Through the climax of the LSU coaching rumors, the breaking of a historic rushing record and tears of seniors saying farewell to the student section for the last time, LSU’s passing game was the only piece of the Tigers’ 19-7 victory against Texas A&M University that left mixed feelings Saturday night at Tiger Stadium.
The Aggies rushing defense ranks as the worst in the Southeastern Conference, but it didn’t stop the Tiger offense from passing the ball 21 times.
In the first half, sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris unleashed 17 passes, just four of which were caught.
The quarterback, who seemed to display progression through the first half of the year but struggled through the conference slate, overthrew long passes and underthrew short ones. When sophomore running back Leonard Fournette and sophomore wide receiver John Diarse had trouble catching the accurate ones, the LSU defense and running game received more pressure to keep the Tigers in the game.
“We just had to tell Brandon to keep his head in there and make the pass that he would make,” said sophomore wide receiver Malachi Dupre. “Brandon is an emotional guy. He’s one of those dudes you just got to keep telling that he’s got it.”
Starting on the Tigers’ first drive of the second half, the LSU coaching staff reeled in Harris’ opportunities to make game-changing plays — be it positive or negative for the Tigers.
Taking no more chances, Harris threw four more passes for the remainder of the game, and what would have been a risky attempt turned into a pump fake and scramble.
“His game might have not been the best, but he made the plays he needed to,” said senior offensive tackle Vadal Alexander.
But after freshman running back Derrius Guice’s touchdown to give LSU a 13-7 lead, Harris seemed thirsty for a big play to make it a two-possession game.
While Harris narrowly escaped two first-half interceptions, Aggie junior defensive back Justin Evans hung on to an overthrown pass intended for Dupre in double coverage with three minutes left in the third quarter for Harris’ lone interception of the evening.
By the time the final whistle blew, Harris’ seven completions totaled 83 yards, which behind LSU’s 244 rushing yards and stout defense was just enough for the Tigers to retreat to the locker room with victory for the first time in more than a month.
“We have the tools to be an offense that averages more than 200 yards a game,” Dupre said. “Moving forward, we become more consistent in our approach and how we handle things, execute the play that’s called as far as protection and route running, and we’ll be very dangerous passing the football.”
Looking back at Harris’ first season as a starter, inconsistency reflects on the stat sheet. His completion rate ranges from 28.6 percent to 70.6 percent with his attempts hovering around the 20s.
“Up to game seven, I thought he was magnificent,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “There seemed to be a pause, and we just haven’t quite gotten him back on track.”
Miles sidestepped questions about LSU offensive coordinator Cam Cameron’s future but made it clear changes will be made.
Dupre said he hopes for improvements to help ball movement and let the team have an ideal balance between rushing and pass plays to avoid settling for a one-dimensional offense.