What we know…
* Leonard Fournette is a monster. Fournette is the front runner for the Heisman
Trophy and has plenty more opportunities to cement his position. He’s on pace to rush for 2300 yards which I
don’t think is realistic. But he has the
potential to break 1600 yards with 20+ TD’s.
* LSU’s offensive line is good and getting better each
week. The Tigers are also building depth
in that group.
* The receivers still drop too many passes. I hear all the talk about that group, but I
am unimpressed thus far.
* Brandon Harris can handle the job. He’s done everything the coaches have asked
of him. He was the biggest question mark
and he’s really delivered.
What we don’t know…
* How good is this defense?
The Tigers rank 5th in the SEC giving up 4.46 yards per play. The pass defense has been effective giving up
only 5.3 yards an attempt, tied for best in the SEC. But the big plays on defense haven’t really
been there. The Tigers are 11th
in the SEC in tackles for loss per game and tied for last in the conference in
total takeaways. The Tigers are
averaging three sacks per game, a stark improvement over the last year. LSU’s next four opponents are not
particularly strong on offense, so we may have to wait until the Alabama game
until we get a true read on the Tiger defense.
* Will Brandon Harris be able to make throws when LSU needs
him to make a play? He has not had to
make any plays in crunch time and we just won’t know until we get there. South Carolina will be another good road test
for Harris. A home game against Florida
will present the best defense LSU will have faced up until that point. With Cameron’s coaching and time to bring
Harris along slowly, I am optimistic that things will continue to go well at
the position.
* Can Miles find his 2007 coaching mojo? Miles played to win
that season and LSU won a National Title.
Since then, game plans have been generally more conservative. The Tigers will have to take some risks to
overcome Ole Miss and Alabama on the road. Will the “play to win” Les show up in those
games and give the Tigers a chance?
No worries this week.
Fournette gets his 200+ yards and 3 TD’s before finding the bench in the
3rd quarter.
In no particular order – Ohio State, Baylor, Georgia, Utah
