College Football
LSU continues to leave the doubting Thomases of college football scratching their heads every Saturday after they post another win. This past week, the Tigers demolished the Ole Miss Rebels handily in Baton Rouge. The 45-16 score was never really close and Ed Orgeron’s team continues to do what they need to do week in and week out. With Alabama 33 days away, LSU continues to play well in all facets of the game.
The Latest Casualty
Ole Miss was expected to at least show up offensively against the Tigers but putting up 16 is not going to win you many games. Leading 28-13 in the third, the Tigers put together their best second half of the season on both sides of the ball.
Despite the best receiving trio in the nation, Ole Miss mustered all of three points the rest of the way.
Joe Burrow
Maybe this was the game that will silence the critics. Well at least until Georgia comes calling in two weeks. Burrow, despite leading the Tigers to wins over Miami and Auburn, has still been criticized for not doing enough especially late in the first half and early into the third quarter. On Saturday, he was 18-25 for 292 yards and three touchdowns. Plus there was that 35 yard TD run that helped put the game on ice. And did anyone notice that the Tigers were 7 of 12 on third down conversions?
Can anyone remember in recent history an LSU field general directing a Tigers offense to over 500 yards of offense and a near record 33 first downs? The first down record is 35 against Mississippi State (1969) nearly 50 years ago.
Burrow led an offense that put up more yards against Ole Miss than Alabama did two weeks ago. The former Buckeye earned his second SEC Player of the Week honors in the last three weeks.
Tigers “D” Steps Up
The LSU defense stepped up their game. Grant Delpit came to play. On the second play against Auburn, Delpit snatched an interception. On the second play against Ole Miss, it was deja vu as Delpit was in the interception zone again.
The defense under Dave Aranda stopped the top passing offense in the SEC and tenth nationally in Ole Miss. Rebels quarterback Jordan Ta’Amu who was expected to sling it all over completed just 3 of his first 11. With four quarterback hurries and six breakups in those 11 plays, the tone was set.
Now comes a test against Florida and look out Gators, Greedy Williams and the Tigers are ready.
The Final Whistle
First Miami, then Auburn and now Ole Miss. There should be no more questions of whether Ed Orgeron’s guys are worthy of being a Top 5 team. They have a legitimate quarterback, they have a ground game, they have a solid defense and if needed they have Cole Tracy.
The Tigers travel to Florida on Saturday. Last season with a lot less, the Tigers pulled out a 17-16 win. One plus for the Tigers is the similar defenses they employ. This should be an advantage for LSU’s offensive preparation.
Florida holds a slight edge in the all-time series 32-29-3.
| Statistic (national ranking) | LSU | Florida |
|---|---|---|
| Scoring Defense (points allowed per game) | 15 (12th) | 14 (9th) |
| Total Defense (yards allowed per game) | 333.8 (31st) | 311 (19th) |
| Total sacks | 13 (33rd) | 15 (14th) |
| Total tackles for loss | 32 (43rd) | 37 (20th) |
| Turnovers forced | 10 (13th) | 14 (1st) |
No. 5 LSU (5-0) versus No. 22 Florida (4-1) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Sticking with LSU 31-24. Geaux Tigers!
Photo Credit: Tammy Anthony Baker via Flickr
