Welcome everyone to the latest edition of #4Downs where we break down every game for LSU. This week, we look into their win over Mississippi State.
First Down: Etling Is the Guy
After what happened last week against Jacksonville State, it seemed that this would by Danny Etling’s job to lose and the Mississippi State game is a lot like the game against Auburn for Brandon Harris: you underperform in this game, you’re being replaced. But the Purdue transfer performed well above expectations, going 19-30 and 215 yards and a score. Perhaps LSU has a good quarterback in its ranks after all and it further cemented that Etling is no longer the backup, he’s THE guy for this 2016 team. It just seems like this team plays harder for him.
2nd Down: Fournette’s Back
After being on the sidelines last week against Jacksonville State due to hurting his ankle against Wisconsin, it looked like Fournette is back to his old form. It wasn’t a performance like last year’s matchup, but it had your usual Fournette moments: trucking defenders, imposing his will on would be tacklers, and the like. It looked like one week on the bench did a lot of good for him and he looks to be back on track for another good season. Maybe not Heisman Trophy worthy due to missing a game, but it still shows that he can do what he’s done to much success during his time in the purple and gold.
3rd Down: Special Teams Jekyll and Hyde
The special teams, especially the kickoff and punting units, were very much back and forth in terms of success. Gamble had his moments where his kickoffs didn’t get that much distance, but every now and then he’d have one land out of bounds and it would hurt the Tigers in one way or another. Growden showed he has the ability to annihilate the football with a couple of deep punts, but it seemed like most of them went around 40 yards. Thankfully, on the last punt he had, he was able to pin the Bulldogs to their own 22 with a booming kick from LSU’s 17 yard line. That wound up being the reason why Mississippi State lost.
4th Down: The Absent-Minded Head Coach
When you look at the state of any team, be it high school or professional, you try and start at the top and look into the head coach of the team. Les Miles has been able to stumble into wins against Mississippi State in back to back years due to what looks like incompetence. You have a 23-3 lead heading into the locker room and you could really just put the score up more, but can’t score to save your life in the second half which means you’ve scored zero points in the fourth quarter through three games. It just shows more evidence why maybe the wrong choice was made at the end of last season. The games aren’t going to get any easier. Just ask Ole Miss what happens when you let off the gas, they’ve done it twice already this season.
-Clint Domingue