To say it’s been a rough few weeks for LSU football would be an understatement.
LSU has gone from a team tied for first in the SEC and in control of its own destiny to a team essentially playing for nothing tangible besides pride.
Given those circumstances, it’s understandable that LSU has recently faced widespread criticism and a lack of enthusiasm from its fans, but the Tigers answered those questions and more in a 24-17 win over Vanderbilt.
It was a crucially stable performance sparked by a players-only meeting earlier in the week. The win came at a time when LSU desperately needed one to stop its slide and reward its fans.
“Going into this week, we were more fired up than ever,” said sixth-year running back Josh Williams, one of the players who spearheaded the players-only meeting. “We wanted to prove a point.”
After pregame speculation that LSU’s struggles would produce a substandard attendance in Tiger Stadium, the crowd showed up as usual to cheer the team on.
The Tigers started tentatively, with a three-and-out on offense followed by a one-play touchdown drive for Vanderbilt as the Commodores cruised to a 7-0 lead.
At that point, a “fire Kelly” chant arose from the student section, demonstrating the simmering frustrations of the LSU fanbase.
However, the Tigers began settling in, responding with a touchdown and holding Vanderbilt scoreless on four consecutive drives. The sizable crowd began rising in volume and having an effect on the game.
“Having the fan support out there was really nice to see,” head coach Brian Kelly said.
LSU stayed in control from that point on, with the kind of steady showing on both ends of the ball that’s been missing during LSU’s losing streak.
The day ended with the Tigers assuming victory formation to seal the win.
The Tigers offense stayed on schedule and, for the most part, both sustained and finished drives. The defense limited big plays, harassed Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and got off the field, holding the Commodores to two of 10 on third down.
Pavia, a gritty competitor who led Vanderbilt to an upset win over Alabama earlier in the season, is a quarterback who can make plays with his legs. Quarterbacks like that have gashed LSU this season, but the Tigers held Pavia to his second-lowest rushing total of SEC play.
In the win, LSU responded pointedly to the most prominent criticisms of the team’s identity; the Tiger offense displayed some much-needed simplification and balance.
“I just thought we were simpler,” Kelly said. “We cut out a lot.”
The team also, at long last, leaned heavily on its rushing attack. Running backs Williams and Caden Durham each had solid showings, combining for 147 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
At the end of the day, LSU merely beat a Vanderbilt team it was favored to beat. However, achieving the expected has been hard to come by for the Tigers in recent weeks.
A drama-free game after weeks of anything but that was a welcome sight for LSU.
Following each of LSU’s three consecutive losses, the team publicly acknowledged their issues but came forth with no solutions. Reversing that trend was crucial – not only for the present of the program, but also for the future.
No, LSU’s win on Saturday didn’t clinch an SEC championship appearance or a College Football Playoff berth. Still, the restoration of faith in the program may well prove to be invaluable as the Tigers search to finish the season respectably.
In the meantime, the bottom hasn’t fallen out, and LSU fans haven’t given up on the team just yet.