History meets history Saturday night in Tiger Stadium, as LSU closes the 100th anniversary season of its legendary home venue with a first-ever visit from the Oklahoma Sooners.
We know where LSU football has been over the past 100 years. Four national championships, three Heisman winners, 12 Southeastern Conference championships and somewhere in December or January the program’s 56th postseason appearance, tied for the sixth-most ever.
Where LSU football is going seems less clear. In a year when the College Football Playoff has expanded to 12 teams and the college football landscape is devoid of a truly great team leading the way, LSU under third-year coach Brian Kelly has missed an opportunity to advance the program. Yes there has been success over these past three seasons — 27 wins, an SEC West title and a Heisman Trophy for Jayden Daniels. But there are also questions about where LSU fits in to the new NIL/transfer portal landscape and its potential to remain nationally relevant amid the new and expensive challenges on the recruiting trail.
For certain, LSU has lost some of its identity of late. These are four areas where Kelly, his staff and future players need to work to get it back:
1. Play sound defense.
The school that gave college football the Chinese Bandits, the Honey Badger and was worthy of the label “DBU” has lost a step when it comes to making a stop. While the 2024 LSU defense is better than the sieve-like unit of 2023, the Tigers still give up way too many chunk plays. Still have way too many defenders out of position. Still appear in key areas to be operating at a talent deficit. That has unfortunately become LSU’s identity under not one but two of Kelly’s defensive coordiantors: Matt House and Blake Baker. The Tigers are never going anywhere close to the good old days of, say, 1959, when LSU allowed just 2.9 points per game. College offenses have become far too sophisticated for that. But the Tigers can get better at playing tough, physical, three-and-out defense. That will require better players and better scheming.
2. Run the dang ball.
LSU’s antiquated offense in the Les Miles era was an easy mark for criticism. But say this for The Hat: his “three yards and a cloud of dust” approach usually led to teams that could run the ball effectively, even when defenses stacked the box against them. LSU’s run blocking has been poor, and doesn’t figure to get better Saturday against an Oklahoma team allowing 2.85 yards per carry. But the Tigers absolutely must get back to era when they could run the ball when they absolutely had to run it. That means better blocking, better scheming from Joe Sloan (or whoever will be calling LSU’s plays in future) and a deeper pool of talented running backs.
