Orange Squeezed

Tigers gang tackle Syracuse receiver.

Saturday night was painful. But the Tigers won and at the end of the day that is what's most important. Let's start with the positives.

1. The LSU offense sputtered for most of the first half, but for the game, the Tigers put up 35 points and gained over 400 yards.
2. The offense is showing big play ability in the passing game. Etling had 2 TD's that went for 43 and 87 yards. Etling has the 4^th best QB rating in the SEC.
3. The defense held Syracuse to under 100 yards rushing. Even with the 285 given up to State, the Tigers are only allowing 106 yards per game on the ground.
4. Only three penalties for 25 yards. MUCH better.
5. When Syracuse scored to make the game 28-26 the Tigers came back with a great seven play TD drive to go back up nine. Easily the most important drive of the season.
6. After scoring to go up 35-26, the defense held the Cuse to a four play minus-3 yard drive to end the game.
7. I liked Myles Brennan entry into the game. He got meaningful snaps which would have NEVER happened under the last head coach. He played well when the game was still in doubt. He has a huge upside and fans should be excited. Having said that, Etling should remain the starter as Brennan continues to get reps. The Tigers are 3-1 and should be 4-1 after this weekend. LSU then travels to Florida for a huge game in the Swamp. Let's agree to revisit the issue at the half way point of the season.

Now for the bad.

1. LSU is ranked 97^th in the country in punting. I would be curious to see the back up punter.
2. The offensive line is a hot mess. This group has been poor all year and doesn't seem to be getting much better.
3. LSU was up 28-10 late in the third quarter then proceeded to allow Syracuse to score 16 straight points. The run started with LSU's O-line getting pushed back in to the endzone resulting in a safety for Syracuse.
4. The Tigers committed another drive extending penalty in the 4^th quarter. With 3^rd and 19, the defense was flagged for roughing the passer on an incomplete pass. The Orange eventually scored their final TD on that drive.
5. LSU has a number of talented guys on defense, but consistency from play to play will be an issue with their inexperience.
6. LSU's best players, Guice and Key were non factors in the game.

LSU fans can be a negative bunch and I must admit I have been hard on this team the last few weeks. But LSU can improve. This Saturday LSU faces Troy. The teams are very close statistically. Troy is decent against the run so this will be another test to see where LSU is in regards to the O-Line. I look for improvement this week versus an inferior foe. A few things to look for:

1. Can the O-Line start opening some holes for the running game?
2. Will we see more Myles Brennan?
3. How far is Arden Key away from game fitness?
4. Does the offense look to a shorter/quicker passing game to help the O-Line?

Finally I want to address a claim I have heard twice in the last two weeks from articles on the web. LSU players quit during the game. I'm calling total bull---- on that. I see plenty of effort from some players that are not as good as we want them to be. With young teams you get a lot of up and down performances. Consistency is not a trait associated with younger players. Fans need to accept these players as they are and not as they want them to be. Do I want out guys to be better? Of course. But calling them quitters because they don't execute like we want is lazy, counter productive and just plain inaccurate.

LSU 38 – Troy 17

Other Random Thoughts

1. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever say, “We Want Bama.”

2. Florida gets this season's lucky charm award after only four weeks. The incompetence of their opponents is the only thing keeping them from 0-3.

3. Georgia looks legitimate this season. They are the best hope to take down Alabama in the SEC.

4. A number of contenders have been exposed thus far (Auburn, LSU, Oklahoma State, Louisville to name a few). Curious to see who is next.

5. I liked what the Cowboys and Cardinals did on Monday night. Take your knee, then stand for the anthem. You make you point (whatever it may specifically be) then you show respect to the flag and the anthem. From a PR perspective, the players have chosen a terrible way to try and bring their grievances to the public.

Playoffs:

Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Penn State