Welcome everybody to another edition of #4Downs! This edition is breaking down LSU’s beatdown of the Auburn Tigers.
1st Down: Fournette makes a Statement
After having a career game last Saturday, Leonard Fournette dominated the game, having almost as much yardage as Auburn had in total yards of offense. Add that to the highlight reel worthy touchdowns, Fournette is making an extremely strong case for the Heisman three weeks into the college football season.
2nd Down: Harris’ Redemption Song
Last year, Brandon Harris traveled on the road and was essentially fed to the lions when he started his first ever game against Auburn. Harris came alive on Saturday, going 12 for 17 for 74 yards and 66 yards on the ground. Not exactly setting the world on fire, but for someone to have a solid performance bodes well for the sophomore QB. Only real complaint is a lot of those incompletions were overthrown, but overall it was a solid effort.
3rd Down: Firing on all Cylinders
The offense wasn’t the only thing working, it was the entire team. Since this was the “home opener” after the McNeese State game was cancelled, the Tigers fed off the hot crowd and exceeded expectations. Before the game, I thought the game would have been a lot closer, but apparently Jeremy Johnson and the Auburn Tigers did not live up to the hype after coming away with the win in overtime against Jacksonville State just a week ago. The defense kept a lot of pressure on Johnson outside of a big run early in the second half, but LSU proved that they are a lot more of a complete team as opposed to last season.
4th Down: Does LSU have a chance to make the Playoff?
With an early 2-0 lead in the SEC West, it seems like the Tigers have a better chance to win the SEC West and possibly head to the College Football Playoff. But I feel that LSU is showing a more one-dimensional offense, being a run first team. This is working now, but other teams should know what the gameplan is and will be preparing accordingly to try and stop Fournette. And based off of Saturday’s performance, it’s a lot harder than it seems. But the Tigers might need to work on the passing game to be a more complete team.
Thanks for checking out this edition of #4Downs!
-Clint Domingue