Another Saturday in Death Valley has come to a close, and the Tigers now hold a 3-0 overall record. LSU was able to take down the Florida Gators in a close ball game, but this team had a questionable time on the field.
The three takeaways from this game come down to fundamental issues seen this season. The Tigers were presented with various challenges, more than in other games.
The offense looked nervous, but was able to outlast Florida
For much of the first half, the LSU offense looked out of sync and nervous against the Florida Gators. Garrett Nussmeier struggling to find a rhythm was evident; he had a hard time completing routine passes and missed quick opportunities to make plays.
The offensive line showed early jitters with false starts and costly penalty calls. The Gator defense was able to pick up on this early struggle and capitalized by applying pressure and limiting LSU’s ability to establish a good run route.
But as the game went on, adjustments on the offensive side were made. Offensive coordinator Joe Sloan quickly came up with ways to calm these jitters, which all seemed to subside a bit. The calmed offense resulted in Aaron Anderson leading the team with four catches for 75 yards.
The real concern about the offense presents itself when there are five interceptions on the night, but only 20 points scored against the Gators. It looked like there was absolutely no run game for this team.
As much as the Tigers were questionable, the Gators were in the same position.
Star quarterback DJ Lagway had a rough night playing in the pantheon of college football.
“Lagway was never settled in the pocket,” said head coach Brian Kelly postgame. “There was great pressure.”
His ability to be a dual-threat as a mobile quarterback and strong passer didn’t last long with the quick thinking of LSU’s defense to avoid any unnecessary points.
Another strong showing for the defense
While the offense needs time to find its footing, in the preseason there were also lots of questions among the Tiger faithful about the defense. That was put to rest during the first game of the season, and since then, this LSU defense has shown that it was not just luck.
Defensive coordinator Blake Baker has brought a sense of pride back to the defense with the way it composes itself on the field. The defense set the tone from the get-go, collapsing on the pocket and applying to add to the nerves of Lagway and his offense.
Defensively for the Tigers, Davhon Keys led the unit with 14 tackles, but the main show was the secondary that tallied five interceptions between Dashawn Spears, Tamarcus Cooley and DJ Pickett.
“Most of those picks were out of rhythm throws. That was the game plan.” Kelly said.
The defining moment of it all came when Spears returned an interception on the 3rd-and-10 from the LSU-43.
What really stood out most was the discipline on the line of scrimmage. But against Florida, coverage was tight and LSU was thriving in the high-pressure moments.
LSU overcame adversity with next-man-up mentality
Before the ball even hit the ground for kickoff, this storied rivalry was getting heated between the two teams with a fight on the field during warmups. It quickly became evident that there was going to be some intensity with a high-stakes game like this one.
During the first quarter, preseason All-American Whit Weeks was ejected from the game after only five plays on the field, which is not an ideal situation for the linebacker who is such a crucial part of the team on and off the field.
After that, it felt as if flags just kept flying around the field, from offsetting penalties to false starts and unsportsmanlike conduct.
But, after the chaos settled, LSU shined in the first SEC game of the season to take the win. There was a strong team effort that could be seen all around, and the team embodied the next-man-up mentality to grind out the win.
“We played Ty Singleton, how many snaps has he had? Kelly said. “Maybe three, he’s had maybe three snaps all year, and the kid came in. Davhon Keys had to play the whole game. Zach Weeks, he doesn’t even know where the Cox Center is for academic support… I love what they did tonight.”
LSU was presented with a set of challenges, and after being put in adversity like this, the Tigers showed that they can not only overcome the problem but rise above and win.
That will be the difference maker in how the rest of this season plays out, and the saying “tough and together” fits perfectly for the LSU Tigers on Saturday night.
“We did whatever we needed to win the game, and I’m really proud of how they handled themselves,” Kelly said.
