In the days leading up to the game in Austin, it seemed like the majority of the talk focused more on what the temperature at kickoff would be and how the players would respond to the temperature on the field turf rather than the actual matchup of 2 top 10 teams. Ironically, things heated up on the field in pre-game warmups when both teams did there best to try and intimidate the other with a lot of trash talking.
Once the game started, both teams started playing tough, aggressive defense. LSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead when true freshman kicker York hit a 36-yard FG. Texas had LSU on their heels in the 1st Qtr but it failed to score even though they were inside the Red Zone twice. The first time, a Texas RB got wide open on a well-designed play where LSU was totally confused and busted the coverage but the pass was dropped so LSU escaped without giving up a single point. On the very next possession, Burrow threw his first interception of the season so Texas again had the ball in the Red Zone but again came up empty after a 4th and Goal run was stuffed by the LSU D.
Texas took a 7-3 lead in the 2nd Qtr then LSU started to finally click on Offense. Once the LSU O Line started to give Burrow some time and a clean pocket, it became obvious that the Texas secondary had little to no chance of stopping the LSU passing attack. Near the end of the 1st Half, Tom Herman called a timeout to try and get the ball back so that his Longhorns could score before half but LSU’s D rose up and turned the tables on Texas. How many times did we watch LSU under Miles mismanage the game clock at the end of a half or game situation? LSU stopped Texas when Chaisson got a sack. Let me say that Chaisson ran his mouth often before the game and he did little to nothing outside of that play the entire game. He was manhandled by the Texas O Line the majority of the night with one-on-one blocking. H was held a few times but I watched a game in which he was neutralized way too often. Less talking and more action from No. 18 would be more than appreciated! Any way, Coach O called a timeout after the Chaisson sack to get LSU the ball back with 1:13 left. Instead of being satisfied being up 13-7 going in to half, LSU’s new aggressive Offense turned it loose and 3 plays later, Burrow hit Jordan Jefferson for a beautiful 21-yard TD strike.
LSU had all the momentum in the game at half up 20-7. LSU received the 2nd half kickoff and had a 3rd and short when Clyde Edwards-Helaire dropped an easy swing pass that would have resulted in a 1st down. I thought if LSU could have put up points on the opening drive of the 2ND half that LSU could run away with the game. However, LSU was forced to punt and the game would soon totally change. Texas went on a 19 play drive which is something I don’t ever remember seeing. 19 PLAYS! The drive took 7 mins and 17 secs. The drive was methodical and exposed LSU’s Defense which could not get pressure on the Texas QB nor could they stop the run or the pass. It was becoming apparent that the LSU D was starting to wear out.
In the 2nd half, LSU and Texas turned what began as a SEC game into a Big 12 shootout game. Neither team could stop the other in the 2nd half. Texas put up 352 yards in the 2nd half alone! Texas scored on every possession they had the ball and as incredible as Burrow was for the night, Sam Ehlinger also played magnificent football. He carved up LSU with his feet and his arm. As frustrating as it was to watch the LSU D not be able to get off the field, I do believe that Ehlinger is the 2nd best QB that LSU will face all year so there is at least that.
I am troubled that Aranda seemed reluctant to call blitzes in the 2nd half. I don’t want to overreact but if you look back at the Texas A&M last year and this year’s Texas game, there is starting to be a script to attack LSU which results from the lack of pressure LSU is able to get on the opposing QB. It is imperative that LSU get back to being a more aggressive, attacking Defense. If the LSU D line can’t generate pressure, then Aranda needs to send blitzers. He needs to get back to the creative pressure concepts which gained him notoriety when he was the D Coordinator at Wisconsin and his first few years at LSU. LSU has too many athletes to not play an attacking style and the elite teams that are vying for the college football playoff this year have incredible Offensive weapons and stout Offensive lines so sitting back and waiting for them to make a mistake is a mistake.
Another troubling trend is that LSU’s talented DB’s continually get burned and take band angles or use poor coverage technique. In this game, Fulton was abused by Texas. While Fulton is likely a future NFL player, he is not LSU’s best Cornerback. That title goes to true Freshman Derek Stingley Jr. Stingley made several plays in this game in which he looked and played like a NFL CB. The way he is able to change direction and also track the ball in flight without grabbing at the receiver is as much because of his God-given ability than good coaching. Another true freshman CB Flott got beaten couple of times but he also shows tremendous promise. By comparison, Junior Safety Kary Vincent Jr was beaten numerous times and didn’t give a good tackling effort on a 4TH down play in the 4th Qtr when Texas scored. I believe LSU’s Defense isn’t as bad as it showed in the Texas game but there are some serious question marks especially on the D Line and DBU needs to start playing like it. Thankfully, LSU will not play another high powered Offense like Texas until it lines up against Bama but Dan Mullen and Florida has always been able to successfully attack an Aranda-led LSU Defensive Unit so improvement is needed.
Another reality is that LSU’s new fast paced and quick and high scoring Offense will have the LSU Defense on the field more often and with less breaks than in the past. The potential of the LSU D to have to play more snaps is a concern especially when injuries and cramping start.
Speaking of cramping, LSU players started to cramp up badly in the 2nd half. Longhorn fans and their head coach claimed that LSU players were faking injuries to try and slow down the Texas Offense. I will admit that after the 5th LSU player went down that the thought crossed my mind. However, it has been reported and confirmed that the visiting team’s locker room at Texas does not have AC or adequate ventilation. We are 3.5 months from 2020 and after Texas made $150 Million dollar upgrades to their stadium, they did not address the lack of AC and ventilation in the Visitor’s locker room. Call me crazy but that sounds intentional to me. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe in making it perfect for the visitors but this kind of a situation is beyond belief. With all of the emphasis on player safety in football, how can the NCAA not address this situation. Oh wait, the NCAA is nothing more than a money grabbing circus run by a clown so why would I expect them to do anything significant that makes sense. LSU brought their own air movers to try and help remedy the locker room heat issue which is both smart by LSU and pitiful that they had to do that. Maybe LSU can try and convince the NCAA to make Texas upgrade the visitor’s locker room to be more like a high school locker room and less like the Guantanamo Bay Prison.
Back to Burrow and his Wide Receivers
Burrow and LSU put on a passing clinic in the 2nd half. LSU’s WR trio of Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, and Terrence Marshall were unstoppable. At times, it was like watching pitch and catch in the backyard. No matter what the Texas D dialed up, Burrow connected with his Wide Outs. For the game, Burrow was 23-26 for 443 yards and 4 TD’s to his trio of receivers.
The 3rd and 17 play late in the game may turn out to be THE season-defining play. That TD sealed the win and we very well may look back on that play as the one that validated to the college football world that LSU is one of the top 4 teams this year and a worthy member of this year’s College Football Playoff.
While many in our country nowadays seem to be struggling with their Identity, LSU has found there’s and it is without question to be one of the best passing attacks in all of college football this season. I can’t believe I just typed that but it’s true. For those that somehow still doubt LSU has a new Offense, after 2 games it is clear and obvious. In my lifetime, I have only seen 2 LSU teams have truly above average passing attack, 2001 and 2013, and neither come close to what LSU is doing this season.
In 2001, Rohan Davey set the LSU single-season school passing record with 3,347 yards and 18 TD’s. Josh Reed was Davey’s favorite target that season when he set records for 94 catches in a season as well as a record 1,740 yards. Davey looked to Reed almost exclusively that season and while everyone knew it, the opposition couldn’t stop it.
In 2013, Zach Mettenberger became the 3rd LSU QB to pass for 3,000 yards in a season. That season, Jeremy Hill rushed for 1,423 yards and Jarvis Landry had 1,193 receiving yards while Odell Beckham Jr had 1.152 yards receiving.
Those 2 seasons were fun but this year has the makings of an even more spectacular passing attack.
Burrow has thrown for 749 yards in 2 games. He has 9 passing TD’s and only 1 Interception. Joe Burrow is a legitimate Heisman candidate this season. I repeat- LSU’s starting QB is in the Heisman conversation! Vegas has him at a 6-1 odds of winning it which puts him 4th on the Heisman watch list. I don’t think he will win it but how cool would it be for him to continue to be mentioned among the best passers in college football. By the way, he may not win the Heisman but he has already won the 2019 Swaggiest QB of the Year. The way he infuses energy into his team especially his O linemen, answers questions to reporters with the utmost confidence and smirks and at times let’s the opposing fans and teams know what’s up is the best. I am eating it up with 2 big ol’ spoons and I think most of Tiger Nation is too!
So after 2 games, LSU is the talk of not just the town but the country. The national media is showing major love to LSU. Like us, they are in shock and awe as to the transformation LSU has made. If you look at the way the schedule plays out, LSU shouldn’t be tested the next 3 Saturdays. I know it’s one game at a time but the reality is that Northwestern St. University, Vandy and Utah St pose no threat to LSU even if LSU’s D line is banged up. My hope is that we let our injured starters heal up and keep the foot on the petal on both sides of the ball. LSU needs to get better in the trenches on both sides of the ball. LSU desperately needs for the young running backs to gain the confidence of the coaching staff. Clyde Edwards-Helaire played a terrific game and can be counted on to not only know the plays and run hard and elusively but most importantly, he is trustworthy as it relates to pass protection. It was No. 22 who picked up the blitz on the 3rd and 17 play late in the game that gave Burrow a chance to make the throw. However, it makes little to no sense to continue to use Lanard Fournette other than in mop up duty because he who offers little to nothing in the running game. Ty Davis-Price and John Emery may be true freshmen but they are blue chip players who need to be incorporated into the game plan especially the next 3 games. Davis-Price is built to be able to handle big boy football and Emery has game-changing ability. Put the pigskin in their hand and let them run!
Cole Tracey who?
That was a joke but as awesome as Cole Tracey was last season, Cade York has shown not only accuracy but an extremely powerful leg. The ball explodes off his foot and has high trajectory. York’s 3 FG’s in the Texas game were all critically important. Hard to imagine there is a better freshman kicker in the country.
I’m not a betting man and of course injuries can derail any team but at this time, someone would be hard pressed to convince me that LSU has no worse than a 50/50 chance of making the College Football Playoff this season and that’s even if we lose to Bama.
It’s a great time to be a Tiger fan.
Geaux Tigers!