LSU Football Three Keys: Georgia Southern

LSU faces Georgia Southern on Saturday in Baton Rouge. Here are your three keys to an LSU win over Georgia Southern.

By Matt Zemek

The LSU Tigers greatly exceeded expectations last year, defeating Auburn on the road and hammering Miami in a neutral-site game to reshape their sense of what was possible. Those two wins in September transformed the energy inside the program and enabled the coaching staff to realize it was on the right track. LSU then belted Georgia in October to make sure that for anyone who doubted the program after a loss to Florida, the Tigers were a force to be reckoned with. They won 10 games, including the Fiesta Bowl. They did what Auburn – a year earlier in the Peach Bowl – failed to do: Beat UCF and uphold the SEC’s honor.

It was a superb season for the team and a redemptive one for coach Ed Orgeron, who was doubted by many heading into 2018 and needed to show he could deliver a cohesive, resilient team and coaching staff, all pulling in the same direction. That goal was clearly achieved. Now, can a very talented LSU team build on that 2018 season in 2019? The road starts with Georgia Southern this Saturday.

Key 1 – Joe Burrow and an active mind

Joe Burrow, like any athlete who has an encouraging season but knows he can reach a higher ceiling of performance, needs to avoid complacency and relish the simple process of learning. Staying hungry in the pursuit of more information; staying active in the mental jiu-jitsu of figuring out opposing defenses; staying engaged in the task at hand and not assuming his natural talent will carry him through tough situations – these are the qualities Burrow needs in 2019. He can’t coast. He has to continue to study his position and act as though 2018 didn’t happen. The growth process must continue, leading to good decisions in Week 1 which put Burrow in an excellent frame of mind for the huge Texas game which is just around the bend. Reestablishing solid habits is the main goal against Georgia Southern.

Key 2 – Mash Unit

I’m not talking about injuries here. The “Mash Unit” I am referring to is LSU’s offensive line, which needs to show it can brutally overpower Georgia Southern and establish the right frame of mind heading into the Texas game. LSU will need its offensive line to be physical against Texas. LSU will want to physically overpower a Texas defense which must prove itself this year. Sending a message to the Longhorns can be achieved if Texas and Tom Herman watch a Georgia Southern game film in which the Tigers’ big uglies can demonstrate consistent physical superiority and leave no doubt about their capacity to be nasty in the trenches.

Key 3 – Depth-Chart Diamonds

LSU will need players lower on the depth chart to emerge against Texas. Early-season games played in September heat generally require teams to call upon reserves to play meaningful snaps and keep the frontline stars fresh. This game needs to unearth those depth-chart diamonds and give the coaching staff a clearer idea of how to juggle their rotation the following weekend against the Longhorns. So much of what happens in this game needs to set up LSU for Week 2, a hugely important contest.

Saturday‘s game kicks off at 6:30 PM CT (7:30 PM ET). Watch on the ESPNU network.

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