Six games into a perfect season for No. 5 ranked LSU after it sent No. 7 Florida home a 42-28 loser on as crazy a Tiger Stadium Saturday night as there has ever been, let’s all finally accept the following.
The Tigers’ offense is so unstoppable after averaging almost a school-record 10.6 yards per play (511 yards on 48 plays) against college football’s 10th best defense that they should give first-year passing game coordinator Joe Brady a hefty in-season raise.
That's right. By noon Sunday, hand him a check and tell him to "Pick a number and we'll add the zeroes."
Quarterback Joe Burrow’s weekly insatiable quest for perfection – he was 21-of-24 for 293 yards, three TDs and no interceptions vs. a Gators’ defense ranked first nationally in takeaways – is producing the greatest ever season by an LSU QB.
Not only are his stats so far the same numbers most Tigers' QBs have had for entire seasons, but now he's already had two long-distance game-clinching TD daggers this year against LSU's two top 10 opponents to date.
LSU’s offensive line has jelled to the point it can now be considered underrated after giving up no sacks to a Florida defense that led the SEC in that category by wide margin.
The Tigers’ rushing attack is alive and well, thanks to a couple of hyphenated bowling balls named Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Tyrion Davis-Price who combined for 176 yards and three TDs on a mere 19 carries against the vaunted Gators.
By the way, all the Edwards-Helaire detractors pining for LSU's true freshmen running back duo of Davis-Price and John Emery Jr. need to shut up.
The bet between receivers Justin Jefferson and JaMarr Chase on who will catch the most touchdown passes this season – both now have eight each – may not be decided until the last game of the year.
No one is quite sure what the bet is, possibly a steak dinner at Chris Ruth's or at Waffle House or Waffle House meals for life. Whatever is the bet, it's working.
Even with all previously injured hands-on-deck, LSU’s defense continues to rope-a-dope Power 5 conference opponents, initially allowing a ridiculous amount of points and struggling to mount a consistent pass rush until it decides to blitz and stick with man coverage.
No one is quite sure why LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda waits until the second half to make adjustments, but once they are made the Tigers act as if they are unleashed.
Freshman cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., the SEC’s leader in passes defended with 11, continues to be challenged, earning a passing grade in his ultimate DBU adversity test vs. the Gators. On Florida’s opening scoring drive of the second half to take a 28-21 lead, Stingley allowed four completions in four attempts for 51 yards before rebounding in he fourth quarter with an end-zone rally-killing, momentum-flipping interception that led to LSU’s final TD.
Punter Zach Von Rosenberg is used so little – he punted twice against Florida which is close to his per game average – that he probably doesn’t sweat enough to require a postgame shower. But when he does stretch his punting leg as he did twice vs. the Gators, he's pinning them inside their 20-yard line.
Sounds like the Tigers are halfway to earning their first-ever spot in the College Football Playoff.
Burrow, the chill fifth-year graduate transfer from Ohio State, doesn’t think so. Which is another reason why there are starting to be more believers hopping on LSU bandwagon weekly.
His post-game message to his teammates in the Tigers’ raucous dressing was “Don’t let good enough get in the way of greatness.”
Translation, please Joe.
“That means come back to work Monday ready to go,” Burrow said. “We still have a lot of room to improve.”
True, but from game one until present, LSU has steadily shored most of its question spots.
For instance, LSU’s heavy reliance on its successful passing attack led to Tigers averaging just 131.8 yards per game rushing in its first four games. But after the last two Saturdays rushing for 258 yards vs. Utah State and 218 against Florida, there’s suddenly balance.
“I think they do a lot better job running the ball than they get credit for,” Florida coach Dan Mullen said of LSU. “Their ability to run the ball really made a big difference.”
Two games ago in LSU’s 66-38 win at Vanderbilt, the Tigers missed 18 tackles and Burrow was sacked twice and leveled a couple of times.
Since then, you can’t count the number of LSU’s missed tackles on one hand. Burrow’s O-line has kept him clean, especially against Florida after he was sacked five times in last season’s loss in Gainesville.
“We saw on social media how Florida’s D-line was going to dominate us (again), but it motivated us every day this week in practice,” LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry said.
In last Saturday's 42-6 win over Utah State, LSU had three fumbles losing just one. After a week’s worth of ball security drills, no Tigers’ ball carrier came close to coughing it up against Florida’s physical defense
Heading into next Saturday’s visit to Mississippi State and Cowbell Nation, the final piece of the Tigers’ puzzle that needs fixing is the aforementioned slow-starting LSU pass rush.
Florida’s four TD drives – one in the first and third quarters and two in the second – were 75 yards each. When Gators’ QB Kyle Trask wasn’t getting the ball out of his hands quickly, he had a comfortable amount of time to survey the field for one of his 23 completions in his 310-yard performance.
Finally on Florida's second possession of the third quarter, LSU D- coordinator Aranda conceded he couldn’t pressure Trask with just four pass rushers. So, he adjusted and the Gators didn't score again.
“We started blitzing,” Orgeron said, “and playing man-to-man coverage.”
The best apart about Saturday’s win was enough mistakes were made for it to again be a learning experience.
“On Tell the Truth Monday, there’s going to be a lot of things we don’t like,” Orgeron said. “And it’s good when you win that you can still get better. This team is hungry.”
They also enjoy getting fed each Saturday.
