Ho hum
For the sake of transparency I did not see a single second of the first half of LSU’s win over Nicholls. But based off the vibes of the comment section and Twitter and all that, it’s a good thing I did?
I saw the second half and LSU looked iffy at best and somehow that was better than what they showed in the first half. That gives me concern as LSU gets ready to open conference play against South Carolina (Saturday, 11:00 A.M. CT) and the season as a whole. I don’t know, maybe LSU just severely sleepwalked through Saturday and they’ll look like a new team Saturday morning.
4: Number of LSU receivers with 50 or more yards Saturday
LSU’s passing attack may not be as explosive as last year’s Death Star, but it seems to have a little more diversity? CJ Daniels led the way with 71 yards, Kyren Lacy was the star with 65 yards and three touchdowns, Aaron Anderson is starting to live up to that five-star billing with 63 yards, and Zavion Thomas brought up the rear with “only” 5 catches, 50 yards, and a touchdown; and if all that wasn’t enough, Mason Taylor had 40 yards. Nuss has a lot of tools in his toolkit.
120: Zavion Thomas return yards
Thomas seems to have finally guided LSU out of the wilderness when it comes to the return game. He busted a 51-yard kickoff return and makes all the right decisions when fielding punts. LSU’s probably going to play a lot of coin-flip games and the hidden yards in the punt and kickoff returns can factor into the outcome.
3.2: LSU’s yards per carry
I can’t explain this. LSU with its four future pros along the offensive line couldn’t open up holes against an FCS school. At least they’re a good pass blocking unit?
178: Nicholls rushing yards
LSU’s defensive line was arguably the single biggest question mark coming into 2024 and it’s only going to get worse now that Jacobian Guillory has been lost for the season. The group certainly appears to be better coached under Bo Davis, and Davis is doing a good job recruiting the position for 2025 and beyond, but in the here and now LSU’s got a massive weakness and frankly there’s nothing they can do about it. Someone’s going to have to step up.
3: Harold Perkins tackles
Is this thing working? I asked on Twitter because as I said in the intro I didn’t see the first half and everyone said “no.” It seems like Perkins is still being misused and I’m not sure what the solution is.
41.8: LSU’s punting average
I said we’d track this after last week and it looks like we’re getting some more clearly defined roles. Peyton Todd punted three times and averaged 43 yards a kick, while Blake Ochsendorf’s one and only punt went for 37 yards but got downed inside the 20. Todd looks like who they’ll call on to flip the field, while Ochsendorf seems to be the guy they trust to pin the opponent.