After an 0-2 start in SEC, LSU has bounced back in a big way. The Tigers have won three straight games against SEC opposition, including an upset of Ole Miss last Saturday. What’s been behind the turnaround? Let’s look at the changes in the team’s numbers from the 0-2 start to the three-game winning streak.

  • 2.5. LSU’s completion percentage for the season is ugly, at 51.6 percent, and over the last three games it’s just 49.1 percent (25-for-53). That’s  up a full 10 percent, from 46.6 percent (28-for-60) in the losses to Mississippi State and Auburn. Anthony Jennings hasn’t been anywhere near spectacular, but he’s executing enough plays for LSU when they need them.
  • 16. In the two losses, LSU fell behind big early, preventing them from leaning on their bread-and-butter running game, and they averaged 36 rushing attempts per game in those two contests. Over the last three games, LSU is running 52 times per game, an increase of 16 attempts per game. It coincides with Leonard Fournette morphing into an unstoppable beast, Terrence Magee finding his stride and the offensive line gelling into a fearsome unit.
  • 2.5. LSU’s run defense gave up a whopping 600 yards total in the two losses to Mississippi State and Auburn, at an average of 6.1 yards per carry. They’ve found a way to cut that number down by 2.5 yards during the winning streak, allowing Florida, Kentucky and Ole Miss to pick up just 3.6 yards per carry. Quentin Thomas, a starting defensive tackle, has gotten healthier after missing two games, and Kendell Beckwith has emerged as a stud at middle linebacker, both of which have helped slow down the run.
  • 3. Well, this is odd. LSU only turned the ball over once in the two losses (although they had four in the Sam Houston State game, sandwiched in between). In their three SEC wins, LSU has turned it over three times more than it did in the two losses, with four total turnovers. The Tigers also have a minus-1 turnover margin during the winning streak, including minus-3 in the win over Ole Miss. There are some things you just can’t explain.