After a loss you can, usually, take one positive thing away, at least one facet of the game the losing team did to make its fans proud.
LSU left its fans without anything to take solace in after its 34-29 loss to Mississippi State on Saturday.
The Tigers suffered a beat down, and it came at home from an unranked team.
First, let’s acknowledge backup freshman quarterback Brandon Harris’ near-comeback.
The Tigers came a Hail Mary away from winning the game, but I credit most of that to MSU coach Dan Mullen’s incompetence at the end of the game.
Mullen had his backups out for most of the comeback, including MSU’s botched snap that led to LSU’s second touchdown in the final minutes.
Harris and freshman receiver Malachi Dupre made some incredible plays, but it had a lot to do with the scrubs on the field.
What fascinates me is how the offense kept attempting to establish the run when the offensive line was getting pushed around.
The team averaged only 2.5 yards a carry, but there was no sense of urgency until the Bulldogs’ lead was too large.
UAB scored 34 points on MSU in Starkville, Mississippi, two weeks ago, and it did it by throwing for more than 400 yards.
Any film the Tigers watched should have told them that to win the game, they would have to throw the ball, so I have trouble figuring out what stopped them.
Some will say LSU coach Les Miles didn’t trust starting sophomore quarterback Anthony Jennings enough to go downfield.
If that’s the case, one has to consider Harris as the potential starter again.
Then there was the defense, the one everyone seemed ready to crown after shutting out powerhouses like Sam Houston State and University of Louisiana at Monroe.
MSU junior quarterback Dak Prescott changed those notions rather quickly, exposing the defense on both sides of the ball.
Prescott somehow exceeded expectations going into the game and established himself as a clear Heisman candidate. The LSU defense was at Prescott’s will, knowing he would run and still unable to stop him.
The game changed in the third quarter when Prescott turned two third downs into long touchdowns.
First, he eviscerated the Tigers in open space on a 56-yard touchdown run.
Then he scrambled and improvised to complete a 74-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Jameon Lewis.
Those two touchdowns did not just affect the score, they changed the entire perception of the game for fans.
Before the 56-yard run, Tiger Stadium was louder than it had been all season. After the 74-yard pass, fans began their mass exodus from the stadium.
When Prescott was not making plays, junior running back Josh Robinson was gashing the Tigers for 12.3 yards a carry. LSU’s defensive tackles may be talented, but that talent has yet show on the field.
It is hard to play well on defense when you’re getting gouged right up the middle.
It doesn’t get any easier for LSU, with four more teams on its schedule ranked in the top 10, and two of those on the road.
Anything near Saturday’s performance is going to bring another blowout.
Changes will have to come, whether it be a change in offensive or defensive schemes or even a change at quarterback.
A losing conference record is very possible now, and Miles can’t be stubborn anymore.
Tommy Romanach is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Dallas, Texas. You can reach him on Twitter @troman_28.