Welcome everyone to the latest edition of #4Downs where I break down what went right and what went wrong for the LSU Tigers. This week, I look at the Tigers 36-16 win over Georgia!
1st Down: Burrow Bounces Back
Joe Burrow’s numbers on Saturday may not have been the efficiency many fans were expecting from the Ohio State product, but he got the job done for the Tigers with exactly 200 yards through the air and exactly 50% passing. Not only that, he was able to help the Tigers on crucial plays, pushing through the line of scrimmage and getting the Tigers on the board.
Much like he did back in the Auburn game, he was able to put the team on his back and get points on the board.
2nd Down: Edwards-Helaire Goes Beast Mode
We all knew heading into this season that Clyde Edwards-Helaire was going to be an integral part of this offense. However, this wasn’t as expected after what we’ve seen from Nick Brossette throughout the regular season.
The sophomore racked up 145 yards on the ground, including a 47-yard run that set up a touchdown run by Joe Burrow to go up 10-0 early in the second quarter. His performance was what the Tigers expected from him before the season started and may be a sign of things to come for the Tigers.
3rd Down: Return of Devin White
This isn’t to say that Devin White hasn’t performed very well throughout the season, but the junior linebacker needed to have a huge performance if they wanted to get the win. 13 total tackles, half a tackle for loss, a QB hit, and a fumble recovery is a return to form for him and was a huge reason why the defense made Jake Fromm’s afternoon a living hell.
It was refreshing to see this after he left the game last week on what would wind up being a crucial drive against Florida. Add the fact that the team had an overall great performance against what seemed to be one of the premier programs in the country, it’s a huge statement for this defense.
4th Down: Riverboat O
Last week, Coach Ed Orgeron was justifiably chastised for not going for it at certain points in the ballgame. Well, he took those criticisms and decided to go for a lot more than many fans were used to. I’m sure Jacob Hester was smiling in Baton Rouge when he saw the Tigers convert all four of their fourth down attempts against the Bulldogs.
The best part about this for the Tigers was that all of these were 4th-and-1 attempts. The odds of converting those were incredibly high, but still risky against a Georgia offense that could’ve broken the top off of this ballgame. However, the riverboat gambling that Coach O was doing on Saturday paid off in a big way.
Extra Point: LSU in Playoff Talk?
At first glance, the Tigers have one of the strongest cases to be in the College Football Playoff. Yes, some of the marquee wins have lost some of their shine (what happened to you Auburn?) but beating three top ten programs is something not many teams can say.
If this were the BCS era, the computers would likely say that this is the top team in the country because of the wins over Miami, Georgia, and Auburn. That being said, the Tigers can’t let up at this point, especially with that big game against Alabama looming. If they lose that one, it might be another trip to Orlando for the Citrus Bowl.
-Clint Domingue