4 things LSU needs to fix if it wants to be a playoff team

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – OCTOBER 26: Head coach Brian Kelly of the LSU Tigers watches on the sideline in the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field on October 26, 2024 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

LSU is headed into the bye week on a sour note. After winning six in a row, the Tigers dropped one by a score of 38-23 at Texas A&M. LSU was in control in the first half, but a failure to put Texas A&M away allowed the Aggies to get back in it.

Once A&M was back in it, it took control. Marcel Reed and the A&M backfield ran all over LSU in the second half and the Aggies finished the game on a 31-6 run.

After the game, linebacker Greg Penn III said LSU wasn’t prepared for Reed entering the game. Texas A&M completed eight passes all night, but it didn’t matter. A&M ran it 46 times for 245 yards and five touchdowns.

On the offensive side of the ball, LSU struggled to get its own run game moving. LSU ran it 22 times for 25 yards — one of the worst rushing performances in program history.

That sits atop the list of needed fixes as LSU enters the bye week. Let’s jump right in and take a look.

LSU needs a run game

We’ve talked about it all year, but LSU needs a run game. It was an issue in the opening loss to USC, outside of a few bursts from John Emery Jr. More red flags were raised when LSU failed to get a consistent push vs. FCS Nicholls.

Then true freshman Caden Durham began to inject life into LSU’s ground game. Durham ran it 11 times for 98 yards in the win over South Carolina. A few weeks later vs. South Alabama, he toted it seven times for 128 yards. He crossed the 100 mark again at Arkansas.

But on Saturday, Durham was quiet. He caught four passes for 56 yards, but he was a nonfactor on the ground. Josh Williams didn’t add much either, running it seven times for 23 yards.

Both…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/4-things-lsu-needs-fix-180548187.html

Author : LSU Tigers Wire

Publish date : 2024-10-28 18:05:48

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.