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Last week, LSU jumped out to an early lead, put it cruise control and almost let the early advantage slip away entirely. There was no such drama in Game 2 of the 2015 season.
Led by a jaw-dropping performance from Leonard Fournette and steady aggression on defense, LSU grabbed the lead and this time proceeded to pile up the points en route to a 45-21 win over Auburn.
5 TAKEAWAYS
- Leonard Fournette is a Heisman contender: Yes, it’s early. Yes, much can (and will) change across the college football landscape between now and December. But Fournette made a big impression Saturday, and if he wasn’t already, he has to be front and center on the radar for Heisman voters after rushing for 228 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries against Auburn.
- Ed Orgeron is earning his money: The Tigers’ troubles generating a pass rush last season are well-known to the LSU faithful. It doesn’t look like that will be a problem this year. New defensive line coach Orgeron preached the importance of getting to the quarterback during the offseason, and his charges have responded in force. Of LSU’s eight sacks through two games, the front four have accounted for 6.5.
- Brandon Harris isn’t there yet — but he’s coming along: He missed some passes. He left one receiver open to a big hit when he floated a high pass. And yet, Harris is getting the job done. He finished Saturday 12 of 17 for just 74 passing yards, but he also ran for 66 on eight carries, and — most importantly — he’s yet to commit a turnover.
- Defense doing its part: Les Miles said after the game that he believed this LSU team had the potential to be “the full package,” meaning excellent in all three phases. Though Fournette and the offense will deservingly get the headlines, the Tigers defense is doing its part to meet that standard, as well. Auburn finished with just 260 total yards, but perhaps more important than any stat is the edge LSU is playing with defensively. They’re attacking ball carriers with bad intentions, a trait that all the best Tigers defenses seem to have.
- LSU is sitting pretty: The Week 1 rainout put the Tigers in a tough spot to start the season, but having survived back-to-back weeks against SEC West foes, LSU has a chance to do some fine tuning before returning to conference play. Next week holds a trip to Syracuse, followed by a home game against Eastern Michigan. And given what we’ve seen of South Carolina and Florida thus far, it’s easy to start looking ahead and seeing a 7-0 record by the time the Tigers travel to Tuscaloosa on Nov. 7.
REPORT CARD
Offense: A — The passing game is a work in progress, but the ground game more than covered for any flaws.
Defense: A — Auburn never truly threatened LSU in this game. Jeremy Johnson’s big run on a keeper in the second half salvaged Auburn’s day to some statistical extent, but practically speaking, LSU was in control throughout.
Special Teams: B+ — LSU still needs to tighten up on kick and punt coverage, but though the Tigers missed some tackles on special teams for the second week in a row, it was of little consequence against Auburn. Meanwhile, punter Jamie Keehn put two of his three punts inside the 20, and Trent Domingue made his only field goal attempt and sent half of his eight kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.
Coaching: A — I suppose you can quibble if you want, but it was hard to find much fault with the LSU strategy or execution on Saturday.
Overall: A — Look for LSU to gain ground in the polls. Even though Auburn hasn’t lived up to its preseason billing, this was an impressive win in every facet.
GAME PLAN
Even if Auburn isn’t what it was expected to be, Saturday’s showing was no less impressive. LSU dominated this game in a fashion that perhaps the final score doesn’t fully explain. And for that, the LSU coaching staff deserves its share of credit.
Offensively, the Tigers stayed on the conservative side, but in a way that was much easier to stomach for LSU fans. The Tigers offensive line was opening wide holes and Fournette was ripping off big runs so often, it would’ve been foolish to deviate from what was working so well.
Still, there was evidence that the staff will gradually put more responsibility in the hands of Brandon Harris. The sophomore making his first home start was asked to move the chains with his arm and his legs more often this week and frequently, he responded with favorable results. LSU finished 6 of 11 on third-down conversions, but were 5 of 7 in the first half, when the game truly hung in the balance.
Defensively, LSU seemed somewhat unprepared for Johnson’s capability to run, but that’s easily dismissed. Last week, the Tigers allowed Dak Prescott — an established threat on the ground — little-to-no running room. Johnson’s gains in the second half seemed more the product of Auburn’s scraping for any means to move the football, rather than a true deficiency on LSU’s part.
GAME BALLS
- RB Leonard Fournette: We’re going to run out of adjectives before we run out of accolades, so let’s just talk facts. Fournette’s performance Saturday was the seventh-most rushing yards in a single game in LSU history, and his 387 rushing yards in the past two games are the most by any LSU player in the first games of the season.
- Offensive line: Fournette throwing off would-be tacklers like rag dolls will dominate the highlight cycle, but it’s important to note that he had some gaping holes to run through, as well. The Tigers finished with 411 rushing yards on 48 carries, and that 8.6 average per carry is the team’s highest since 1996. It’s also the most rushing yards any LSU team has gained in an SEC game since 1997. As great as Fournette has been, those numbers don’t happen without great blocking.
- Jamal Adams: It’s a challenge to single out any defender in what was a well-rounded team efforts, but Adams is clearly a difference maker. The hard-hitting sophomore’s aptitude against the run and the pass is summed up in final stat line — six tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception and two passes broken up — but his impact goes beyond the box score.
- Kevin Steele: So far, so good for the defensive coordinator whose hiring was met with a lukewarm reception. The LSU defense held has now held two teams that gashed the Tigers for 75 points in 2014 to nearly half that total this season. The Tigers’ eight sacks through two games is more than 40 percent of their 13-game total last year.
INJURY UPDATE
- RB Leonard Fournette came up limping after his third touchdown run, but returned to the field on the kickoff return team later. He said after the game he was “fine” after taking a helmet to the knee.
- S Jalen Mills remained sideline by a fractured fibula and did not dress out.
- Freshman DE Isaiah Washington (hand) dressed out, but did not play.
- OL Adrian Magee (foot) remains out indefinitely after surgery in August.
Brent Holloway is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia, LSU and Mississippi State.
