14 in 14: LSU
2020 was a down year on the Bayou. So does Coach O have the Tigers program ready for a rebound?
By: The Waco Kid
From the bayou to Bourbon and from Nola to the gulf, the swamps of Louisiana have echoed with the same sentiment since any avid SEC football fan can remember. We aren’t talking about the croaking of frogs late at night or the chirp of crickets that make the swamp both a dream and a nightmare. No, the piercing sounds that cut through the quaint, humidity-laced Louisiana nights are the screams of “Geaux Tigers” and a little something called the “Neck.” 18+ only, I hope your parents have good internet controls. The Tiger faithful love to participate in this chant as it is one of the classiest and most respected in the nation. PAUSE NOT (*Borat voice*) LSU fans are ruthless and unforgiving, and to be honest, we love it. It’s that kind of fan dedication that makes them hard to be around but a joy to watch (from afar).
Unfortunately for Louisiana State, fans had to suffer through a Covid derailed season in 2020 that ended with a 5-5 record. While this could be a projection for the future, LSU’s extended success over the last two decades shows that they seem to put together a winning season no matter the cast. If anyone can recruit needed players, it’s Coach O and he will be able to get talent back down on the bayou. This could be a byproduct of the program still riding high on Joe Burrow and company. Burrow provided a revitalization to a program that, while always competing in the SEC West, could never seem to get over that playoff hump, but the 2021 season will show recruits and a nation of underwhelmed fans if the Tigers are the real deal or a one-hit-wonder. Hopefully the faithful can come away with some good vibrations.
Will this be the story of the 2021 Tigers?
State of the Program is… the biscuits are questionable. If you keep them in much longer they will burn, if you take them out too soon they will leave you with a craving for the toasted, buttery, traditional southern biscuits that the 2000s brought us. 7/12 biscuits
The Bayou Bengals are playing a dangerous game right now. They are flirting with the line of revival and that of complete chaos and collapse. LSU has to play this season perfectly, not too much press, no need for more after this summer (see Title IX, which Tiger football won’t see for at least 50 more years), but enough wins to stay relevant. If they cannot straddle this line, and keep the media positive and under control, it is possible that we see a premature exit from a coach that is only two years removed from hoisting the national championship trophy. The Tigers will have to be the fat kid on the teeter-totter to make sure the line favors them. There is no room for error, sit down on that see-saw and throw your opponent off (always seems to be an elephant, forecasting?).
Our photoshop skills are getting better and better. But if we were good, we’d switch the elephant with Tigger. But this is progress.
Don’t get me wrong, I have faith in this program, mainly because it is hard to imagine college football without LSU being relevant. That being said every great team encounters the down years, it’s inevitable, but if players and staff can handle it right the turnaround can be quick and painless. The Baton Rouge-based program has never seemed to fall too far from excellence and this year will be crucial in making sure that 2020 was just a blip in another run of sustained excellence.
What went right in 2020
They don’t call it DBU for nothing - well, I guess The University of Texas does - but in the SEC defensive backs are the difference between great teams and national championship teams. In the Big 12, DBs are the difference between losing two games or well….losing two games. LSU just happened to have some of the best young prospects in the secondary, guys who will be first-round picks when they decide to leave the bayou.
Jon Solomon must be out of his damn mind.
Derek Stingley Jr. and Eli Ricks lead a loaded defensive backfield into their third and second years respectively. These two are Richard Sherman, Darrelle Revis type talents. Shut down corners that are aggressive and want to attack not only the ball carrier but any receiver that may be a threat. It’s that gritty, head down, unafraid of anything type mentality that makes these backs so fun to watch. They epitomize the mentality LSU has become known for over many years. For a DB, they are by no means small, but the weekly competition against the LSU secondary is going to prove receivers are bigger (maybe stronger) so it is always great to watch players that don’t shy away from contact and competition, due to their size, but embrace it. It is always nice to see the little guy come out on top. Just ask Josh Norman.
If this group can perform the way that is expected, all the Tiger offense will have to do is put up 21 to 28 points a game to ensure a win. Louisiana State lives and dies by the defense, outside of 2019, so to get back to their roots and a winning season they cannot rely on a green quarterback that has no idea what it takes to be a top-tier program in the SEC. Instead, the backers and defensive backs must step up and give the offensive unit the push they need to win conference matchups.
What went wrong in 2020
LSU went 5-5, what didn’t go wrong? The year started out with a loss to the Pirate and Mississippi State. Most thought that there was no hope for the Bulldogs, but the Bayou Bengals had something different in mind - a stinker. The Starkville crew ended up winning 44-34. MSU was not a good team but in the first game of the year, you have to cut programs some slack because teams do not know what they are up against. The MSU loss aside, the Tigers faced some rough times against the likes of Mizzou (laughing emoji), Auburn, A&M, and Alabama. Three solid teams to end that list. The Tigers did end on a high note beating both Florida and Ole Miss. However, the Florida win can largely be attributed to “the cleat yeet.”
LSU needs to bring this cleat to midfield before every game as an offering to the CFB gods.
The other issue with this LSU team is something we have seen many times throughout the SEC in the past few years. It is the inability to find a starting QB. Georgia ran into it, SC had issues, Tennessee was a nightmare (thanks to smokin’ J), the list goes on and on. Transcendent QB play is an essential part of a top-tier program. Sometimes you can get by with just “stable” if you’re Alabama, but most everyone else needs a Heisman-caliber guy under center. For the Tigers to again find that 2019 magic, they will have to find a reliable starter, whether it’s Max Johnson or Myles Brennan. If they fail to do so in 2021, Baton Rouge will be overrun with unhappy fans adding tears as an ingredient to their gumbo.
What the Tigers need in 2021
It’s what I just mentioned: A reliable quarterback that can be trusted with the starting position and utilize the special talent around him. Also, with transfers during the offseason, the Tigers could use some help on the O-line and at tight end. Tight end may not seem like an important position but just look at Travis Kelce. Would the Chiefs be at the level that they are without him? Doubt it, but that just goes to show how underrated positions can turn teams into big-time contenders. LSU also doesn’t need to look outside their division to see the resurgence of the TE. A&M is utilizing them to great effect, and Auburn signaled in their spring game that a TE renaissance is imminent on the Plains. If LSU can find their starting QB, a tight end to replace Arik Gilbert, and O-Linemen to replace transfers they have a shot at running the table. Yes, it is a lot to ask but a program like LSU should have no issue bringing in the needed personnel. Coach O has been recruiting at an elite level right along with Alabama, Georgia and A&M. The cupboard is not bare.
How they can earn some extra biscuits
Easy, put Shaq at defensive end and let all hell break loose. That guy is an alumnus, massive, and verbally body slams Charles Barkley nearly every night. If you want to just get into a teams’ head, suit him up for some SEC games and see what players have to think. I guarantee they will look like Joe Burrow in his Hollywood debut “ Home Alone.”
Heisman-winner and national champion Joe Burrow was a child star in the Home Alone series long before he stepped on campus. He’s one of the more well adjusted child-actors we’ve ever seen.
In all seriousness, LSU needs to get back to their former dominance to earn some extra biscuits. They don’t need to win a title to earn a few extra buttery breaded bricks of heaven, but to get back into the ranks of the elite, they need to challenge Alabama and A&M for SEC West supremacy. Finish second or third in the West, if not first, and recapture some of that 2019 voodoo with a 9-11 win season. Then those biscuits will be looking a whole lot fresher.
Thanks for reading, hope to see you on the couch next weekend.
Did we get it right? Completely wrong? What’d we miss? Chirp us on Twitter @biscuitsandsec or go straight to the source @TheWacoKidBS.
Next up:
South Carolina