The difference between good teams and great teams comes down, not to talent level, but to ability to execute fundamentals.
Despite salvaging a 34-24 victory against Syracuse University on Saturday, the then-No. 8 LSU football team turned into its own enemy, committing penalty after penalty to negate positive plays offensively and overturn key defensive stops.
Through the first three games of the 2015 season, the Tigers (3-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) are tied for 120th in the nation in penalty yards with 86 yards per game on 9.33 penalties per game, good for 117th in the NCAA.
Against Syracuse (3-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), LSU posted a season-high 14 penalties for 120 yards, eclipsing the Tigers’ nine penalties for 95 yards against Mississippi State University in its delayed season opener in Starkville, Mississippi, on Sept. 12, 2015.
“We got off to a sputtered start and made some mistakes,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “I’m sure that [the penalties] took off at least 10 points and probably 150 yards. So, I’m frustrated that we are not a little bit better and that haven’t been able to eliminate some of those penalties. That’s something I take personally.”
Offensively, penalties stalled drives and nullified key plays, including sophomore running back Leonard Fournette’s would-be record-breaking touchdown run in the third quarter.
Despite the youth rotating in at guard with first-year starters – freshman Maea Teuhema, junior Josh Boutte and redshirt freshman William Clapp, returning starters committed three of the Tigers’ four false starts, including senior offensive tackle Vadal Alexander and junior center Ethan Pocic.
With the Tigers driving after sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris’ 19-yard run to Syracuse’s nine yard line, Pocic’s false start penalty halted the drive, which resulted in a field goal after Fournette was stuffed for a six-yard loss and Harris threw two consecutive incompletions.
Although Fournette bailed LSU out of two false starts on its second drive with a 14-yard touchdown run, a pre-snap penalty cost Fournette the LSU single-game rushing record later in the game.
Exploding through a wide open hole in the center of LSU’s offensive line, Fournette accelerated into another gear as he easily outpaced the rest of the Orange’s defense for a 87-yard touchdown run.
As he turned to celebrate the run that smashed Alley Broussard’s LSU single-game rushing record of 250 yards and extended the Tigers’ lead to 30-10, Fournette and the jubilant Tiger faithful were greeted by a familiar sight – a flag.
A five-yard illegal formation penalty nullified Fournette’s touchdown, exchanging it for a three-and-out, ending with a 38-yard punt by LSU senior punter Jamie Keehn.
“Those are the things we’re not proud of,” said junior cornerback Tre’Davious White. “I feel like Coach Miles is definitely going to address that in our team meeting. It’s something we can fix, but it’s something that can hurt us down the road if we continue to do that.”
While the Tigers’ offense struggled to establish a rhythm, defensive penalties turned opportunities for LSU into sighs of relief for Syracuse.
Syracuse’s first drive in the fourth quarter epitomizes how LSU’s defensive mistakes allowed the Orange to kept the game in striking distance.
After Syracuse sophomore Zack Mahoney opened the drive with 12-yard completion to junior hybrid back Ben Lewis to the LSU 44-yard line, LSU junior defensive back Dwayne Thomas helped move the chains down to the LSU 29 yard line with a 15-yard face mask penalty.
On the next play, junior safety Rickey Jefferson picked off Mahoney in the endzone, but again LSU’s hopes were dashed by a penalty. In this case, freshman cornerback Kevin Toliver II was called for pass interference .
Instead of LSU gaining possession on its own 20, the Orange retained possession and Mahoney converted the opportunity with a two-yard touchdown pass, cutting the Tigers’ lead to only seven points.
“Those are penalties that you don’t need and there’s no reason for them,” Miles said. “We’re talking about when we jump offside, line up offside, push a baller carrier out of bounds for no reason. It’s not in a mean manner, but it’s just enough to get you a 15-yard penalty. We’ve got work to do, but the good news is we’ve got a week to do it.”