When a football team records only 30 more rushing yards than penalty yards in a game, there will be some issues to address.
 
LSU finds itself in this exact position after a 20-14 victory against West Virginia. The Tigers were able to overcome 12 penalties for 120 yards — six on offense, five on defense and one on special teams — to run their record to 4-0.
 
Penalties reared their ugly head on the first drives of the game, as sophomore center P.J. Lonergan was flagged for illegal procedure on the second play of the game, turning a second-and-1 play into second-and-6. That possession ended in junior quarterback Jordan Jefferson’s first interception and handed the Mountaineers a golden opportunity to score.
 
On the fifth and sixth plays of the West Virginia drive, LSU senior defensive tackle Lazarius Levingston committed a personal foul on third-and-3, and redshirt freshman linebacker Lamin Barrow hit West Virginia senior running back Noel Devine out of bounds for another immediate 15-yard penalty, giving the Mountaineers life.
 
LSU junior center T-Bob Hebert said committing so many penalties — the team had six for 55 yards in the first quarter alone — is uncharacteristic of the Tigers.
 
“Some of those penalties you could definitely say were due to hard play and aggressiveness, which you can’t get as mad at, but … the mental penalties show a lack of discipline,” Hebert said.
 
LSU narrowly escaped West Virginia’s subsequent 67-yard march when Levingston blocked a field goal attempt, but three penalties on the ensuing LSU drive proved costly.
 
Senior offensive tackle Joseph Barksdale jumped before the snap on two consecutive plays. After a 1-yard run by freshman running back Alfred Blue, Jefferson completed one of his best passes of the night — a 22-yard strike to senior wide receiver Terrence Toliver.
 
That play too would be negated by penalty, as redshirt freshman guard Josh Williford was flagged for holding, ultimately stalling the drive and drawing the wrath of LSU coach Les Miles.
 
“I found a cadence issue early on that we got ironed out, and I found a holding penalty in the game that I was concerned with,” Miles said after the game. “I’m not happy about that in any way, and our football team will feel that Monday.”
 
The most electrifying play of the game came in the second quarter on junior cornerback Patrick Peterson’s 60-yard punt return for a touchdown. But even that play was somewhat sullied by an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty against Peterson after he struck the Heisman Trophy pose in the end zone.
 
“I apologized. I was caught in the moment, and it so happened that I did it,” Peterson said. “I got too overboard, so I have to calm down next time so we don’t get [another 15-yard penalty].”
 
In the second half, redshirt freshman defensive end Barkevious Mingo made two mistakes that netted 15-yard penalties against LSU.
 
Mingo was flagged for grabbing Devine’s facemask after tackling Devine for a loss of eight yards and then for roughing the passer, LSU’s fourth personal foul of the game and fifth 15-yard penalty overall.
 
Senior linebacker Kelvin Sheppard said the personality of the defense is aggressive, and the penalties by Mingo exemplified that identity.
 
“We all know about Mingo. He throws his body around on the line for the team,” Sheppard said. “When guys have that kind of effort, they just have to control that rage. But you can’t fault him for it.”
 
Mingo was credited with two quarterback hurries on the night, including on West Virginia’s final offensive play of the game when sophomore quarterback Geno Smith threw an incomplete pass on third-and-11.
 
With redeeming plays like Mingo’s in mind, Hebert said he has not lost faith in the team to conquer its self-destructing penalties as the season continues.
 
“I can’t say anything negative about our defense. They’re probably the best defense in America,” Hebert said. “They play so hard and keep us in so many games. … On offense we’ll pick it up and get it figured out as far as those mental errors go.”
 
 
 
 
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Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]