Bananas.

That’s about the only way to describe LSU-Mizzou. A back-and-forth, down-to-the-wire thriller that delivered in ways that non-LSU/Mizzou fans dream of.

Well, I suppose defensive enthusiasts probably didn’t enjoy Saturday’s offensive blitzkrieg. As for the rest of us, well, that was 3.5 hours of A+ entertainment (besides some horrendous officiating on both sides).

Somehow, someway LSU stopped the bleeding and escaped with a 49-39 victory to end Mizzou’s unbeaten start. A Major Burns pick-6 put Mizzou’s last-ditch effort on the back burner.

Here are 3 takeaways from Saturday’s thriller in Columbia:

1. Jayden Daniels’ toughness should never be questioned

Man, what a finish that was from Daniels. After he injured his rib on a touchdown run that was called back, he came back into the game after sitting out the rest of the series. How effective was he? He led not 1, but 2 touchdown drives to give LSU the lead.

Daniels, even hobbled, was brilliant. His 35-yard touchdown run personified that toughness. Any Mizzou hope that he’d be limited down the stretch didn’t play out at all. Daniels had to overcome another dreadful effort from the LSU defense to keep LSU’s SEC West hopes alive.

He did that in epic fashion. He had 393 total yards (259 passing, 134 rushing) and 4 touchdowns in a day that he won’t soon forget.

(But yes, probably every LSU fan on earth probably lost years of their lives on that fumble he had on the final LSU drive … which he recovered.)

2. Great ending aside, my goodness, that LSU defense has issues

Hey, here’s the good news.

If you had told an LSU fan that the visiting Tigers would need a stop to preserve a 3-point lead in the final minutes, they would’ve closed their eyes and hoped for the best. Burns’ pick-6 avoids the worst-case scenario for LSU.

Add in the fact that Harold Perkins stopped Brady Cook’s SEC record for passes without an interception, and sure, the day could’ve been worse for the Tigers.

Still, though. Saturday marked the first time in the last 20 years that LSU allowed 25 points in the first half consecutive weeks. It was still a 39-point showing for Mizzou and the home Tigers racked up over 500 yards of offense.

Until further notice, assume that this unit is much more “bend, don’t break” than “lockdown.”

3. So … what’s next for these teams?

Let’s start with the Mizzou part of this. Not all was lost on Saturday. Yes, it was a frustrating end to a day that started with such promise. We still saw this offense put up 500 yards of offense against a talented — but struggling — LSU defense. This offense is for real. We could see that on display next week at Kentucky, who entered the day with Mizzou as 1 of the SEC’s 3 remaining unbeatens.

But defensively, a run defense that was No. 1 in the SEC was humbled. It couldn’t tackle Daniels in the open field, and the coverage issues in the passing game surfaced in the second half.

As for LSU, defensive issues aside, the rest of October is much more favorable. Home against an ineffective Auburn passing attack and Army are what await before the big showdown against Alabama. Pending the result of Saturday’s Alabama-A&M showdown, hopes of a West repeat are by no means dead.