Before turning the page to Ole Miss the rest of the week, let’s take one last look at the game this past Saturday with the LSU Tigers getting a 56-10 win over the Southeastern Lions. Although many would believe that there is nothing much to take away from beating an inferior opponent, there are some interesting things to take note of as LSU enters a heavy SEC gauntlet.
1. Garrett Nussmeier Looks Healthy and Back To His Normal Self:
When it was reported earlier last week that Garrett Nussmeier was dealing with a torso injury, many people were wondering how healthy Nussmeier is and if it explains the offense’s underwhelming starter. With the injury concerns, there were people hinting that Nussmeier should sit out the game against Southeastern, but Brian Kelly insisted that he was going to start the game against Southeastern as he is on the back end of the injury. Nussmeier showed that he was indeed on the backend of dealing with the torso injury and looked like the highly praised quarterback at the beginning of the pre-season. If it was not for a couple of dropped passes, Nussmeier could have posted a nearly perfect stat line completing 25 of 31 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns while also having a rushing touchdown. It is not just the stat line that looked good, but Nussmeier was sharp and crisp with his passes including his last touchdown pass when he rolled to his left, threw across his body, and fired a perfect touchdown strike to Zavion Thomas.
“You look at the efficiency in which he threw the football and seeing the field. Whether they were a step behind or not, it is still recognition and feeling comfortable out there. You could notice a higher level of comfort in terms of throwing the ball as well as running the ball. Though we outmatched our opponent, it still requires the technical development that we haven’t seen and now that he is healthy, he can do a lot more.”
LSU HC Brian Kelly on Garrett Nussmeier
2. Ju’Juan Johnson Could Emerge As LSU’s RB1:
As each week is passing by, it is looking more and more like that converted running back Ju’Juan Johnson could be the Tigers’ best option in the backfield. The former record-breaking quarterback from Lafayette Christian Academy has been having an interesting career to this point at LSU originally playing on defense in the secondary, moving to quarterback in the spring, and then moving to running back this fall. Johnson’s versatility and athletic ability have made the transition ultimately pretty smooth to running back becoming a reliable pass catcher out of the backfield while also having the physicality and quickness to run the ball in between the tackles. Johnson is coming off the best game of his LSU career to this point by rushing for 43 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. With Johnson’s emergence and also with Caden Durham being day to day with an ankle injury, it could be Johnson that gets the RB1 carries moving forward for the Tigers.
“I think he sees the game very well. I believe his natural instincts took over at that position. We are very impressed with the way he played along with the catches and runs he made. He is a very good football player for us, and we knew that about him coming out of high school in terms of what he can do, and we saw a glimpse of that tonight.”
LSU HC Brian Kelly on Ju’Juan Johnson
3. Michael Van Buren Jr. Has Cemented Himself As QB2
Going into the season, fans were questioning what the future at the quarterback position will look like after Garrett Nussmeier leaves and the answer may come on the current roster as Mississippi State transfer Michael Van Buren Jr. looked incredibly sharp in his first action as a Tiger. Like Nussmeier, Van Buren was nearly flawless completing 10 of 12 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown pass to Kyle Parker while also adding 16 yards and another touchdown on the ground. It was a great debut for Van Buren who definitely separated himself as QB2 from Colin Hurley with that performance and showed the coaching staff that he is capable of coming in when needed.
“I was pleased with Mike tonight. He ran the offense with good tempo and balance. The ball came out on time. From my perspective, for a kid that didn’t get a lot of playing time since last year, I thought he came in and you can see the talent that we have at the position.”
LSU HC Brian Kelly on Michael Van Buren Jr.’s performance
4. Defensive End Depth Emerges After Gabriel Reliford’s Injury:
LSU’s defense continues their impressive start to the season with another dominating performance by shutting out the Lions in the first half and giving up 30 yards of total offense by the first team defense. The Tigers’ did lose Gabriel Reliford during the game with a shoulder injury, but the depth of the defensive line flourished. Nebraska transfer Jimari Butler had a quarterback pressure and a batted down pass. Former St. Amant product Dylan Carpenter lodged a sack and freshman Damien Shanklin even finished the game with two sacks. It is unclear how long Reliford will be unavailable and if surgery would be needed on his shoulder, but what is clear is that there are plenty of options to fill in for the former Evangel Christian Academy star with starters Patrick Payton and Jack Pyburn getting most of the reps with Butler, Carpenter, CJ Jackson, Kolaj Cobbins, and Shanklin filling in behind them.
“I think we played pretty good in the first half. Still some things we can clean up as far as the small little details, but I’m proud of the guys and I’m excited with the way that we played and the way Coach Baker dialed us up.”
LSU LB Whit Weeks
5. The Win Shows The Best Version Of What This LSU Team Can Be:
Through four games of the season, you pretty much know what you are, and it is sure looking like the identity of this team is going to be a dominant defense that the team will lean on led by a veteran quarterback and talented pass receivers. Now, obviously, the Tigers won’t win many games the rest of the way 56-10 given the incredibly tough schedule the rest of the way, but the best version of this team was shown this past Saturday. If the Tigers want to continue their path to competing for a SEC championship and a College Football berth, the defense needs to continue what they are doing and if they can get that same level of efficiency in the passing game from Nussmeier, it makes this LSU team one of the most dangerous in college football.
“We have a standard of the way we want to play, and I believe we upheld that standard. There wasn’t perfection out there, but there was definitely progress, and we made the progress we were looking for. Now, we have to build on that as we go on the road against a very good Ole Miss team.”
LSU HC Brian Kelly
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