Welcome everyone to the latest edition of #4Downs where I break down what went right and what went wrong for LSU! This week, we look at LSU’s historic win inside Tiger Stadium over Auburn.
1st Down: Smart Adjustments Defensively
After the first quarter wrapped up, it seemed like Auburn was firmly in control with a 17-0 lead and wasn’t going to let go of that lead anytime soon. The LSU defense had other things to say as they made some adjustments and wound up allowing 166 yards and two field goals for the other three quarters to help the offense to keep it competitive going into the locker room.
Devin White has to be considered the driving force of the defense with 15 total tackles. Go back and look at White’s hit on Jarrett Stidham late in the ballgame. He flew through the trenches and got at the quarterback. If this defense can show up for four quarters, a lot of things are possible.
2nd Down: Chark Driving Force for Sleepwalking Offense
The LSU offense found a different kind of spark in the win with DJ Chark making the most of every opportunity in the win. He only caught five passes, but ended up with 150 yards on the afternoon. His only blemish was a fumble in Auburn territory on the opening drive.
That mistake wound up being largely forgotten after what he did early in the fourth quarter with a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown. Without a player like Chark, the offense might have remained stymied and would have been another black eye on the Coach Ed Orgeron era.
3rd Down: Culp Continues to Prove Himself
Seeing what Connor Culp is doing after his rough start to the season has been great. Just two weeks ago, Ed Orgeron stated that he doesn’t have a kicker. To see a freshman take that criticism and use it as motivation to get better and improve every week has been great to see.
Has he been nailing 50-yarders with all the pressure in the world? No, but he hasn’t needed to. LSU put him in the right position on both field goals Saturday. If he can continue to build confidence with performances like this, he could become a clutch kicker from that 50-yard range.
4th Down: Looking Ahead
What LSU has done the last two games has been interesting to say the very least. Having to rely on a missed extra point and a freshman kicker to help get wins in SEC play has been nice, but there needs to be a decisive victory next weekend in Oxford.
Getting a convincing win against a team like Ole Miss could be big for this team headed into a bye week. It’s hard to keep doing what they’ve done the last two weeks. Just ask the Florida Gators.
-Clint Domingue