In LSU’s 16-14 loss to Wisconsin to start the season, the Tigers gave up a late field goal to the Badgers, then Brandon Harris threw an interception to kill a potential game-winning drive.

In Saturday’s 23-20 win over Mississippi State, the Tigers again gave up late scores and struggled to complete offensive drives to close out a game. This time, LSU got away with it.

Now that LSU seems to have its quarterback in Danny Etling, perhaps closing games is the Tigers’ issue.

5 takeaways

  • LSU QB settled?: Etling went 19-for-30 for 215 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers, giving them the passing attack they had been lacking. He distributed the ball to seven pass-catchers and seemed to keep the Bulldogs’ defense honest in a way Harris was not able to in his two starts.
  • MSU QB not settled: Nick Fitzgerald struggled, going 12-for-24 for 120 yards before giving in to Damian Williams, who scored two late, fourth-quarter touchdown passes to almost rally the Bulldogs to the win. After Fitzgerald rushed for 195 yards and passed for 178 more in last week’s 27-14 win over South Carolina, it looked like the position was settled. Consider it unsettled again, which gives one a different perspective of LSU’s situation.
  • Tigers bring the pressure: LSU brought the pressure all night, sacking Fitzgerald four times, then adding a fifth sack of Williams (by Arden Key) to kill MSU’s last possession to ice the game. Key had two sacks in the game and has five sacks in three games, and he’s emerging as one of the nation’s elite edge-rushers.
  • Special teams issues: LSU had a solid special teams performance in last week’s 34-13 win over Jacksonville State, but that’s a mirage. FCS teams generally struggle on special teams against Power 5 conference teams, because that’s the area where depth becomes a big factor (FCS teams have 22 fewer scholarships to offer). This time, LSU’s special teams issues re-emerged. Colby Delahoussaye had an extra point blocked for the second straight week, and the return team allowed the Bulldogs to recover an onside kick late in the game that made it close. On the good side, punter Josh Growden unleashed a 61-yard punt late that pinned MSU back on its final possession. That wasn’t even his longest of the day (65).
  • Offensive line is fragile?: Every time you turned around, it seemed like an offensive lineman was going down. Toby Weathersby had an ankle injury. K.J. Malone battled cramps. Will Clapp had to briefly leave the game. LSU has had some injuries on the offensive line early this season, and one has to wonder if durability is going to be an ongoing issue with this group. The good news is that with the possible exception of Weathersby, none of the injuries looked serious.

Report card

Offense: B- — There’s now balance in the LSU offense. The Tigers actually passed for more yards (215) than they rushed for (177) with Etling spreading the ball. But after the first quarter, LSU scored just one more touchdown, and the usually solid Leonard Fournette (who rushed for a game-high 147 yards rushing) had two fumbles, so it was far from an A effort but a little better than average.

Defense: B+ — The Tigers had MSU starting quarterback Nick Fitzgerald completely befuddled, and the cut-read option was a non-factor for the Bulldogs. It was a dominant performance before the Tigers allowed two late scores by backup Damian Williams in the fourth quarter that kept it from being an A effort.

Special Teams: C — The good: Growden’s 49-yard punting average. The bad: Another blocked extra point, a kickoff out of bounds and an onside kick recovered. By SEC standards, LSU has been a below-average special teams group.

Coaching: B+ — Les Miles and his staff pushed a lot of the right buttons. Starting Etling was the right call. Cam Cameron came out aggressive with some trick plays that didn’t work, but they set an aggressive tone. If LSU managed the game better late, it would have been an A effort.

Overall: B — It was a solid performance with the exception of the fact that the Tigers never delivered a knockout blow and allowed MSU to sneak back into the game late. Still, there has to be a sense of optimism with the newly found balance on offense.

Game plan

The Tigers were well-prepared on both sides of the ball. Cameron created an aggressive mindset with early attempts at reverses and passes off reverses. On defense, Dave Aranda’s bunch completely made the cut-read option a non-factor and got after Fitzgerald with serious pressure on passing downs.

Game balls

WR D.J. Chark: Chark caught 3 passes and had a nice catch on a 37-yard touchdown for LSU’s first score. Before Etling entered the Jacksonville State game last week, he had not had a catch. Now he has four in two games and a touchdown.

DE Arden Key: Key sacked both MSU quarterbacks, giving him five sacks in the still-young season, right on pace for his goal of 20 sacks. But those weren’t the only times he created pressure. MSU quarterbacks were trying to escape from him all night.

P Josh Growden: The freshman from Australia had his best game, averaging 49.2 yards per punt, including a key 61-yard punt late in the fourth quarter.