{"id":69408,"date":"2024-12-01T08:30:40","date_gmt":"2024-12-01T13:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=69408"},"modified":"2024-12-01T08:49:08","modified_gmt":"2024-12-01T13:49:08","slug":"lsus-complete-game-sparks-hope-for-programs-direction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2024\/12\/01\/lsus-complete-game-sparks-hope-for-programs-direction\/","title":{"rendered":"LSU’s Complete Game Sparks Hope for Program\u2019s Direction"},"content":{"rendered":"

This roller coaster of a season has seen LSU go from a playoff contender to appearing completely hopeless in the span of a month. There were even \u201cFire Brian Kelly\u201d chants at home against (gasp) Vanderbilt. Though the hot seat talk was immature, three-game losing streaks and a five-star commitment flip<\/a> brought concern about the future. Beating Vandy<\/a> was nice, but the Tigers\u2019 37-17 win over Oklahoma was reassuring. LSU\u2019s complete game displayed execution on both sides of the ball that reinforced the belief that the staff is competent. Progress in football, like life, does not care how quickly we want the results.<\/p>\n

LSU’s Complete Game<\/h2>\n

Offensive Effort<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A complete game starts with effort. Garrett Nussmeier<\/a>\u2019s decision-making and ball security can be questioned. His effort, especially against Oklahoma, cannot be challenged. Nussmeier appeared to suffer a significant injury after getting sacked for the second time on the night. He writhed in pain on the ground while LSU fans feared the worst. Fortunately, he did not allow that play to end his regular season.<\/p>\n

Nussmeier returned to the game after missing an offensive series to go 4-4 on his next drive, finishing the drive emphatically with a 40-yard touchdown bomb to Chris Hilton<\/a>. As impressive as his passing was, it was the toughness shown while running that truly stood out. The normally hesitant runner was routinely diving for first downs and uncharacteristically decisive. Nussmeier played freely without turning the ball over, and that turned out to be a great combination for the LSU offense.<\/p>\n

Speaking of combinations, LSU\u2019s run game did enough to complement the passing attack and avoid predictability offensively. The Tigers finished with 29 rushes for roughly four yards per carry, and that\u2019s about as good as it gets for this year\u2019s team. More importantly, there were timely runs that changed the outlook of the game.<\/p>\n

Caden Durham<\/a> had a 50-yard run that flipped the field while backup quarterback AJ Swann was in the game for LSU. This drive resulted in three points with no passing threat. Josh Williams<\/a> converted a third-and-short (LSU\u2019s worst nightmare) early in the game allowing the Tigers to continue their drive and improve field position. Field position is always important, but even more so against the Sooners whose offensive style isn\u2019t conducive to finishing long drives.<\/p>\n

Understanding the Assignment<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Oklahoma ran for 257 yards against Alabama<\/a>, led by quarterback Jackson Arnold<\/a>\u2019s 131 yards. Considering LSU\u2019s track record against running quarterbacks this season, the average observer would expect Arnold to feast on the Tiger defense. Arnold did have a good day with 75 yards rushing. But LSU prevented the back-breaking runs that destroy the morale of the defense. The Tigers\u2019 assignment sound defense kept Arnold out of the end zone and stopped Oklahoma on all four third-down conversions in the first half. These stops not only got the LSU defense off the field but also forced Oklahoma to play from behind.<\/p>\n

The LSU defense appeared to be more disciplined against Vanderbilt, but even with the Commodore\u2019s improved play it\u2019s hard not to think, \u201cYeah, but that was Vanderbilt.\u201d However, what we saw against Vandy was no aberration. LSU fit the runs well, habitually stopping runners after short gains. Stopping Oklahoma\u2019s short passing game was key<\/a>. Tight end Bauer Sharp<\/a> came in with 40 catches on the year; he had one against LSU. Whit Weeks and freshman Davohn Keys played linebacker at an inspiringly high level, especially while spying or rushing.<\/p>\n

There can\u2019t be a complete game for LSU without special teams. Shifty wide receiver Aaron Anderson<\/a> took responsibility as a kickoff returner, and the returns were explosive. Anderson returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and averaged 51 yards per return. His touchdown was LSU\u2019s first kickoff returned for a touchdown since 2020.<\/p>\n

Vibe Check for the Future<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Kelly was energized and defiant after the game. \u201cWe played five freshmen, two sophomores on defense today playing their tails off. So we\u2019re taking receipts, and we\u2019ll see you at the national championship. This team is building,\u201d said Kelly.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re a Brian Kelly fan or not, he\u2019s right about the contributions of young players on this team. Dominick McKinley<\/a> was a bully at defensive tackle, finishing with two sacks. As McKinley matures with freshman Ahmad Breaux<\/a> and a strong incoming class at the position, the defensive tackles can make life easier for every other position on the defense.<\/p>\n

Projecting the future isn\u2019t only for the young players. Nussmeier has now seen the ups and downs that come with the responsibility of playing quarterback. He\u2019s been praised, criticized, hurt, and redeemed. He\u2019ll be better for his experience this season. Furthermore, he might have figured out that running for a first down is better than taking hits in the pocket.<\/p>\n

Hilton has also faced his share of adversity in 2024. The oft-injured wide receiver has the skill set to be the deep threat LSU needed, but injuries kept him out of the lineup for over half of the season. Once he returned, he struggled to return to his previous form. If underperforming wasn\u2019t enough, he was berated on the sideline by Kelly in a viral moment at Florida. Hilton had two 40+ yard touchdowns on the day in a reminder that he can still be that guy for the LSU offense.<\/p>\n

The 2024 regular season for LSU has been an unquestioned disappointment for the team. The passion that the players have shown since the three-game losing streak has kept the season from becoming a disaster. Nussmeier is growing and had a great game against a salty defense. Defensive personnel is improving as Blake Baker continues to instill his philosophy and methods. There are no guarantees in football, but there\u2019s reason to believe LSU is on the right track to ascend.<\/p>\n

\"LSU
Photo courtesy: SCOTT CLAUSE\/USA TODAY Network \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This roller coaster of a season has seen LSU go from a playoff contender to appearing completely hopeless in the span of a month. There were even \u201cFire Brian Kelly\u201d chants at home against (gasp) Vanderbilt. Though the hot seat talk was immature, three-game losing streaks and a five-star commitment flip brought concern about the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4690,"featured_media":69424,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,10906,3],"tags":[4504,729,86,37],"class_list":["post-69408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-cfb","category-sec","tag-blake-baker","tag-brian-kelly","tag-lsu-tigers","tag-oklahoma-sooners"],"modified_by":"Tony Siracusa, CFB Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4690"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69408\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}