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We’d heard that the LSU Tigers were going to open up the offense for years during the Les Miles era. When Ed Orgeron came, he also promised a more wide-open offense. While we’ve seen glimpses of it throughout his short tenure, LSU fans still looked at the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers with offense envy. We didn’t want to believe the hype again this year, when Joe Brady was the next prophet to lead LSU to the promised land of RPO’s and shotgun formations.
But, this is the offense that was promised. Joe Burrow and the LSU offense looked like a well-oiled machine. Burrow threw for 278 yards and had more touchdowns (5) than incompletions (4), tying the LSU passing touchdown record in just the first half. He was only under center just once.
Joe Brady and Steve Ensminger got everyone involved, getting 14 different players a reception. LSU got the ball out of Burrow’s hands quickly and gave up 0 sacks and only one QB hit. While, some will correctly point out that Georgia Southern doesn’t have an SEC caliber defense, this offense still looked worlds different than last year. The last time LSU had more passes than runs in a victory was in 2009.
The defense showed out as well. They played assignment football and held an explosive Georgia Southern offense to only 98 yards and 1-12 on third down conversions, even while missing projected starting linebacker Michael Divinity due to a possible suspension. There were minimal missed tackles and the Eagle’s offensive line couldn’t get any push. The special teams also impressed. Derek Stingley Jr. looked electric in his first two punt returns, and freshman Cade York was 2-2 on field goals.
The LSU running game didn’t quite dominate as much as you’d like and the team committed seven penalties, including one that nullified a touchdown. But unlike last year, they didn’t let the penalties set them back and made the plays they needed to make. It was a complete and utter domination performance start to finish that LSU hasn’t seen in quite some time.
LSU will hope to continue their momentum when they travel to Austin this week to take on Texas.