LSU Football: Winners and Losers from Tigers' Win vs. West Virginia

With the help of turnovers and special teams, the LSU Tigers were able to defeat the West Virginia Mountaineers 47-21, but the game showed the Tigers’ defense may be human after all.

There is absolutely no need to panic if you’re a Tiger fan because this team has gone through the gauntlet and came out unscathed, but there has to be a cause of concern following West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith’s performance.

Smith threw for 463 yards against the Tigers, but it’s better for the Tigers to experience a letdown in the secondary during a victory, rather than a loss.

This will be great for the Tigers to build on as they start to prepare for SEC rivals Florida, Auburn and Alabama in the coming weeks.

Before he starts figuring out how the secondary was able to give up so many yards, LSU head coach Les Miles can now wipe the sweat off his brow as the Tigers managed to escape a brutal September schedule without a loss. These are the biggest winners and losers following the win in Morgantown.

Winner: LSU’s Offense

I thought Kirk Herbstreit said it best during the game when he said he felt like this offense was coming into its own right before our eyes.

Just in case he had any doubters left, Jarrett Lee silenced them with another great performance. It wasn’t perfect by any means as some of his passes were off target at times, but he continues to take care of the ball and make big plays.

Lee finished the game with 180 yards passing and three touchdowns, and he would have finished with four had wide receiver Rueben Randle held onto an easy touchdown reception. Lee led the offense through the air, while LSU’s offensive line and running backs—Spencer Ware and Michael Ford—once again showed their dominance on the ground.

This is grown-man football. Nowadays, when defensive coordinators prepare for offenses, they try to figure out how they’ll slow down the tempo or stop the team from spreading the field, but that’s not the case when LSU shows up on the schedule.

Coordinators have to figure out how they’re going to match this offense blow for blow, and if they’ll be willing to put eight men in the box against this bruising rushing attack.

Defensive coordinators could load eight in the box and most likely shut down the run, but what are they going to do with emerging superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham, the versatile wide receiver Russell Shepard and Randle?

It’s becoming more evident that this is not the same offense the Tigers had under the direction of last year’s offensive coordinator Gary Crowton and quarterback Jordan Jefferson.

No more options for this offense; this team plays in-your-face, ground-and-pound football.

Loser: Pass Defense’s Ego

It only takes a few minutes to notice this secondary likes to talk trash, but their pride has to be hurting after giving up over 450 yards through the air to West Virginia.

Don’t get me wrong, Smith is a really good quarterback, and this West Virginia team proved that they could match skill player for skill player on the outside, but the secondary is the strength of this LSU team. Known for its depth and NFL-caliber talent, LSU’s secondary will give offensive coordinators nightmares on how to stretch the field vertically and horizontally.

West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin and LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu were barking at each other all game long, and Austin got the better of Mathieu on multiple occasions.

What I found most disappointing about the defense’s performance was the missed tackles. I understand that it’s difficult to get up for big game after big game, so I can give the performance some slack, but they better get their act together before they face Florida.

Should the Tigers choose to tackle like that against the Gators in two weeks, running back Chris Rainey is going to have a field day on this defense.

And as far as getting pressure on the quarterback goes, where was the rush? I give a lot of credit to the Mountaineers' offensive line because they gave Smith ample amount of time to get rid of the football.

As a whole, I was let down by the play from the secondary, but I’d be wrong if I didn’t give credit to Brandon Taylor. Taylor had an interception off of a pass deflection and more importantly, was all over the football field to clean up mistakes. It’s time for this Tiger bunch to regroup and get that intensity back.

Winner: Tyrann Mathieu

I know this year is the Andrew Luck sweepstakes for losing NFL teams, but is it safe to say next season is the Tyrann Mathieu sweepstakes?

I love everything about this kid. Mathieu talks the talk, and he walks the walk. Before the game, he was jawing with West Virginia wide receivers as they ran by the secondary huddled up on the sideline.

More importantly, Mathieu caused two turnovers and came up big in another marquee game. He caused a fumble and tipped a pass to himself for an interception in the first half.

Plain and simple, Mathieu is a playmaker, and he’s one of the best football players in the nation. And did I mention he was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week?

Loser: Kentucky

Kentucky has yet to have a game to take pride in and now they have to play in Tiger Stadium against one of the best teams in the nation, if not the best team.

Kentucky is 2-2, with their only wins coming against Central Michigan and Western Kentucky in unspectacular fashion.

They’re also coming off of a 48-10 loss against Florida. LSU has beaten three ranked teams in four weeks, and I don’t expect this Kentucky team to give LSU much of a challenge.

In fact, this game could very well be over by halftime. Fasten your seat belt, Kentucky, this ride is going to get a little bumpy.