Welcome to another edition of #4Downs where we break down Cajuns, LSU, and Saints! Today we break down LSU’s loss to Wisconsin.
1st Down: Almost a Mirror Image of 2014
The LSU Tigers and the Wisconsin Badgers last met in 2014 and the Badgers had the edge up until the fourth quarter. But 62 seconds in the third quarter changed all that as Tre’Davious White had a pick six and a fumble recovery deep in Wisconsin territory gave LSU a lead, slim as it may be. If not for how it ended, the game would’ve been remembered for that sequence of events. But of course something has to happen and it has to be something negative from Brandon Harris. LSU has that tendency to play from behind, but more often than not, that won’t help you get wins on the board.
2nd Down: Great Defensive Effort
If there’s one thing that’s obvious, it’s that Dave Aranda looks like the best hire LSU has made in some time. Maybe it was also because of the amount of talent that LSU has that helped make Dave Aranda look good, but at the end of the day, the defense did their job and did it fairly well. Arden Key looked like his usual self getting a couple of sacks on Bart Houston. White was performing well as mentioned before and Donte Jackson did a pretty gob job defensively with a PBU and a forced fumble. It seems that LSU’s defense is just a little better than the offense after Saturday.
3rd Down: Concerns About Harris Continue
How can you not be concerned about LSU’s quarterback? Last year, he had a strong start and once November came around, he looked like he did when he started against Auburn in 2014. Another mediocre performance marred by overthrown passes and interceptions. It just shows how much Brandon Harris has regressed and how much other quarterbacks have regressed (see: Anthony Jennings). If the Tigers want to try and get things back on track, it may be time to look towards someone like Danny Etling if he’s okay to play or freshman Lindsey Scott. Harris not being at the postgame conference is an even more telling sign.
4th Down: No Excuses
Heading into the season, the motto for this team should be no excuses. You have a lot of the talent returning, but aren’t doing a thing to show that you have that aforementioned talent. Harris is playing poor and that also looks bad on the offensive line. Because of the offensive line’s lack of performance, Leonard Fournette wasn’t able to be an alpha, only having 138 yards on the ground off of 23 carries. It really shines a light on perhaps why the Mad Hatter should have been let go after last season regardless of the outcome of the Texas A&M game. The great coaches adapt to their adversity. Les Miles isn’t adapting and this isn’t a new thing, it’s just that we’re finally talking about it after a week one loss to a team that many projected it to be a win for the Tigers. The end result for this season could be another 9-3 season if they’re lucky and another meaningless bowl game.
-Clint Domingue