LSU Football: Grading the Tigers Game vs. Kentucky

LSU proved to the college football world just why they are the No.1 ranked team in the country with a dominant 35-7 win over Kentucky on Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers' dominant defense registered five sacks, returned a fumble for a touchdown and held Kentucky to just 155 yards of total offense in the win.

Jarrett Lee and LSU's offense wasn't as impressive as it had been in the past, but they did gain 348 yards of offense and did not commit a turnover in the game.

Let's break this game down and hand out report card grades for the Tigers' win.

Quarterbacks

Les Miles and the LSU Tigers made the decision to reinstate quarterback Jordan Jefferson after he had been suspended for the first four games of the season for his involvement in an offseason bar fight and facing legal troubles.

Miles stuck to his word and went with Jarrett Lee at quarterback, while putting Jefferson in on several running situations.

Jarrett Lee looked pretty average in the passing game, completing just 8-of-21 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown. Most importantly, though, he took care of the ball and did not commit a turnover in the victory.

Jefferson did not attempt a pass, but he did pick up some yards on the ground, including the game's opening touchdown.

Overall, pretty average if you ask me.

Grade: C

Running Backs

The Tigers' rushing attack looked strong as always, gaining 179 yards on the ground with three touchdowns from three separate players.

But the big numbers were not posted by the usual suspects.

The two-headed monster of Spencer Ware and Michael Ford only combined for 27 yards on 13 carries. Instead, it was Alfred Blue and Terrence Magee that picked up the slack. The underclassmen duo combined for 110 yards on the ground and each scored a rushing touchdown.

It looks like this backfield isn't just two deep. But four deep? Wow, that's good.

Grade: A-

Receivers

LSU's receiving core looked good, but just like the quarterback play, nothing great.

The two big-name wideouts, Rueben Randle and Russell Sheppard, were quiet throughout the game. In return, it was freshman Odell Beckham who continued to impress, catching three passes for 75 yards.

One of those catches by Beckham was an incredible touchdown reception early on in the second quarter, where he caught the ball, reversed his field and ran 51 yards to the end zone for a score.

Other than that play, not much exciting action. But that was exciting enough to deserve a solid grade.

Grade: B-

O-Line

LSU's offensive line is good. In fact, LSU's offensive line is great. No questions asked.

The unit protected Jarrett Lee well and the reason for his poor completing numbers was certainly not due to the lack of protection from the offensive line. Kentucky's defensive front four were never an issue in this game.

The running game was solid as the offensive line paved the way for 179 yards and three touchdowns in the game, which helped lead to that convincing 35-7 final score.

Grade: A-

D-Line

LSU's defensive line is young, but they play like a group that has four years of experience out there.

The Tigers recorded five sacks in the win, with DE Sam Montgomery in on two of them. They made it a point to get pressure on Kentucky quarterback Morgan Newton and actually forced him out of the game when the score begin to get out of hand.

This defensive line has played together in five games and dominated in five games. Another big test is on the way against Florida next week.

Grade: A

Linebackers

The linebackers certainly aren't the star unit of the defense, but they played pretty darn well in this one.

The linebacking core helped the Tigers' defense hold Kentucky to just 155 yards of total offense in this one. The Wildcats lone score came with just under five minutes left in the game when it was already well-decided.

Kentucky carried the ball a total of 39 times for just 89 yards, which is an average of 2.3 yards per carry. Only three of those 39 rushes were for more than 10 yards.

That tells the story right there.

Grade; A-

Secondary

Just when you think LSU's defensive secondary can't do anything more, well....they did.

The Tigers did not give Kentucky's offense a chance in this one, as corner Tyrann Mathieu and Mo Claiborne continued to show why they are the best cornerback duo in college football not only this year, but in the past decade.

Mathieu set an LSU record for career forced fumbles with two strips, one of which led to his 23-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the third quarter, which helped break this game wide open from that point on.

This defensive secondary held Kentucky to just 7-of-25 passing for 66 yards. The unit continues to impress and the best still could be yet to come.

Wow.

Grade: A+

Special Teams

Nothing too spectacular here, but if you had to pick out one individual standout performance, it would be freshman punter Brad Wing.

Wing was phenomenal last week against West Virgina, and it was much the same story this week. The freshman punted eight times for an average of 42 yards per punt.

Kicker Drew Alleman didn't attempt a field goal, but he was 5-of-5 on extra points.

In the return game, Mo Claiborne had one kick return for 24 yards, and Tyrann Mathieu had two punt returns for 30 yards.

Pretty average grade for a pretty average showing on special teams.

Grade: C

Coaching

Les Miles had a pretty easy day from a coaching standpoint.

He reinstated Jordan Jefferson, which was a questionable move, but he stuck with his word in starting Lee as Jefferson did not attempt a pass in the game. In fact, when Jefferson did go in the game, it was for a designed quarterback sneak, which was good for a touchdown.

Miles is a great coach. Hopefully this laugher gave him some practice for the Tigers' big matchup against Florida next week.

Grade: B+

Intangibles

Overall, this was a solid game all around for the Tigers.

The offense was good, but not great, and the defense was dominant as always.

The Tigers were without running back Spencer Ware for the majority of this game, after he was limited by a minor left leg injury. But sophomore Alfred Blue picked up the slack, leading LSU with 72 yards on the ground.

Kentucky is not a good college football team, so it almost makes this one hard to grade. We would have liked to see a little more on the offensive side of the ball, but considering everything, this was a good showing for a great team.

Grade: B-