LSU Football: Grading the Tigers' Game vs. Western Kentucky

Jordan Jefferson got his first start of the season, and he delivered in a big way.

Jefferson and the Tigers had an unusual midseason non-SEC game, but just as many expected, it wasn't much of a contest for long.

The Tigers defeated Western Kentucky 42-9 and now have two remaining regular season games to complete their undefeated record and a spot in the SEC title game, and perhaps national title game.

Let's hand out some grades for the Tigers' victory.

Bleacher Report style!

Quarterbacks

Everyone had a feeling that Jordan Jefferson would eventually take over the starting quarterback gig at LSU.

It looks like it has officially happened.

Jefferson started his first game of the season on Saturday and was spectacular in the process. He completed 8-of-14 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 20 yards in the win.

Jarrett Lee was left on the bench until the fourth quarter, but on his first drive, he did lead the Tigers in on a 14-play, 82 yard scoring drive.

Of course the competition was not great, but it's hard to find many negatives with this performance. 

Grade: A

Running Backs

It seems like a new guy steps up every week in the Tigers' backfield.

This Saturday, the running back hero was Alfred Blue.

Blue rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns on only a total of nine carries. His 13.2 yards-per-carry average is pretty impressive.

Michael Ford also had a solid day, but Spencer Ware was not much of a factor like he has been in the past couple of games.

As a team, LSU ran for 291 yards on 40 carries. Pretty tough to grade that down.

Grade: A-

Wide Receivers

LSU didn't need to throw a ton in this game, but the receivers were pretty solid despite limited opportunities.

After a quiet game against SEC rival Alabama, Rueben Randle got back on track with a big game. He caught three passes for 76 yards and a touchdown, which came on a 59 yard grab on LSU's first scoring drive of the game.

As a team, LSU's receivers caught 10-of-19 passes. This group still isn't elite outside of Randle, and we would like to see them catch more than a total of 10 passes, but still a descent day none the less.

Grade: C+ 

O-Line

The college football world got a chance to see how dominant this offensive line can be in last week's 9-6 win over Alabama.

This week, the competition might not have been nearly at the same level, but this offensive line was exceptional again, especially in the running game.

The offensive line paved the way for 291 yards on the ground, which is exceptional. The Tigers' 7.3 yards per carry average is even more impressive.

This O-Line is one word—special.

Grade: A+

D-Line

Sam Montgomery very well could be the best defensive lineman in the country who gets the least amount of credit for it.

Montgomery has led the young defensive line throughout this year, and this was another solid performance by the unit.

LSU held Western Kentucky to under 100 yards passing and under 130 yards rushing as a team.

Grade: B+

Linebackers

This linebacking core if young, but they have been solid all year as well, and this game was no exception.

Where this game has really been good has been in run stopping. 

Western Kentucky senior Bobby Rainey is one of the best running backs in the country. Playing at a small school, he doesn't get a ton of credit, but he will at some point. Don't be surprised if he is an NFL draft pick this spring.

With that said, LSU contained him well in this game. Rainey did rush for 85 yards, but that was on 28 carries, which is a measly average of three yards per carry.

Exceptional job by the improving group of linebackers.

Grade: A-

Secondary

Any time a secondary holds a team to under 100 passing yards, it is beyond impressive.

While the Tigers only forced one turnover in the game, an interception by sophomore linebacker Tahj Jones, this secondary was still tremendous.

Western Kentucky's leading receiver was tight end Jack Doyle. The team did not have an actual wide receiver catch more than one ball in this game.

That just speaks to how dominant the combination of Tyrann Mathieu and Mo Claiborne really are this season.

Grade: A-

Special Teams

Kicker Drew Alleman did not attempt a field goal.

Punter Brad Wing only punted twice in the game.

The Tigers had four punt returns for 48 yards, and two kickoff returns for 48 yards.

It's pretty tough to give the team a grade on special teams when their productivity was so limited, but it would be nice to see this return game break a big TD score sometime soon.

Grade: C 

Coaching

After a stellar coaching job in last week's 9-6 win over SEC foe Alabama, it must have been nice for Les Miles to take a deep breath in this game.

A ton of coaching wasn't needed against an opponent like Western Kentucky, but whatever coaching Miles did have to do, 42-9 sure looks good.

Grade: A

Intangibles

Near 93,000 fans were on hand to see the Tigers take on Western Kentucky in this non-league midseason matchup.

The main interesting note from this game is that Jordan Jefferson did start and played well in the new role. It will be very interesting to see if Jefferson maintains that starting gig now, or will it go back to Jarrett Lee.

LSU has two regular season games remaining. If they win those, they will play in the SEC title game. If they win that game, they should stamp their ticket to the BCS Championship Game.

Go Tigers.

Grade: A-