LSU football returned for its home opener against Louisiana Tech after securing a Week 1 win over Clemson, the program’s first season-opening success in five years.

The question heading into this game wasn’t whether LSU could win, but rather, could LSU win without playing down to its competition’s level? Well, the 23-7 finish says more about LSU’s weaknesses than it does its strengths, which isn’t what you want if you’re Brian Kelly.

“We’re happy with the win, we’re not happy with the production across the board,” Kelly said. “We didn’t coach well enough. We got outcoached in a lot of areas.”

Here are three takeaways from LSU’s low-scoring win over LA Tech.

Worry around offensive line grows, especially now with Braelin Moore out

LSU is a team that’s been rather lacking on the defensive side of the ball in recent years, but this season, worry has shifted to the other side.

After LSU saw four of its five starters get picked in the 2025 NFL Draft, eyes widened with concern over the thought of its offensive line future. With the way LSU performed against LA Tech, the concerns on offense continue to rise, and this will only continue now that Moore, center transfer from Virginia Tech, is out with a sprained ankle.

Moore went down after the first snap against Louisiana Tech and later appeared on the sideline with a boot. DJ Chester filled in for Moore, and Kelly expects his team to be able to succeed with an experienced guy like Chester out there. Although the scoreboard reads a win, the offensive line currently has too many holes for LSU’s success in the long run.

Last season, LSU led the SEC in sacks allowed, finishing the season with only 15. We’re just two games into this season and LSU has already seen Garrett Nussmeier sacked four times — three of which occurred during the in-state showdown.

“We weren’t good enough tonight in our schemes and executing the schemes that we needed to,” Kelly said.

Receivers look strong, but Caden Durham has yet to play at fullest potential

The highlight of LSU’s offense is without a doubt the receiving corps, which saw positive plays from multiple players.

Barion Brown stepped up as LSU’s best receiving option on the night and earned the game ball after finishing with 94 receiving yards off eight attempts. He “balled out,” like Kelly said in the press conference, but the head coach also expressed great disappointment in LSU’s run game.

“You got to run the football,” Kelly said. “We didn’t run the football effectively tonight.”

What the offense lacked against LA Tech was production out of usual go-to Durham, who led the run game for LSU last year as a freshman.

Durham’s 74 rushing yards against Clemson beat his 2024 average of 62.8 per game, but his numbers drastically ticked down against LA Tech.

Nussmeier handed the ball off to Durham 13 times, which is more than double the number of times he went for the next option, yet Durham only rushed for 29 yards to average 2.2 per carry.

That, mixed with his 10 receiving yards, is more than just below average. It’s uncharacteristic.

The weak offensive line doesn’t help Durham, either. It struggled to open up rushing lanes for him, making LSU’s one-dimensional offense too predictable for LA Tech’s defensive front seven.

Luckily, the Tigers were able to stay alive on offense thanks to Brown and other contributions from Zavion Thomas, who helped LSU out on both rushing and receiving attempts, and Nic Anderson, who was on the other side of a seven-yard touchdown. Aaron Anderson also contributed with 73 receiving yards on eight attempts to average 9.1 yards per carry.

Nussmeier isn’t quite playing like the quarterback fans expect to see

Playing against a Group of Five team is usually a piece of cake for a team like LSU, especially when it’s led by such a seasoned quarterback like Nussmeier. That is the expectation, at least.

LSU’s low-scoring performance against Clemson was expected, especially considering Clemson’s returning defensive talent. LSU’s 23-7 finish against LA Tech was unexpected, though, especially since much of the Tigers points came off of field goals.

Nussmeier going 26 for 41 on pass attempts is already below expectations, but only throwing one touchdown isn’t what fans expect to see out of a presumed veteran quarterback. He has years of training, most of which happened with a Heisman winner ahead of him, and a full season of SEC play under his belt.

With that being said, compared to last season, Nussmeier’s decision-making skills have skyrocketed. The three sacks aren’t a good look for LSU, but LA Tech easily could’ve had more if it wasn’t for some of Nussmeier’s quick thinking that led him to find someone and get rid of the ball.

Overall, Kelly and his team know they “didn’t live up to standard,” but there’s no time to waste as the Tigers prepare to face a Florida team hungry to bounce back after a disappointing loss to USF.

“After what happened this past weekend, they’re going to play their absolute best football,” Kelly said.