re: I want some objective opinions.

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USC will be 9-3 or 8-4.

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USC will go 10-2, 11-1.

Only game on their schedule they MIGHT lose is Penn State. Michigan can’t handle what we saw from USC Sunday. ND sure as hell can’t.

That game Sunday was the best game so far this year.

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LSU will be favored over OM and will win on a huge night in BR.

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When did Peej have time to create an alter?

Are they capable of winning this year's National Championship, obviously not, but I think they will qualify for a decent bowl game by season's end.

The problem for many on these fan based boards is they expect perfection to be carried out week after week over a long season of a violent game being played against quality opposition.

Then take into account these games are being played by young men with an average age of about 23 and still in school with that distraction going on. It's not their job, it's an extra-curricular activity when all is said and done.

Who will be better? Bama? Ole miss?

Lincoln Riley has had a top 8 offense EVERY single year he's been a head coach. He had the #1 offense in the country in 2016 (as an OC), 2017, 2018. Since becoming a head coach, his offenses have ranked : #5, #3, #4, #8, #3, #1, #1.

I'll take bets that he has another top #10 offense this year. His offenses the past 2 years at USC have ranked significantly higher than anyone on our current schedule have had the past 2 years.

LSU's biggest problem (coaching) on offense was the expectation that the oline would be able to bully USC on run plays and the failure to adjust when they couldn't.

The oline was what lost the game. Failure in short yardage put too much pressure on a new QB. Nuss will get there, but he wasn't ready to carry the team in game 1.

The defense was improved and will get better each game. I was happy with their progress. Bo Davis is the real deal.

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Hurricane2020

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Great breakdown, agree with everything you posted


Hopefully Hilton coming back helps to open up the field and playbook because that was by far the most frustrating and concerning thing as the game went on, aside from the penalties and personal fouls which I assume will be run out of these guys this week.


All things considered I feel like it was a very productive offseason, the team was prepared and the stage wasn’t too big for them.

Honestly I wanted this game more than any other on the schedule. Not just because of 2003 but mostly for the Riley factor. It’s just one of those that was circled the moment the schedule came out so it was definitely a bitter pill to swallow.


But way too many on this board have lost their fricking minds, not to mention their nutsacks, over what was a very hard fought game against a team that was almost a carbon copy of ours. This game clearly was a toss up and yes I believe we should have won and let it slip away. But it is in no way an indictment of the team going forward and certainly not on the tenure of Kelly in Baton Rouge.

The kicking (not necessarily the punting) was fine but for the KO from 15 yards further back because of a dumb penalty. The defensive approach was worlds better than last year's debacle. LSU was aggressive. They hit the QB. They were in position to get at least 4 turnovers. Unfortunately, they didn't execute. The secondary still had their issues. But we knew that would be the case.

Nussmeier completed nearly 30 passes to 10 different WRs, en route to 300 yards passing. He wasn't sacked and threw 2 TDs. There was great concern he would put the ball at risk with some ill-advised passes. He didn't. He took what the defense gave him, but still hit some chunk plays.

USC made more of the big plays when they had to than LSU did. But watching that game with a clear head, there wasn't one spot where LSU was truly awful. The inability to run was frustrating. The penalties, particularly the dead ball personal fouls were infuriating. But those things are fixable. I'm not saying LSU is going to run the table from here on out, or even compete for a CFP spot. But there were aspects that looked promising. There are four winnable games over the next five weeks before a (likely) undefeated Ole Miss team comes to BR. If LSU can win those games, build on the good from Sunday and improve the bad, the USC game will be a distant memory that Saturday night in Baton Rouge.

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I'm gonna side with USC being very good

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The way their D played and the talent their offense has…of course they’re a good team. And unless Michigan or ND rapidly improves, I don’t see how they don’t at least get 10 wins.

Even with all the mistakes, I think the game was winnable with a rhythmic passing game in the 2nd half. That's where the strengths on the team are. The offensive line is good at pass blocking. The OL unit has thrived a lot in pass protection, not necessarily taking games over on the ground. The TEs weren't consistent in run blocking.
It just hasn't been the thing for these guys to dominate games by blocking for running backs. And that's a much different thing than blocking for a running QB who gained a lot of rushing yards on designed pass plays. There are players who have a lot of ability blocking in the run game, definitely. But as cohesive units, to take a game over doing that, that just wasn't their modus operandi with Jayden Daniels. This current unit of linemen have a lot more experience dominating in pass protection, so instead of being insistent on going to the run game in the first game of the season, play to the strengths with Nussmeier and the receivers and the tight ends in the passing game.
I understand the rationale of seeing an advantage with a talented OL, and wanting to go to that on the ground. But in the first game of the season, go back to what's more a strength the team has experience with if the running game isn't rolling.
The issues on defense are more personnel issues that go back to evaluations over the past few years. Baker has the guys on the roster to work with, and I think it was a good first game for him, all things considered.
Special teams was hurt by the celebration penalty. Zavion Thomas looks like he has some potential as a returner.

I’ve always been a LSU fan who could look at the team with an unbiased eye. This team has talent, they could be exciting to watch. But it all rides on our coaches to properly utilize it. There is a false notion that we have been lacking talent, that is absolute bullshite