Despite Blowout, LSU's Performance Less Than Inspiring

If Thursday night's performance by the LSU defense is any indication, the Tigers have the makings of a true national title contender. Unfortunately for LSU fans, the season-opening romp did little to answer questions about the team's offense.

The Tigers' D completely stifled the hapless Bulldogs from Mississippi State, in the kind of performance usually reserved for high school football. Then again, a lot of what stopped Mississippi State Thursday night was, well, Mississippi State—or more so Michael Henig. LSU intercepted six passes...or was it that Henig threw six interceptions? Either way you slice it, Henig was terrible—but LSU's secondary and pass rush made him worse.

The LSU defensive front didn't record a sack in the first half, but did limit Bulldog tailback Anthony Dixon to just 29 yards on 13 carries—and 10 of those yards were gained on one play. Of course, when your passing game is as useless as the Bulldogs' was, your running game doesn't stand a chance.

Six of Mississippi State's seven turnovers ultimately led to LSU points—and it's a good thing the Tiger defense set up the offense so well, because the Bayou Bengals were unable to find anything resembling a rhythm under new offensive coordinator Gary Crowton. In fact, the offense appeared to be functioning at its peak in the fourth quarter under sophomore quarterback Ryan Perriloux—with the game well in hand and the tiring Bulldog defense ready to retreat from rain-soaked Scott Field.

Under the direction of starter Matt Flynn, LSU did score 31 points in the first three quarters. However, of their five scoring drives, only one went longer than 41 yards. The Tigers' longest sustained drive with Flynn was their first, as the offense kept the field for nine plays...but gained just 28 yards.

Obviously, all the blame can't be pinned on Flynn. The rain didn't help, and it's not uncommon for a defense to be ahead of an offense early on in the season. Some credit should also be given to Mississippi State's defense, which proved a worthy adversary before wearing down. Still, the Bulldog D is hardly among the SEC's elite—a notion that has to concern some LSU faithful.

The questions entering the game centered around Flynn and the Tigers' ability to find a go-to receiver not wearing No. 9. The answers given Thursday night can't leave Tiger fans feeling all that great about their game next week against Virginia Tech, which boasts a defense vastly superior to that of the Bulldogs.

Flynn did complete 12 out of 19 passes, but very few of them went down the field. What's worse, 75 percent of those 12 completions were to Early Doucet. No other Tiger managed to catch multiple passes—not exactly a sign that anyone else is ready to step up at wideout.

Surprisingly, the LSU running game couldn't really get on track either—even against an inexperienced defensive front. The Tigers did end the night with 198 yards rushing as a team, but nobody excelled out of the backfield. Jacob Hester, the fullback, led the team in rushing. If Hester ends up as the team's leading rusher at the end of the season, the Tigers will likely be playing in Atlanta—in the Peach Bowl.

Interestingly enough, Flynn was the team's second-leading rusher with 42 yards. Starter Keiland Williams had only 18 yards on seven carries, and Charles Scott managed four yards on three attempts. Richard Murphy went over 30, but 21 came on one run in the fourth quarter.  

You can't make too much out of one game, particularly one played in less-than-favorable weather conditions. However, it's impossible to ignore the potential chinks in LSU's armor. The questions that everyone had about this offense prior to the season are no closer to being answered after Thursday—and some new ones may be on the table given the ground game's failure to impress.

The Tiger offense was average against a slightly above-average defense. What will it do against one of the nation's best next Saturday? Maybe Crowton was just holding back with the playbook, waiting to open it up in Death Valley. Tiger fans had better hope so.