Legend of Leonard Fournette Hits New High Despite LSU's Loss to Irish

LSU running back Leonard Fournette is not human. 

Fournette showed why against Notre Dame in the Music City Bowl, running for 143 yards on only 11 carries. LSU head coach Les Miles needed his prized freshman to keep his fledgling defense in the game. 

Unfortunately, Fournette's efforts were not enough. The Tigers lost 31-28 thanks to 449 yards of Notre Dame offense and a time-expiring field goal from Kyle Brindza. 

The loss though does not take away from Fournette's masterful performance. He was so good the Fighting Irish could hardly lay a finger on him. 

The first of Fournette's two rushing touchdowns came on a beautifully designed pitch to the left by offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. It gave the Tigers an early response to Notre Dame's opening score. 

But that was just the appetizer.

Fournette broke through for his first special teams score on a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter to tie the score again. His bulky 6'1'', 230-pound frame glided his way through traffic as if he were Michelle Kwan on an Olympic rink. 

But wait, Fournette even saved room for dessert. 

The pride of New Orleans gave LSU its first, and only, lead of the game with an 89-yard run right up the gut. He sped through arm tackles with ease and even looked at the video scoreboard to see Notre Dame defenders chasing him.

Sure, Notre Dame's run defense has been decimated by injuries. Fournette's experienced offensive line deserves praise for opening up massive running lanes as well.

Nevertheless, Fournette was barely contacted on any of his scores. The difficulty of accomplishing that on three different touchdown runs is equal to beating Candy Crush without the aide of extra lives. 

Fournette's progress in his vision, speed and elusiveness was fully evident on Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee. His 143 yards against Notre Dame gives him a 2014 total of 1,034, which is now the freshman record at LSU, per The Times-Picayune.

It was hard to see the mystique surrounding Fournette growing any bigger after his 146-yard performance against Texas A&M to close the regular season. But his explosive runs against Notre Dame will be replayed all offseason alongside his trucking of Aggies safety Howard Matthews.  

Fournette's performance also shows his future importance to the Tigers. LSU could not beat Notre Dame, a team that lost four straight to close the season, despite the 5-star prodigy having played his best college game to date. 

LSU has problems. The Tigers still do not have a proven quarterback or a meaningful passing attack. The offensive line will be losing multiple starters. The defense has holes and a few juniors likely to depart to the NFL this offseason.

More Herculean performances from Fournette will need to be the norm in 2015. 

Miles will have an arduous offseason ahead. He could be losing his defensive coordinator John Chavis to Texas A&M, and his 2015 recruiting class is middle-of-the-pack in the SEC.

But one thing Miles knows is he can now rely on Buga Nation to have transcendent performances in big moments. He will need more of that if LSU is to make a run for Atlanta in 2015. 

For right now, LSU fans, despite defeat, should cherish Fournette's performance against Notre Dame. There will not be any more of that until next fall. 

And that is a Buga bummer. 

Stats, rankings and additional information provided by cfbstats.com, ESPN.com and LSU Sports Information. Recruiting information provided by 247Sports.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow me on Twitter @CarterthePower.