The final score was 31-0 and LSU is now 2-0, but it was far easier to find some areas in need of correction from the shutout of Southeastern than it was coming off a two-score victory against a top-10 Miami team. Let’s get to our weekly accounting of what went right and what went wrong for LSU on Saturday night.
STOCK UP: Pass rush by committee
The prevailing narrative this week focused on how LSU would generate a pass rush since K’Lavon Chaisson was lost for the season with a knee injury. It may be only one game, but Dave Aranda and Co. seem to be figuring it out just fine. LSU racked up five sacks divvied up between five different players. Breiden Fehoko dominated a one-on-one matchup with the opposing center, coming virtually unblocked for a drive-killing sack in the first half. Grant Delpit, playing his new hybrid safety/linebacker role, brought heat off the edge all night. Neil Farrell had a career night with 1.5 sacks.
STOCK UP: Long range
LSU hadn’t had a kicker make two field goals of 50-or-more yards in a single season since Josh Jasper in 2010. Cole Tracy has now connected on two in as many weeks after drilling a 50-yarder in the second quarter on Saturday night. Here’s some historical context on that: LSU kickers as a whole had only made one 50-yarder since 2011 (Colby Delahoussaye in 2014) and have made 12 in the past decade, of which Tracy already owns two. “The only thing I don’t like about Cole Tracy is we’ve only got him for one year,” LSU coach Ed Orgeron said.
STOCK DOWN: Suspensions
Orgeron continues to maintain that LSU will handle all of its discipline in-house, meaning he did little to address the handful of impactful players that were conspicuously absent from the proceedings on Saturday night. The absences of left tackle Saahdiq Charles and outside linebacker Michael Divinity were reported before kickoff, but fullback Tory Carter, nose tackle Ed Alexander and defensive back Jontre Kirklin were all also not dressed out with the team against Southeastern. Orgeron was willing to say that Charles would be back at left tackle against Auburn next week.
STOCK DOWN: Pass protection
Perhaps it was the fact that LSU was without starting tackles Charles (presumed suspension) and Adrian Magee (injury), but this wasn’t what LSU was hoping to see before next week’s trip to Auburn. Burrow was sacked twice on the night, including one drive in the second quarter where he got hammered by an unblocked defender on three consecutive plays. The line was also whistled for two holding flags and a chop block. Simply getting Charles back will help, but LSU has some issues up front that it must iron out before a road game against one of the nation’s deepest defensive fronts.
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