LSU football entered Saturday’s contest versus Louisiana Tech trying to recapture the spark it had against the Clemson Tigers a week prior.
That wasn’t necessarily the case versus the Bulldogs, even in a 45-14 victory to improve the team’s record to 2-0. There were positives and negatives to take away from the win, with each side of the ball making the fan base feel very different emotions.
THE BAD
SAM’S STRUGGLES:
Sam Leavitt left a lot to be desired.
The LSU starting quarterback is still looking to find his footing in this offense. Leavitt threw three interceptions to Louisiana Tech defenders, all in the second quarter, and those throws were part of four Tiger turnovers in the 15 minutes. The first pick was when Leavitt airmailed a pass to his 6’7″ TE Trey’Dez Green near the far sideline. He then threw interceptions in the red zone on back-to-back possessions, one being a 100-yard pick-six in the other direction; wide receiver Jackson Harris appeared to have been interfered with on the play, but a flag wasn’t thrown. The final pick was a poetic way to end the first half as Leavitt tried to fit a pass to Winston Watkins Jr. between four Bulldogs.
Leavitt’s comfort level is also a large question mark. There were times in the game he decided not to deliver the ball to his pass catchers. One instance was when the play was designed for Leavitt to roll out right and throw to the flat to his Watkins Jr., who had a step on his defender. Leavitt elected to hold onto the ball, scrambled to keep the play going, and was sacked on the play. That was one of five sacks he took on the day. The play of LSU’s QB1 has been sketchy through the first two games.
RUN GAME WASN’T THERE:
LSU rushed for 309 yards in week one versus Clemson. The Tigers rushed for just 147 yards on 44 attempts against Louisiana Tech. The team barely eclipsed 100 yards if you took away Dilin Jones’ breakaway 46-yard run early in the third quarter.
Louisiana Tech clearly studied LSU’s rushing success from week one and put an extra emphasis on that part of Lane Kiffin’s offense in practice leading up to the game. The Bulldogs’ well-timed blitzes and linebackers rallying to the ball plugged up the holes that LSU’s offensive line tried to open up for Jones and company.
The lack of a natural run game forced the coaching staff to lean on Leavitt’s passing and his legs to generate numbers. It also limited the team’s red-zone efficiency. In LSU’s 10 trips, the Tigers scored five touchdowns, kicked three chip-shot field goals, and had two interceptions by Leavitt.
THE GOOD
DEFENSE DIDN’T DISAPPOINT:
The Bulldog offense had no chance against LSU’s defense. The Tigers overwhelmed a Tech team that scored 80 points the previous week and didn’t allow any explosive plays in either the run or pass game until late in the fourth quarter. That play was a 67-yard touchdown catch by Jordan Mickens, where he ran a seam route and bounced off a Jhase Thomas tackle.
On the day, the defense held Louisiana Tech to 140 yards of offense, forced three turnovers, sacked the quarterback seven times, and allowed eight first downs. At the half, the Bulldogs netted 0 yards (20 passing, -20 rushing), didn’t record a first down until the 9:34 mark of the third quarter, but didn’t have a first down that wasn’t via a penalty until there were under 13 minutes left in the game. Tech finished the game with -3 rushing yards on 31 attempts. The last time LSU held an opponent to negative rushing yards was against BYU when the Cougars finished with -5 yards on 14 attempts.
Princewill Umanmielen has yet to let down the LSU fan base through two games. Last season at Ole Miss, Umanmielen recorded nine sacks and 45 tackles in 12 games. So far, the Tiger star pass rusher has five sacks and 11 tackles. He’s been the team’s most disruptive player, as he has nearly half of the team’s sacks and leads the nation in the statistic thus far. Umanmielen is on pace to record 30 sacks this season but needs just 7.5 more to break the program’s season record.
PASS CATCHERS MAKING PLAYS:
The team’s top three receiving threats have flourished with limited reps in two games under Coach Kiffin’s system. Those players are Trey’Dez Green, Winston Watkins Jr., and Eugene Wilson III.
We knew that Green was the team’s best playmaker on offense heading into the season, garnering the coveted number seven jersey. What we didn’t know was that he’s not only a mismatch with his size and speed, but also looks more dangerous after the catch. Green showed his strength multiple times on Saturday, running over Louisiana Tech players and forcing multiple defenders to wrestle him to the ground, firing up Coach Kiffin and the sideline in the process. Green also caught his first touchdown of the season versus Tech and will naturally become Leavitt’s go-to target between the 20s and the red zone.
More question marks were heading into the season about who would see the field the most in a plentiful wide receiver room. At this moment, sophomore Watkins Jr. and junior Wilson III have made plays in the Clemson and Louisiana Tech games, fitting in Coach Kiffin’s system well. Watkins Jr. leads the team in catches, continuously getting open on different types of crossing routes, and has gotten over the top of the defense multiple times. Wilson III, however, has gotten open for Leavitt in the short-to-intermediate passing game and looks lethal as a punt returner, nearly breaking a few returns for touchdowns.
These three pass catchers are poised to make a difference in this offense as the Tigers look to return to the College Football Playoff.
The first big test for the number seven-ranked LSU Tigers will be on Saturday, September 19th, when the team travels to Oxford, Mississippi, to face the number eight-ranked Ole Miss Rebels. This Top-10 matchup amongst rivals has been circled on everyone’s calendars with Kiffin’s return to his old stomping grounds. You won’t want to miss the action, and it can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette & 104.1 Lake Charles, as kickoff will begin at 6:30 PM.