Welcome everyone to the latest edition of #4Downs where I break down what went right and what went wrong for the LSU Tigers! Today, I look at LSU’s win over Louisville.
1st Down: Defense Contains Jackson
Facing a Heisman trophy winner is nothing new for the Tigers and they made Lamar Jackson look inefficient on Saturday. A player that averaged about 400 total yards of offense in a game was held to 186 yards and sacked eight times, one of which was a safety late in the second quarter. It looked like once the front seven of LSU found the weak spot in the Cardinals offensive line, they attacked it all game long. To put it into perspective, Louisville had 56 yards of total offense and 53 of them came from one play. LSU’s defense did their job and Dave Aranda proved how important he is to this team’s success going forward.
2nd Down: Offense Finds Passing Game
Danny Etling has been a refreshing change of pace since he took over for Brandon Harris early in the season. However, it seemed that his ability was hindered because his receiving corps was unable to get some of those passes in their hands. That was definitely not the case as the Tigers had over 200 yards through the air and saw some incredible catches from Malachi Dupre and DJ Chark that helped turn the momentum. If that’s a look into the future of the LSU Tigers under Matt Canada, I’m looking forward to it.
3rd Down: Tigers Control on 3rd Down
The LSU Tigers defense was not only able to dominate Lamar Jackson, they were able to get off the field quickly on most of their drives. During third downs, the Cardinals went 2-for-17. It’s almost unfair how they were able to stop Louisville’s offense, allowing 49 yards on third down, four of which were for a loss.
4th Down: Guice Gives Sample of What’s to Come
With Leonard Fournette not playing on Saturday due to injury and wanting to prepare for the NFL Draft, the focus now turns toward sophomore Derrius Guice. His performance against Louisville’s tough run defense was another example as to why he is perhaps better than Fournette as he had some runs where he was able to break multiple tackles on the way to a good run. He also has the ability to put on the jets and fly down the field as evidenced by the 70-yard TD run in the third quarter. But one of the lasting images from the bowl game was during a kickoff return where he knocked Louisville’s kicker silly with a truck that would please his teammate. The run game has been the bread and butter for LSU for a long time and Guice shows that he can carry this team to victory if needed.
-Clint Domingue