Welcome everyone to the latest edition of #4Downs where I break down LSU’s win over Chattanooga.
1st Down: Etling Impresses
The chains looked to be off for Danny Etling on Saturday when he took the field against Chattanooga. His first completion was a 36-yard touchdown pass to Drake Davis. The senior followed that up with a 46-yard pass to Stephen Sullivan. The next one was a 27-yarder to JaCoby Stevens. He found DJ Chark later on in the drive for 46 yards.
Look at those numbers on his first four completions. If there was any doubt that Etling can throw the long ball, it’s no longer a point of debate. It also shut down talk of him not being the same quarterback he was after having surgery on his back during the offseason. This may be some of the best quarterback play LSU has had since 2011.
2nd Down: Too Many Penalites in First Half
While the Tigers reduced their number of penalties in the second half, they were snakebit with 10 penalties for 69 yards at half. If it wasn’t against a team like Chattanooga, odds are the game would’ve been a lot more competitive.
Imagine next week in Starkville that the Tigers have the amount of penalties they had at half this week, does LSU have a significant lead at half? Probably not and that will be something that Coach O will be lecturing to the players during “Tell the Truth” Monday and through the week.
3rd Down: Greedy Williams Living Up to Hype
One of the redshirt freshmen that had received a lot of preseason hype was Greedy Williams. With the reputation of LSU being “DBU”, it seemed like a perfect fit for a player who once had five picks in a single game in high school.
In two games as a redshirt freshman, Williams already has two interceptions and almost had a third late in the ballgame. He has lived up to the hype and looks set to become the face of the new DBU.
4th Down: Kickoffs Improving (Kinda)
One of the few negatives from last week’s 28-0 shutout to BYU was the kickoff game. On six kickoffs against the Cougars, only one went into the endzone for a touchback. Head coach Ed Orgeron said that the competition was opening back up after that and Cameron Gamble showed some improvement with three touchbacks.
However, go back and look at the opening kickoff. It went out of bounds. What’s worse than allowing a kick to be fielded? Giving the other team a shorter field due to something like that. Perhaps the competition needs to stay open until more than 50 percent of the kickoffs are through the endzone.
-Clint Domingue