Offense: B+

Rolling up 334 yards on the ground was very sweet. The Tigers were able to run the ball from their first attempt of the night. Three players hit double digits in carries, as freshman Leonard Fournette led the way with 13 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown and fellow frosh Darrel Williams helped salt the game away with 14 carries, 65 yard and a score. The passing game still wasn’t as sharp as it could be, as only four wide receivers caught passes. Quarterback Anthony Jennings cooled off after three early touchdowns to Travin Dural, although Brandon Harris picked up the slack by completing the final four passes he attempted, tacking on a score on a toss to Malachi Dupre. There’s still a lot to be desired in that facet, but the Tigers have another week to figure it out before their SEC schedule gets going.

Defense: A

The Tigers defense did exactly what it was supposed to do in shutting out SHSU’s no-huddle offense. They had constant pressure in Bearkats QB Jared Johnson’s face, created three turnovers and put the clamps on their overmatched opponent. LSU’s secondary did a nice job blanketing SHSU’s talented group of FBS transfers at receiver. The defensive line was better this week as well, with Quay Bain returning from a one-game suspension and recovering a fumble, and freshman Sione Teuhema registered two of LSU’s six sacks on the night.

Special teams: B-

LSU didn’t attempt a field goal on the night and was forced to punt only four times, putting three of them inside the 20 yard line, so there’s not much to complain about there. Extra points are another matter. Colby Delahoussaye missed his first point after attempt of the night, and the Bearkats got in to block another, although it was negated by an offsides penalty. One or two points isn’t much when you win by 56, but those points could be very valuable against more fearsome competition.

Coaching: A

Les Miles accomplished plenty with his game plan in the home opener. The Tigers sent the message loud and clear that they’ll have a powerful running game going forward, with all four running backs averaging at least 4.5 yards per carry and Harris showing off his dual-threat athleticism. Additionally, Miles made good on his promise of getting both QBs plenty of reps, and Harris started to look more and more comfortable as the game wore on.

Defensively, the Tigers’ staff put together a solid game plan built to slow down SHSU, finding ways to generate pressure with the defensive line. While the Bearkats aren’t Auburn or Texas A&M, Miles and co. will be able to point to several things from this game when facing those spread no-huddle teams.

Overall: A

There’s still work to be done for the young Tigers, but there’s not a whole lot to turn your nose up at here. LSU pitched a shutout and covered the massive 32.5 point spread handily. There aren’t many opportunities to get 18 true freshman into the game, but the Tigers earned themselves plenty of room to get their young guns some experience.