'll have to reevaluate that situation. He's a great kid. We didn't lose the game because he dropped those two punts.”
