With arguably the team’s two biggest games of the season sandwiched between bye weeks, LSU faces the daunting task of maintaining momentum through an inconsistent schedule on top of the let down of three losses.
“All we can do is practice and get better,” said senior quarterback Zach Mettenberger. “We had no control over what our schedule was. Now it’s just a matter of us being motivated and getting better every day at practice.”
It’s been a roller coaster for an LSU team that began the season with nine consecutive games, only to transition into two games in the past four weeks.
Junior wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. said bye weeks aren’t as much fun as playing football every Saturday, but he and many of his injury-plagued teammates are looking forward to rest after a brutal first half of the season that resulted in two losses before rival Alabama handed it a third last week.
“I see [the bye weeks] as being a good thing,” said junior wide receiver Jarvis Landry. “It gives us a chance to get our bodies back before we face a really physical team. It’s key and vital for us — for our preparation — to game plan and scheme more.”
No Tiger needs more rest in the next two weeks than Mettenberger, who developed a close bond with the Bryant-Denny Stadium turf on Saturday, saying he’s fortunate to have a bye week after getting banged up against Alabama.
The largest obstacle standing in the way of LSU regaining momentum is its loss to the Crimson Tide that officially removed the Tigers from Southeastern Conference Western division contention.
Beckham said LSU is still fighting for a 10-win season, which is something a lot of teams around the country can’t do.
Sophomore offensive lineman Trai Turner said the main objective is to just put Alabama and the rest of the season behind them and get better going forward.
“[The loss to Alabama is] kind of out of my mind already,” Turner said. “Twenty-four hour rule. Come in and see what you have to improve on and you take what you need to improve on into the next week, but you also take those positives and continue to strengthen those positives and keep on pressing throughout the season.”