Saturday’s game was incredibly entertaining to watch, though things initially looked bleak for LSU football. South Carolina came out strong and quickly built a 17-0 lead in the second quarter. For a moment, it seemed like the Gamecocks were set to cruise to victory, but LSU managed to rally back.
The Tigers closed the first half impressively, scoring 16 points in the final 8:30, bringing the halftime score to 24-16. LSU carried that momentum into the second half, eventually taking a 29-24 lead in the fourth quarter. However, South Carolina responded with nine straight points to go up 33-29, but a late touchdown by LSU secured a 36-33 lead.
South Carolina had a chance to tie the game with a field goal on their final drive but missed, allowing LSU to escape with the win.
While it was a close game, LSU earned a gritty victory on Saturday. They should be proud, but they must address some key issues if they want to compete for an SEC title. Here are the primary concerns:
Slow Start
LSU can’t afford slow starts against the tougher teams on their schedule. While they outplayed South Carolina for most of the game, their sluggish performance in the first quarter and a half put them in a 17-0 hole, which nearly cost them the game. LSU needs to be better from the opening whistle moving forward.
Turnovers and Penalties
The Tigers also struggled with turnovers, which remains a concern. To compete with the top teams in the SEC, LSU needs to clean up the mistakes. Good teams don’t turn the ball over or rack up penalties, but LSU committed costly errors, including 75 penalty yards. This must be addressed.
Defense
Defense remains the biggest worry for LSU. So far, they haven’t shown enough to inspire confidence that they can contain the elite offenses in the SEC. If the Tigers don’t tighten up on defense, they could struggle when facing high-powered teams like Ole Miss and Alabama.
Despite the concerns, LSU fans should feel more relieved than worried after this win. It was a remarkable comeback on the road against a tough opponent. There are areas to improve, but it was an impressive victory for the Tigers.
Leave a Reply