LSU Three Keys: Louisiana Tech

The LSU Tigers haven’t fully arrived, but they have arrived at a very happy intersection of hope and opportunity. LSU has already exceeded expectations for this season with wins over both Miami and Auburn. 

By Matt Zemek

It was easy to dismiss the Miami win given how awful the Hurricanes looked, but there cannot be any dismissiveness of a win in Jordan-Hare Stadium against Auburn, once again coming back from a double-digit deficit to beat Gus Malzahn, Jarrett Stidham, and the rest of an Auburn team hell-bent on revenge. LSU’s ability to persevere, take Auburn’s best punch in the second and third quarters, and dominate the fourth quarter shows how much this team has grown since the middle of the 2017 season, when dark clouds lingered over head coach Ed Orgeron. This turnaround is as impressive as it has been dramatic. Now the Tigers will try to continue their winning ways.

This game against Louisiana Tech should be easy to win. The points of focus are not so much on countering the Bulldogs, but on developing or sustaining the kinds of tendencies which will put LSU in position to thrive in October and November.

1 – CLEAN SHEET

The Tigers’ ability to continue to avoid the big mistake – the key turnover on offense which hands leverage to opponents – is central to their success this season. The offense has not been dazzling, but many inside and outside the program were worried that the offense would be a disaster. It has not been – not even close. Solid, effective game management from Joe Burrow and disciplined ballhandling from the backs and receivers have enabled LSU to become a team which gives away very few points and scoring opportunities. LSU has forced opponents to play cleanly to beat them, and so far, neither Miami nor Auburn were up to the challenge. If LSU can continue to avoid giveaways the whole season, it should be able to win all the games it is expected to win… and maybe steal one it isn’t predicted to win. That would mean at least 10 wins, very probably 11… which means a certain New Year’s Six bowl and a boatload of optimism surrounding the program.

2 – DEEPER AND DEEPER

The passing game has found a few big plays, but the one which changed the fourth quarter and the game against Auburn was an intermediate ball which turned into a huge gainer due to yards after the catch. LSU’s offense is still not what one would view as an especially potent attack. Its biggest strength has been playing turnover-free football. In order to win big games later in the season, the Tigers have to become more dangerous from more spots on the field. Hitting some deep balls in this game will create the muscle memory for Burrow and his receivers to carry into the following two months.

3 – ALL LINED UP

The defensive line outplayed Auburn’s offensive line for most of Saturday, which enabled LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda to bottle up Auburn’s offense at the start of the game and then make necessary adjustments to shut out AU in the fourth quarter. LSU can’t win big-boy games if the defensive line regresses. This component of performance must remain in place.