The Daily Reveille sports staff shares their thoughts ahead of LSU’s game against Syracuse.

Kennedi Landry | Importance of non-conference games

Coach Ed Orgeron has long since asserted the importance of non-conference games to prepare for the tough competition in the SEC West. The next two games against non-conference opponents Syracuse and Troy are now more important than ever.

After the tough 37-7 upset by Mississippi State, LSU needs some time to regroup and pay attention to the small details that make a big difference. LSU can not underestimate these opponents and must treat them as a learning experience.

The offense needs to find its rhythm in offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s new offense, and the young defense needs to mature quickly and develop the discipline needed to play in this conference.

These games are a perfect opportunity for the Tigers to try new things and correct old things before getting back to the grind of SEC play on Oct. 7 at Florida.

Brandon Adam | Dominating the trenches

LSU’s offensive and defensive lines both struggled against Mississippi State.

The Tigers failed to protect senior quarterback Danny Etling and open holes in the running game for junior Derrius Guice and senior Darrel Williams. LSU’s offensive line needs to impose its will against the physically inferior Orange and fix communication issues that plagued them in Starkville.

Defensively, the line failed to set the edge against Mississippi State’s run game, and the Bulldogs racked up nearly 300 yards on the ground.

This week LSU gains much needed help on the defensive line with the return of sophomore defensive end Rashard Lawrence. Lawrence suffered an ankle injury in the season opener against BYU and did not play in the previous two games.

With Lawrence back, the Tigers’ defense is capable of causing the Syracuse offensive line fits.

Glen West | Discipline

Early this season the Tigers have struggled with penalties that come from a lack of discipline.  LSU now has two non-conference battles in a row to try to fix some issues between the ears.

It’s important for this young team to learn from its mistakes as soon as possible, which means cutting back on drive killing penalties. On the defensive side of the ball, the Tigers will be without linebacker Donnie Alexander and defensive end Neil Farrell for the first half against Syracuse due to suspensions due to targeting penalties.

True freshman Tyler Taylor will replace Alexander in the first half, and Orgeron expects Alexander to play in the second half.

“We want Donnie to come in and play,” Orgeron said. “We’re not going to hold him out more than a half. Obviously he is going to give us a boost.”

Fans will want to see a noticeable difference in the number of penalties called against the Tigers but only time will tell just how much they can grow.

Chris Caldarera | Dual-threat quarterbacks

For the second week in a row, LSU’s defense will be pitted against another dual-threat quarterback.

The Tigers seemed to have no answer for Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald, a quarterback who ranked second to last in completion percentage, second to last in yards per pass and last in quarterback efficiency against ranked opponents last season.

Fitzgerald shed his mediocre passing reputation Saturday when he amassed 180 yards through the air and picked up four total touchdowns against LSU’s young defensive unit.

Tiger fans are hoping to see some defensive adjustments this Saturday when Syracuse’s Nick Dungey comes to town.

The freshman signal caller has thrown for 787 passing yards coupled with 209 rushing yards after a mere three games of play.

With a plethora of dual-threat quarterback teams still left on LSU’s schedule, the Tigers are in for a long year if they continue to show that option quarterbacks are their achilles heel.

Jarrett Major | Enjoy the ride

Entering last week, LSU fans felt much better about the direction of this team. The Tigers were coming off of two blowout wins and heading out of state for its first real test. LSU failed that test spectacularly. The Tigers were beaten by the Bulldogs in almost every aspect of the game, and the outlook for the season seemed dim.

The thing is the future is not as dark as most fans suddenly think. LSU has played a record number of true freshman and has installed a new offense. The Tigers are in what most teams call a rebuilding year. LSU is going to struggle at times this season, and that is going to be frustrating.

Of course, there are times when it is not going to be as frustrating. The BYU and Chattanooga games show that.

Syracuse should be a similar situation. LSU has a fairly large talent gap over the ACC bottom dwelling Orange. Maybe it will be closer than BYU, but it should not be. So, enjoy games like this while LSU still has them on the schedule because after next week, the schedule gets tougher.