Brian Kelly wrapped up his first spring season as LSU football coach with the spring game Saturday afternoon.

Kelly didn’t think the team had enough depth to be divided into multiple offensive and defensive units, so the competition was between the offense and the defense, allowing for the defense to score points for big plays such as turnovers, sacks, other tackles for loss, a 3-and-out, red-zone and 3rd- and 4th-down stops as well as rushes for a loss of at least 2 yards.

Officially the offense outscored the defense 59-31.

Several members of the 2019 national championship team, including Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Justin Jefferson and Thaddeus Moss as well as former defensive back Tyrann Mathieu were on hand in Tiger Stadium to get a preview of what Kelly’s first team might look like in the fall.

Big plays were made on both sides of the ball and the quarterbacks operated through a revolving door.

It’s a long way until the season-opener against Florida State on Labor Day weekend and much can change between now and then, but here are the 5 biggest takeaways from the LSU spring game:

1. Strong QB competition

The battle to be the starting quarterback figures to continue well into August, but the performances Saturday showed that all 4 candidates – in alphabetical order, Myles Brennan, Jayden Daniels, Walker Howard and Garrett Nussmeier – are more than capable.

Daniels, a recent transfer from Arizona State, stands out because he’s the best runner in the group and was the only one with a rushing touchdown.

Nussmeier made the most big plays, Brennan was sharp and Howard didn’t seem out of a place as a true freshman who enrolled early.

Each threw 1 touchdown and no interceptions. Brennan was 11-of-17 for 99 yards, Nussmeier was 9-of-16 for 136, Daniels was 3-of-9 for 68 and Howard was 3-of-7 for 59.

“We didn’t clear anything up today with the quarterback,” Kelly said. “We probably made it more difficult.”

2. Still enough running backs

The running back group took a hit earlier this month when Corey Kiner transferred to Cincinnati after Ty Davis-Price already had declared for the NFL Draft.

But even with Penn State transfer Noah Cain not on campus yet, the Tigers looked like they have plenty of viable options at running back.

Tre Bradford rushed 9 times for 85 yards, Armoni Goodwin rushed 9 times for 71 yards and a touchdown, Josh Williams rushed 10 times for 511 yards and 2 touchdowns and John Emery II rushed 4 times for 24 yards.

“You’re going to have to take our backs to the ground,” Kelly said. “They run hard.”

The running game produced 214 yards.

“If you’re going to win the SEC West,” Kelly said, “you’ve got to be able to run the football.”

3. Defensive line starts fast

The offense got more productive as the day progressed, but the defensive line set the tone at the outset.

The defense had 7 tackles for loss, including 5 sacks in the first 20 snaps. Maason Smith had sacks on consecutive plays and the defense finished with 6 sacks.

4. Wide receivers step up

The passing game was missing top wide receiver and one of the best in the country in Kayshon Boutte, who is recovering from a second ankle surgery.

But there were still playmakers making plays.

Jack Bech, the Tigers’ leading receiver as a true freshman last season, caught 2 touchdown passes, and Malik Nabers caught 1 that was tipped by Sage Ryan. The 4th touchdown pass went to RB Corren Norman.

The passing offense was much more effective as the game wore on against a defense that Kelly said utilized just 1 coverage and 2 fronts.

5. O-line a work in progress

The offensive line had a rough start but played better in the second half and opened holes for the running game throughout.

The line has essentially been rebuilt since last season, so it was always going to be a work in progress in the spring and summer.

“We’ve made progress,” Kelly said. “Now we can go and look at what are the things we do well and what do we need to do better.”