Inside the Numbers: LSU offense runs dry
LSU is coming off one of its worst losses in the last decade, a 17-0 defeat against Arkansas that exposed every flaw of a mediocre offense. The Tigers barely topped 100 total yards and couldn’t string together any coherent offensive possessions. To get it out of the system during LSU’s bye week, let’s run down some of the ugly figures from that game.
- 39. It had been quite some time since LSU put up a yardage total as low as what the Tigers managed against Arkansas — 39 years, to be exact. LSU put up 114 yards in a 39-8 loss to Texas A&M on Sept. 20, 1975. Coincidentally, that’s who the Tigers face in their regular season finale.
- 143. LSU was blanked for the first time in 143 regular season games, going back to 2002, when a Nick Saban-led Tigers team suffered a 31-0 loss to Alabama. If it’s any consolation, the Tigers took home the 2003 national championship.
- 54.5. In an oddity that will make LSU fans want to pull their hair out, LSU’s 54.5 percent completion rate was the team’s highest since a 63-7 blowout win over New Mexico State back in September.
- 1.1. The Tigers lost two starting offensive linemen for the Arkansas game, but their 1.1 yards-per-carry average is still about as ugly as it gets. LSU hadn’t had that futile of a rushing effort since 2009, when they managed just under a yard per carry in a 30-26 win over Mississippi State.