There was a lot to like about No. 6 LSU’s season opener.

An awful lot.

There was little not to like.

Very little.

That’s what happens in mismatches such as the Tigers’ 55-3 victory against an outmanned Georgia Southern team on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.

But Sundays during college football season are all about reviewing games with a critical eye, deciding what might not have been as good as it looked at first glance and what might not have been as bad as it looked.

What I liked

The passing game

Okay, what’s not to like? LSU had 350 of its 472 yards through the air.

The Tigers opened the game without huddling. The plays got in efficiently. Joe Burrow was decisive and accurate, and the separation that his receivers got provided him with a greater margin of error than he needed.

The anticipation over new coordinator Joe Brady’s passing game overshadowed everything else leading up to the game, and the results matched the expectations.

Burrow played just one possession after halftime and still tied the school record for touchdown passes in a game with five.

The domination of the defense

The triple-option can be tricky to defend because teams rarely see it or practice against it.

But LSU swarmed the Eagles’ attack from the opening snap. The Tigers allowed just 98 total yards, 74 rushing on 39 carries, and recovered two Georgia Southern fumbles.

LSU won the line of scrimmage. The linebackers and defensive backs swarmed to the ball.

The defense looked elite.

The Tigers were focused

It was the season opener. It was Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. The opponent was 10-3 last season. The LSU coaches kept harping all week on staying focused on the task at hand.

So there were a lot of reasons for the Tigers to be focused.

Nonetheless, it wouldn’t have been shocking if they hadn’t been as focused as they were with a game at No. 10 Texas looming next Saturday.

But they were focused from the opening kickoff and took care of business quickly and thoroughly.

So far, so good for York

Cole Tracy set the bar pretty high for LSU kickers last season.

Cade York has a strong leg and is an excellent prospect.

He’s also a freshman.

So, naturally, there was reason to wonder how he would handle his first game action.

He did fine, making both of his field-goal attempts – from 38 and 48 yards.

York will face more stressful situations, perhaps as soon as the game against Texas.

But he did what he was asked to do in the opener, including making all seven PATs he attempted.

What I didn’t like

The other half of the offense

Though each of the Tigers’ running backs had chances, the running game wasn’t as productive as LSU needs it to be beginning next week. The Tigers had 122 yards on 33 rushes.

The success of the passing game masked it, but ultimately, the Tigers are going to have to be able to provide a consistently viable threat with both the run and the pass if they’re going to maintain their lofty ranking.

Traditionally, LSU’s running game has set up its passing game, but this year is supposed to be different. Brady’s passing game is supposed to set up the running game, which head coach Ed Orgeron wants to remain a major part of the formula for success.

The passing game did its part. But the running game didn’t thrive the way you would expect it to in the wake of so much passing success.

So as good as the new passing game was, the new offense is still a work in progress.