No. 4 LSU might have been hoping to start giving its starting players some rest pretty early in the game against Northwestern State on Saturday night.
But the Tigers didn’t take control the way a 50-plus-point favorite would be expected to and so the starters kept toiling well into the second half of a 65-14 victory in Tiger Stadium.
LSU was never in any danger of losing to its in-state FCS opponent, but it was in a competitive game longer than just about anyone would have expected.
The Tigers were playing without three injured defensive starters – K’Lavon Chaisson, Rashard Lawrence and Glen Logan. In addition left tackle Saahdiq Charles and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase did not play though they were believed to be healthy.
Even without those starters, LSU should have been able to put away NSU in short order.
But it didn’t.
The Tigers pass defense struggled just as it did a week earlier in their otherwise very impressive 45-38 victory at then-No. 9 Texas. The front didn’t generate a consistent pass rush without Chaisson, Lawrence and Logan against the Demons and it didn’t generate much against Texas with all those guys in the lineup.
Meanwhile DBU didn’t play up to its nickname for a second consecutive week.
The problems of a week earlier need to be evaluated in the context of the quality of the opponent. And the problems against the Demons could be viewed within the context of a team lacking its optimum focus – a week after a physically and emotionally draining performance, facing an outmanned opponent.
But the defensive issues can’t just be dismissed because of those factors.
LSU has lots of talent throughout its defense, which is coordinated by the highest-paid assistant coach in college football, Dave Aranda – who has proven his worth over an extended time.
So it’s hard to believe the Tigers will continue to have the difficulties stopping future opponents that they have had with the past two.
Nonetheless the fact remains they were practically defenseless against Texas and gave up 200 first-half yards to a Northwestern State offense that managed 274 against something called Midwestern State a week earlier.
It’s reasonable to wonder what’s going on with the LSU defense. The Tigers still have a favorable schedule in their immediate future – Vanderbilt in the SEC opener, an open date, Utah State, then Florida, perhaps without Feleipe Franks.
Even Joe Burrow hit a bump in the road Saturday night when he threw a terrible interception that set up NSU at the LSU 17 with the Tigers leading by 10 late in the second quarter.
The turnover didn’t hurt when NSU missed a 35-yard field goal and Burrow quickly went to work at the start of the third quarter. On the fourth play after the kickoff, Burrow ran 5 yards for a touchdown.
Even though freshman Cade York had his own hiccup by missing the extra point, the Tigers finally had some breathing room with a 30-14 lead.
The next possession ended with Burrow’s touchdown pass to Terrace Marshall Jr., who’s already halfway to Dwayne Bowe’s school record of 12 touchdown catches in a season. Then it was three touchdowns in three third-quarter possessions when freshman John Emery found the end zone.
Finally, Burrow and some other starters were able to take the rest of the night off before the end of the third quarter arrived.
So all’s well that ends well and this one ended with a comfortable margin of victory.
But there is reason to wonder what’s going on with the pass defense.
The preseason concerns about a thin offensive line haven’t gone away.
The absence of a consistent running game is something else that needs to be fixed.
These issues are certainly no reason to panic. They shouldn’t even create significant concern.
Yet.
But when you’re No. 4 in the country and harboring hopes of qualifying for the College Football Playoff, you’d like to have a few less “buts” accompanying your victories.
Les East is a New Orleans-based football writer who covers LSU for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow him on Twitter @Les_East.
