Sam Houston State vs. LSU: Game Grades, Analysis for the Tigers

After an emotional win last week against Wisconsin, LSU took it to Sam Houston State from the beginning, winning 56-0 in front of over 100,000 fans at Tiger Stadium. The final box score can be viewed here thanks to NCAA.com.

The offense was on point, the defense frustrated the Bearkats and the special teams were solid despite no trickery. It was a game the Tigers needed to get them ready for the SEC leg of the season, which will start on Sept. 20. And while the Tigers played a near-flawless game, Les Miles and Company will surely find some mistakes they have to correct before they play Louisiana-Monroe next week.

So here’s a report card for the Tigers’ performance against Sam Houston State.

Positional Unit	First Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	A	A
Run Offense	A+	A+
Pass Defense	A	A
Run Defense	A+	A+
Special Teams	B	B+
Coaching	A	A

Pass Offense: Both Anthony Jennings and Brandon Harris did not throw the ball a lot, but when they did, they were able to hit their receivers with ease. Jennings was 7-of-13 with 188 yards and three touchdowns, while Harris was 4-of-5 with 62 yards and one score. Both players made good decisions all game, and a reason for that is they had time to throw due to great protection up front.

Run Offense: But as good as the air attack was for the Tigers, their strength is running the ball, and it was on full display Saturday night. Leonard Fournette, Darrel Williams and Kenny Hilliard all rushed for at least 50 yards, and each scored a touchdown. All three players had great vision, ran hard and wore down the Sam Houston front seven. But if that wasn’t enough, Jennings and Harris got in on the action as well. Both players rushed for a combined 96 yards and one score. It’s almost unfair the depth of running backs the Tigers have. It’s more unfair that the Tigers have two quarterbacks who can run as well as the running backs.

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Pass Defense: The Tigers gave Sam Houston quarterback Jared Johnson no time to make any plays. Johnson only completed eight passes and threw for 142 yards. The Tigers forced him to throw two picks, and he was sacked a couple times as well. The speed of the secondary was too much for Johnson and the receivers. Led by Dwayne Thomas, the secondary smothered the Bearkats receivers, which is why the Tigers were able to shut out Sam Houston.

Run Defense: But another reason the Bearkats could not put any points on the board is the fact they only rushed for 50 yards. The linebackers for LSU were all over the running backs because the defensive line led by Quentin Thomas took out the offensive line consistently, and that gave guys like Kendell Beckwith and Kwon Alexander room to make plays. The Bearkats came into the game as one of the better run offenses in the FCS, but the size and speed of the Tigers was too much to handle.

Special Teams: It was a quiet night for the special teams partially because they did not attempt any field goals, and Sam Houston only kicked off once, which was in the third quarter. But Tre’Davious White was good in punt returns, averaging 13.3 yards per return. And Jamie Keehn was able to boom a 56-yard punt late in the game. The special teams for LSU did their job, which was set the tone for the offense and defense each series. They did that with no issue, and they will be focused more as the season rolls on.

Coaching: Les Miles knew everything about Sam Houston State, so he wanted his team to start fast and finish faster. Miles and his coaching staff never let up, and they shouldn’t have because they have to evaluate talent when it’s time to see who’s ready to play when they start the SEC leg of their schedule. But the one thing Miles did that deserved two thumbs up is he talked Fournette down after he scored a touchdown and did the Heisman pose. Miles knows that one player is not bigger than the program, and he made sure the freshman running back knew that.

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