Prior to LSU’s matchup with Florida, its best offensive performance came against Mississippi State, where the Tigers managed 31 points and just over 400 yards. Their other matchups included an incredibly slow start against Florida State, an overall putrid performance against Auburn and a performance against Tennessee that had bright spots but didn’t lead to much on the scoreboard.
It’s safe to say they eclipsed that on Saturday, finally finding their footing on offense. Whether they can continue that or not remains to be seen, but for now, let’s talk about their biggest points of improvement displayed against Florida.
Consistent Confidence from Jayden Daniels
Throughout the season, Daniels has shown what he can do when he’s completely locked in. We witnessed it in New Orleans, where he almost led a 14-point comeback that was capped by an incredible 99-yard touchdown drive in just over a minute, which was ultimately negated by a blocked PAT.
We witnessed it again in the second half against Mississippi State, when the quarterback led a 14-play, 85-yard drive to kill some clock and put the Tigers up by eight with seven minutes left in the game and a defense that was playing out of their minds.
The problem was that he hadn’t been able to maintain that star-like ability throughout an entire game, only in quick spurts like the ones mentioned. He had shown off that potential consistently at Arizona State but facing SEC opponents seemed to have him rattled at times.
He found his footing a bit against Tennessee, putting the ball in tight windows and taking more risks down the field. Then against Florida, everything came together.
He put on a show in Gainesville, passing for 349 yards and three touchdowns on a 72% completion percentage, also finding paydirt three times on the ground. He connected with nine different players and consistently found open receivers down the field, something fans had criticized him for not doing throughout the first half of the season.
Apart from one inerrant, overthrown ball being intercepted in the fourth (which was overturned due to denying the passer penalty), his throws were on target and demonstrated what he could do when he wasn’t playing conservatively. He was taking risks, but they were calculated.
From start to finish, he played his best football sporting Purple & Gold so far, which brings us to our next point.
Finally, a fast start
LSU was one of the worst first half teams in the SEC heading into this game, placing just inside the top-100 in the country in first half points against FBS opponents, according to teamrankings.com. It managed ten points in the first half against Mississippi State and seven against Auburn and Tennessee.
The comparison between those three first halves and the one that occurred against Florida was night and day.
The Tigers scored on every first half possession they had, with two long, calculated drives to start and two quick punches to the Gators’ guts capped off with deep touchdown passes to Brian Thomas Jr. and Jaray Jenkins to conclude the half. They produced more points (28) than they had combined in their first three SEC games (24).
They didn’t punt the ball until their seventh possession, converting eight of their first nine third downs and one fourth down in their first possession, thanks to improved play calling and poise from Daniels.
Not being able to put up points early put them in bad positions in their first three SEC games, ultimately crushing them against the newfound juggernaut that is Tennessee. LSU’s overall sizzling first half performance against Florida is a great sign heading into the tail end of the season.
Boutte finds life
Heading into this game, LSU star receiver Kayshon Boutte hadn’t been as impactful as most fans and analysts anticipated he would be. He was projected to compete for the Biletnikoff award as one of the top receivers in the country, but before Saturday, he hadn’t even been able to crack 50 receiving yards in a game.
While he appeared to be at peace with his lack of impact after his four-yard performance against Auburn, fans were still upset that he was rarely getting targeted. Secondaries were keying in on him, using their best corners and consistent double teams to limit his involvement, and that clearly had proven effective.
By the end of the first possession on Saturday, Boutte had already surpassed his best game of the season in terms of yardage. He caught two passes for 54 yards on that drive alone, with his first catch going for 40 yards on a third-and-long and his second being an incredible catch in traffic.
The fireworks would not stop there, as he remained effective throughout the game, finishing with six catches for 115 yards. He led the team in both receptions and receiving yards, surpassing 100 yards for the first time in over a year.
“I made him game day captain because of the way he practiced this week,” head coach Brian Kelly said on Boutte after the game. “It showed in the way he played. He was faster than anybody. He broke tackles. He was a difference maker.”
While the game wasn’t perfect, fans got a lot of what they wanted. The offense looked improved in every facet and the defense did what it needed to do, bending but not breaking. LSU enters its second bout with a top-ten team in Ole Miss with a 5-2 record and three SEC wins.
With that in mind, it seems like LSU’s first season under Brian Kelly is going pretty well.
