OXFORD, Miss. — For a couple fleeting seconds, LSU sophomore running back Leonard Fournette returned to Heisman Trophy frontrunner form against the University of Mississippi on Saturday.
Fournette burst through a hole at the line and hit his second gear before being dragged down after a 59-yard gain on his first carry.
But a holding penalty negated the gain, leaving LSU (7-3, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) in a now-familiar situation: down and out.
From the momentum-killing offensive penalties to the defense’s chronic inability to prevent home run plays, the Tigers’ 38-17 loss to Ole Miss (8-3, 5-2 SEC) was the latest episode in a nightmarish November for LSU coach Les Miles and company.
“It’s not something I enjoy,” Miles said. “It’s tough, but the guys I work with, coaches and players, work hard. I’m going to see how we can improve. That will be the move as we go into Monday practices.”
Despite the Tigers’ insistence throughout the season the defensive communication is improving, LSU’s tendency to give away the big play speaks otherwise.
The Tigers allowed 15 plays of more than 15 yards in their last two games, including three touchdowns on plays of more than 50 yards.
The Rebels’ high-flying offense took full advantage of every opportunity, starting with the first play from scrimmage when junior quarterback Chad Kelly found junior wide receiver Quincy Adeboyejo in space for a 57-yard gain.
Kelly gashed the Tigers for 361 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns, representing a radical shift from LSU limiting Mississippi State University’s senior dual-threat quarterback Dak Prescott to -19 yards rushing in the season opener Sept. 12.
“Chad’s a great quarterback,” said junior defensive tackle Christian LaCouture. “We knew that coming in. We knew he could run as well as throw. We have to make sure to limit those big plays. We didn’t today.”
Along with Kelly, junior wide receiver Laquon Treadwell was a crucial part in Ole Miss’ offensive success, tallying 58 yards and a touchdown on four catches.
Despite matching up with the Tigers’ top cover man, junior cornerback Tre’Davious White, Treadwell manhandled White on several plays, including his 11-yard touchdown reception, when he powered past White into the endzone.
“We pride ourselves on stopping people,” White said. “We just couldn’t do it enough tonight. I feel like, for the most part, we were in the right position. Guys just made plays. That’s to be expected, but you just try to limit it.”
While the defense struggled to stop the Rebels, LSU’s offense couldn’t find any type of rhythm between a melee of penalties and questionable decision-making by sophomore quarterback Brandon Harris.
The Tigers committed four penalties on their first drive alone, ranging from holding to delay of game, that eliminated the early establishment of Fournette and the run game.
LSU notched nine penalties for 58 yards in the first half, with the Tigers’ offense picking up five of those flags.
“[Penalties] seemed to plague us in the first half,” Miles said. “We had a number of penalties followed big plays. … It will be interesting to see how those penalties were called. I’ll be the first to tell you it’s a good call if it was.”
Throughout 2015, Harris made his mark with precise deep throws and smart decisions, but against the Rebels, he slipped into an old habit of forcing throws.
Instead of going through his progressions, Harris became predictable as he threw into double-coverage time and time again, translating into his first multi-interception game of 2015.
“He’s a young quarterback,” Miles said. “This is his first time of starting and leading. … He still needs to improve. There’s pieces of his game that come within a young quarterback.”
With LSU’s offensive ineptitude apparent during their first three-loss skid during his tenure, Miles stressed need for the Tigers to adapt offensively before their season finale against Texas A&M University.
“We’re out of sync,” Miles said. “That’s not how we play — that’s not really how we practice. … I said [to the team], ‘We have one game left. We’re going to play [our] best. We’re not going to repeat these mistakes again.’”