Head coach Brian Kelly has been looking for it all season: a complete game.
He finally got one from this LSU football team on Saturday against South Alabama, where the Tigers started fast and finished strong.
Now, LSU is 4-1 and hitting its stride right before a pivotal matchup against Ole Miss in two weeks. It was important for the team to find some consistency before the SEC gauntlet, and it did just that.
Here are three takeaways from the dominant 42-10 win.
The LSU defense looks prepared for life without Harold Perkins Jr.
When All-American linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. tore his ACL against UCLA, many assumed it would be a death sentence for an already-struggling LSU defense.
Especially against a South Alabama offense that was really hitting its stride with 135 points over its last two games, you’d expect LSU might be gashed for some big plays on Saturday.
That wasn’t the case. LSU looked more composed on defense than it has all year. It avoided the mental errors and mistakes that it’s been prone to.
“I think it was guys really just trusting each other, not trying to do what the next man is supposed to do. Just trying to do your job,” senior linebacker Greg Penn III said.
The defense switched to a 4-2-5 formation instead of the 4-3 it had used in its prior few games, using only two linebackers on the field and having senior safety Major Burns play as the “STAR.”
The change made for a defense that was simpler in a way – as electric and versatile as Perkins is, having him fill different roles made for a certain lack of continuity. On Saturday, simplicity was king.
The loss of Perkins has also been made easier by the chemistry between linebackers Penn and sophomore Whit Weeks. Their leadership is something the defense can lean on.
“He was really our heartbeat,” Weeks said of Perkins. “He’d get the guys going, so I knew that coming into this game, someone else needed to fill that void.”
Penn and Weeks are both heady players who have good chemistry on the field, according to Weeks, which certainly strengthens LSU’s defense with the loss of its best playmaker.
“We both help each other out out there,” Weeks said. “We won’t even have to say some pre-snap stuff, we’ll just know.”
Calls for Caden Durham to be the lead running back weren’t overzealous
As outstanding as Caden Durham’s performance was against South Carolina two weeks ago, it was understandable to pump the brakes on thinking he’d become the No. 1 option out of the backfield.
After all, LSU has invested trust and resources into sixth-year senior Josh Williams and sophomore Kaleb Jackson.
However, after Saturday’s performance, there’s no more point in waffling. Durham is the best running back the Tigers have.
His speed turns routine plays into home runs, something Jackson and Williams haven’t been able to do much this season.
When asked how Durham was able to turn both of his first two touches into plays of at least 70 yards, Kelly simply said, “He ran fast.”
This is the same star potential Durham displayed at Duncanville High in Texas, where he was the offensive MVP of two straight state championships.
The threat of Durham makes quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s life much easier, as defenses can’t plan for LSU to be one-dimensional and key in on the pass.
LSU has a direction heading into the bye week
LSU’s complete performance couldn’t have come at a better time before the Tigers’ biggest test to date against No. 6 Ole Miss (although the Rebels will likely fall in the rankings after Saturday’s loss to Kentucky).
“Bottom line is, we’ve gotten better over the last five weeks, and that’s what we needed to be going into this off week as we get ready for an SEC schedule,” Kelly said.
It’s a lot easier to wait two weeks for your next game feeling good about the direction you’re heading than it is to have to address glaring issues.
Kelly said the weeks before SEC play were important for LSU to evaluate the full depth of its roster and identify who could be impact players in high-stakes games.
LSU has done that effectively. The Tigers have had contributions from up and down its depth chart, but its rotation will tighten considerably in the coming weeks.
To that end, LSU’s improvements on defense and in the running game have shown that the Tigers are beginning to discover what works and who they can trust.
LSU has begun to discover more of an identity, and its players, particularly on the defensive end, are settling into their roles. That’s key for the Tigers as they continue to make a push for the College Football Playoff.
The team knows exactly how important its upcoming matchup is.
“I don’t really think we need to ramp it up,” Penn said. “I mean, we got Ole Miss coming. I think that says enough right there.”