Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Pre-Season Out of the Way

LSU continued it's dominance of out of conference foes defeating Kent State 45-13. LSU's last regular season loss to a non-conference opponent: 2002 opening game against Virginia Tech. LSU's next big test to continue the streak: Wisconsin to open the 2014 season in Houston's Reliant Stadium.

A few thoughts on the game:

OFFENSE

*Z Mett just continues to impress. He is currently THIRD in the NATION in passing efficiency. I think it is fair to say that thus far he has exceeded Tiger fan's most optimistic expectations. Much better teams await, but this has been a brilliant start to the season.

*Jeremy Hill is one of the top backs in the SEC, maybe second only to Georgia's Todd Gurley. He's been flying under the radar and may continue to do so as he shares carries. But I expect his work load to pick up dramatically as we get into conference play. In LSU's last six conference games from 2012, Hill averaged 19.5 carries per game. Look for that to continue into this season.

*LSU ranks 36 in total offense nationally. This after languishing in the 100's the last few years. Cam Cameron has been just what Miles and LSU needed.

DEFENSE

*For all the griping I hear, the Tigers are ranked 10th nationally in total defense. The Tigers rank 3rd in the SEC in rushing defense allowing only 3.29 yards a carry. Compare that with A&M who is giving up a whopping 6 yards every rush.

*Tre'Davious White looks like a player at CB. Starting in place of Jalen Collins, White looked solid and racked up 4 solo tackles.

*Ego Ferguson was named SEC Defensive Player of the the Week. Ferguson leads the Tigers with 16 tackles and has been a force on the defensive line.

The Auburn Tigers are up next this Saturday night. Auburn rallied late against Mississippi State to score the game winning TD with only 10 seconds left to play in the game. Those Tigers are ranked 12th in the SEC and 92nd nationally in total defense. While Auburn is improved from last year, LSU has been nearly unbeatable at home. Look for the Tigers to again put up big numbers.

LSU 42 - Auburn 20

2 comments:

OMAC said...

Of course it all remains to be seen, but I think LSU could be the "dark-horse" to take the SEC West. Bama beat a terrible VT squad and,even though they won, allowed A&M to put 42 points on the board. Bama can and will lose a game, especially when they start playing a team that has a real defense.

Scotty B said...

The lack of pre-season hype has been good for LSU. While the press has been consumed with Johnny Football and Alabama's "Three-Peat", Miles & Co. have been building what seems to be a strong squad out of the media spotlight.
I agree with OMAC, re: Bama. Last year, the Tide looked like a machine from the very beginning of the season. This year, you haven't seen that yet--and the trouble they had containing Texas A&M's offense is evidence that Saban has some work to do.
At this point, the Tigers and the Dawgs could be contending for the SEC title (unless Darth Visor can add some spark to Carolina's offense and some steel to its defense).