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LSU got it handed to them on Saturday, running into an Auburn buzz saw. The Bayou Bengals went down 17-0 in the blink of an eye and never showed any hint of being competitive as Auburn ran the score to 41-7 by the time the clock hit zeroes.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the disappointing effort.
- The young Tigers aren’t ready to compete this year. If this wasn’t already labeled a rebuilding year, it certainly should be now. LSU’s freshman-led offense could do nothing against an unproven Auburn defense, and the defense couldn’t hang in when the offensive left them out to dry on the field. There’s a lot of work to be done, and it starts with continuing to develop the talent on hand. That being said, fans should begin preparing themselves for what could be Les Miles’ worst season in Baton Rouge.
- Brandon Harris is not a cure-all. The freshman put some pep into the Tigers a week ago against New Mexico State, and his near-comeback against Mississippi State led lots of folks to believe he was the answer to LSU’s offensive woes. He’s not, and he looked very much the part of a freshman making his first career start on the road. Harris himself called his play terrible and said the gameplan was solid, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to produce points going forward.
- The offensive line is a major disappointment. Les Miles heaped plenty of preseason praise on his offensive line, and they haven’t come close to living up to it. Auburn came in allowing more than 4.5 yards per carry, lending to the belief that LSU might be able to establish the run at some point. They didn’t, averaging less than 4 yards per attempt, and the blame falls at the feet of a lackluster performance by the line. It’s hard to consistently open holes when the defense isn’t afraid of the pass, but the line needs to be better.
- A quarterback carousel isn’t going to accomplish anything. Miles tried to give the offense a jumpstart by inserting Anthony Jennings into the game. It turns out Harris had sprained his ankle at some point during the game, which gives some explanation to why he was pulled. But going forward, shuffling quarterbacks isn’t going to help this team. If Miles thinks he can win with Jennings in the near future, he needs to roll with him. If that guy is Harris, same drill. Juggling the two won’t help either of their psyches.
- The run defense is going to be an issue all year. It turns out that shifting undersized defensive ends inside isn’t going to do much to replace a veteran starter at defensive tackle. Quentin Thomas is going to be battling a torn biceps all season, hurting the Tigers at their thinnest position. Guys like Frank Herron and Maquedius Bain don’t seem like they’re ready at all to step into major playing time, leaving LSU threadbare at the point of attack.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
