BATON ROUGE – LSU put itself in almost every situation imaginable in its four games this football season.
Losing a one-possession neutral site game in the season-opener to a 4½-point underdog because of 10 penalties for 99 yards, including two senseless personal fouls by veterans.
Slogging to a home win in Game 2 vs. a supposedly overmatched FCS (formerly Division 1-AA) in-state 19 ½-point underdog school that had a running back lineup as a Wildcat QB who rushed for 145 yards and 2 TDs.
Winning on the road in the SEC in Game 3 over a 7½-point underdog after falling behind 17-0 in the game’s first 18 minutes.
Winning at home in Game 4 over a 23½-point underdog despite being in a 17-17 tie at halftime with a team that had scored seven first-half points in its first two games.
But here Saturday in Tiger Stadium in their final non-conference contest before an open date and seven SEC games in the regular season’s last eight weeks, the Brian Kelly-coached 14th-ranked Tigers found themselves in a foreign yet welcome spot.
Playing mostly like a 23½-point favorite as deemed by oddsmakers, LSU hammered South Alabama 42-10 after scoring 14 points in its first three offensive plays.
“Coach Kelly kept telling us during the week this was our last game before an open date,” LSU linebacker Whit Weeks said. “He said, `Everybody’s gonna be talking about this game for the next two weeks, so make sure it’s a good one.’”
Good, yes.
Good enough to win the rest of LSU’s games or maybe another loss or two along the way? Debatable.
It’s hard to argue with 667 yards total offense vs. the visiting Jags.
There was a career-high 409 passing yards (in his sixth college start) from quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and 217 all-purpose yards (128 rushing, 71 receiving) in one half from true freshman running back Caden Durham who sat out the second half with a foot injury Kelly deemed “not major.”
Defensively, playing without injured linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. who sustained a season-ending torn ACL vs. UCLA, the Tigers held an offense that had averaged 512.3 yards and 48.3 points to 333 yards and a field goal and a touchdown.
While it’s nit-picking to find the negatives in a 32-point win, every possession is now magnified when LSU, now ranked 13th in the AP and 12th in the coaches poll, resumes SEC play on Oct. 12 at home vs. No. 12 Ole Miss.
Just ask the Rebels about how each possession is meaningful. Armed with an offense ranked first nationally in total offense (670.8 yards per game) and points (55 points per game) against four woefully weak non-conference creampuffs, Ole Miss scored on its first possession in its SEC opener before going 1 for 10 in third down conversions with one lost fumble in a 20-17 home loss to Kentucky.
The Tigers’ offense wandered away from focused execution vs. South Alabama after establishing a 35-3 lead with 4:23 left in the first half.
From that point, LSU’s final five possessions of the game consisted of Nussmeier throwing back-to-back interceptions, followed by a 99-yard TD drive, a punt and a clock-killing 55-yard possession under backup QB Rickie Collins that ate the final 6:38 of game clock.
Nussmeier, who has improved a million miles in his decision-making from his last few years as a backup, threw two uncharacteristically bad passes for picks.
“The first one was just a play that I got outside the pocket and some throw that I make normally in my sleep,” Nussmeier said. “I’ll beat myself up over it for the next couple of weeks. The second one was a mistake that I made that I should never not.”
Though a red-faced, cussing Kelly gave Nussmeier a thorough tongue-lashing after the second pick – something some LSU fans on social media deemed inappropriate behavior from a head coach – Nussmeier understood Kelly’s anger.
“I’ve been coached hard my whole life,” said Nussmeier, son of longtime NFL and college QB coach Doug Nussmeier. “When I was a kid, my dad was always very hard on me, very enthusiastic and very loud. I’m used to it. Coach Kelly does an unbelievable job helping me correct it.”
Kelly hinted afterward that Nussmeier’s mistakes were the byproduct of having a comfortable lead, conducive to taking more risky throws.
“I think he probably got caught up a little bit in the game,” Kelly said. “I’m not here to defend him for that, but I’m not panicked about the two interceptions. Those were decisions that are easily correctable. And I’m not concerned about the two interceptions from that perspective.”
Playing without Perkins for the first time seemed to galvanize LSU’s defense. There were fewer coverage busts and not as many missed tackles. The linebacking duo of Weeks and Greg Penn III seemed to play as one, accounting for 23 tackles, 1 ½ tackles for loss and 2 QB hurries.
“Those two pair up really well, really feed off each other,” Kelly said. “But it’s important to point out we’re doing a good job up front (on the defensive line).”
Kelly said this week’s open date will be treated differently than the Tigers’ second open date week of Nov. 2 before hosting now No. 1 Alabama on Nov. 9.
“We’re going to practice, we still have some real work to get done,” Kelly said of this week’s first open date. “We’ll treat the second open date as a recovery week.”
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com