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It didn’t take long after kickoff in LSU’s 41-7 loss to Auburn to see a very rare sight on the sidelines: Les Miles holding an offensive play sheet. Even with the Mad Hatter getting involved in the offense, usually Cam Cameron’s responsibility, LSU found no answers on that side of the ball.
Despite the complete flop, there were some positives that can be taken from the loss. Among them was the Tigers ability to move the ball effectively on first down via the ground game. In the first half, LSU ran the ball eight times on first down, including one attempt from the 1-yard line. On those carries, they put up a whopping 6.5 yards per carry. That’s an impressive number, as the Tigers came into the game putting up only 4.6 yards per carry.
The head-scratching question is what went wrong after those productive first downs. Despite that robust average, the Tigers still had five three-and-out series in the first half.
Miles wanted to find a way to throw the ball, as he could be seen saying on the sideline on the broadcast, but Harris looked as skittish and uncomfortable in the pocket as Anthony Jennings, as he missed on several throws and fled the pocket early on multiple occasions. Leonard Fournette, despite getting only five carries in the first half, totaled 30 yards on the ground and averaged 8 yards per carry on first down.
When it comes to Florida on Saturday, a matchup with a fellow struggling team (although the Gators look somewhat better with a 3-1 record), Cameron and Miles will have to find a way to build on those positive plays to start drives, or else the entire game in the Swamp could be a three-and-out-fest. Even facing a team that has an offense that’s been as inept as LSU’s, that’s a dangerous spot for the team to be in.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
