LSU Plays Survivor in 21-19 Win over Mississippi State
By Scotty Nola
Bright Spot: LSU’s O-Line Opened up Big Holes in the Running Game
Sep 12, 2015; Starkville, MS, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) is defended by Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive lineman Nick James (88) during the first quarter at Davis Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
The running game worked and worked well for most of the night. Led by Leonard Fournette’s 159 yard 3 touchdown game the Tigers ran the ball well for most of the game. They got 266 yards total rushing in the game, an excellent performance on the road in one of the toughest (and most cowbell infested) stadiums in the SEC.
Leonard Fournette placed himself squarely in the Heisman conversation tonight. He was a one man wrecking crew at times, dragging gang tackles with him to generate positive yards and making highlight reel type plays.
Cause For Concern: LSU Inconsistent Line Play
As good as the O-Line often was opening up running lanes for LSU’s backs they were plagued by costly mistakes and disappeared in some critical moments.
Travin Dural had two touchdowns called back in the game, one on a 90 yard end around, another on a perfectly thrown deep strike from Brandon Harris.
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Everyone on the line struggled at points in the game, no one worse than Josh Boutte. Boutte had been praised throughout the spring and summer practices for his physically dominant performances but he was plagued by errors when it really counted tonight.
LSU’s coaches had seen enough of Boutte by halftime and pulled him from the game, plugging in Maea Teuhama at Left Guard and moving Will Clapp over to the Right Guard position Boutte had vacated.
Teuhama played well, but the line in this configuration featuring two true freshman Guards wasn’t as dominant and the offense slowed it’s pace noticeably.
Next: A Fast Start -- and a Dreadful Finish