"Hello darkness, my old friend. I've come to talk with you
again…"
The opening lines to Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence"
always seem to creep back into my thoughts following a tough sports loss, providing
a soundtrack to the despair overwhelming my soul on Saturday and Sunday nights.
Except, instead of taking a
tranquilizer dart to the neck, falling in a pool, and being rescued by
Stifler with a mullet, I wake up to the realization that the Tigers and Saints
may not have the "magic" this season.
The thought of LSU and the Saints reverting to mediocrity is
frightening, and early in this season, both fanbases have seen glimpses of what
might be around the corner.
The fairytale season is officially over in Baton Rouge, and
the Tigers were dealt a harsh reality check by Mike Leach and the Mississippi
State Bulldogs, losing 44-34 in Death Valley.
After back-to-back losses, the Saints are off to their first
1-2 start since the 2017 season.
Neither team can be labeled a dumpster fire this early in the
year, but both performances belong in the garbage.
As we await a fresh weekend of potential wins, take solace
in your team's past accomplishments. In honor of all the fond memories former
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow and a younger version of Brees have brought their
fanbases, here are nine thoughts following the Tigers and Saints losses.
1.
New faces everywhere. If you had to check the
roster more than once while watching LSU's opening game, you are not alone. LSU
replaced 17 starters from last season, including its quarterback, and the new-look
Tigers proved to be as young or inexperienced as we all feared this offseason.
2.
Bo Pelini's return was abysmal. LSU's new defensive
coordinator, back for a second stint in Baton Rouge, received high praise from
Coach Ed Orgeron all summer. Then the ball was snapped on Saturday, and the
Tigers surrendered a single-game SEC record of 623 passing yards and five
touchdowns to Mississippi State quarterback K.J. Costello. How many times did
the secondary need to get torched by Bulldog receivers before he altered his
strategy? The lack of in-game defensive adjustments was mind-boggling.
3.
The secondary was a wreck. The absence of
all-world cornerback Derek Stingley was noticeable, but the sophomore star of
DBU would not have been able to cover every Bulldog receiver himself. Instead,
the Tigers utilized inexperienced players like Darren Evans, a Nicholls State
graduate transfer who recently joined the team; sophomore Jay Ward, who missed
two weeks of practice in camp; and true freshman Elias Ricks—who probably had
the best game of the three. Sure, Stingley's presence is a difference-maker,
but Costello would have still exploited the inexperienced corners.
4.
Myles Brennan looked overwhelmed. The junior
quarterback was rattled, struggled to convert on third downs, and took entirely
too many sacks. Statistically, his first start was one of the best performances
by an LSU quarterback, and on most days could have won the Tigers the game.
Unfortunately, his first start came in front of barely a quarter of a normal
Tiger Stadium crowd, with teammates who were mostly just as inexperienced as he
is, against a nightmare matchup for his defense. Brennan has the physical tools
to succeed, but we'll find out soon if he has the mental makeup to be a true
leader in the Southeastern Conference.
5.
End-of-game clock management was awful. Down 10
points, the Tigers got the ball in the fourth quarter with three and a half
minutes left. Brennan led the Tigers down the field, and with a little over a
minute left on the game clock, had the offense in field-goal range. With LSU down
two scores, logic would dictate that a team should kick a field goal, save a
timeout, then try to recover a miracle onside kick so your offense can go and try
to tie the score. It's a longshot, but at least it's a shot. Orgeron ignored
logic and opted to keep trying for a touchdown, despite his team being in field-goal
range for the last few plays of the game. Based on his strategy, it felt like
Orgeron was conceding the game instead of going for the win, which is
uncharacteristic and disappointing.
6.
The Saints' defense needs to wake up. After an
impressive opening win against the Buccaneers, the New Orleans defense was
torched for a second straight game. Big plays, short plays, long drives, quick
scores—you name it, and the Saints defense is allowing it. The Saints can't
generate a consistent pass rush, and Cam Jordan has no sacks through three
games, putting too much pressure on the secondary to hold coverage. Sunday
night, the secondary made second-year Packers receiver Allen Lazard look like a
Pro Bowler, the way he torched the Saints' defensive backs. It's one thing to
get caught napping by the Raiders, but the Packers were 13-3 last season and
nabbed a first-round playoff bye from the Saints. If that doesn't get a team
hyped up, what will?
7.
The Alvin Kamara show rolls on. The Saints
squandered a brilliant 197-yard, two-touchdown performance by Kamara, including
an incredibly elusive
52-yard catch and run in the third quarter. It was the type of play that
would have blown the roof off of the Superdome. The fourth-year running back is
doing everything possible to will his offense to victory while fellow superstar
Michael Thomas recovers from injury, but he only touched the ball 19 times
against Green Bay. Kamara is one of the most dynamic playmakers in the NFL;
feed him.
8.
Run the ball. As Kamara's night was heating up,
fellow running back Latavius Murray began to have the makings of a solid night
on the ground with a couple of bruising runs for—or near—first downs on the
second drive. Murray ended the night with 12 carries for 58 yards, but early on,
it felt like a bigger game was in play for him. If the Saints will not throw
the ball downfield, they should run the ball more than 20 times and give Murray
some more snaps in the backfield.
9.
Penalties! Penalties! Penalties! This is
a recurring theme for the Saints, who, for three straight games, keep hurting
themselves by committing preventable penalties. The team's lack of discipline
is costing them games, and it's something that has to be cleaned up if they are
to succeed this season. The Packers had two penalties for 10 yards on Sunday
night. It can be done.
Kudos
Shoutouts to other players and teams that caught my eye in
the rest of the football world.
- The Ragin' Cajuns did it again!
Louisiana-Lafayette improved to 3-0 behind the leg of Nate Snyder, who kicked a
53-yard field goal as time expired to notch a 20-18 win over Georgia Southern.
The Cajuns are living dangerously, but it's fun to watch.
- After blowing a large lead last week, Tulane
bounced back in big way last weekend, thrashing Southern Mississippi 66-24.
Roll wave!
- Justin Jefferson had a day! The former LSU wide
receiver had a coming-out party in his third game as a Minnesota Viking,
grabbing seven balls for 175 yards, while dancing his way into the end
zone for his first professional touchdown.
Andrew Alexander is a contributing writer, football fan
and unofficial President of the Arch Manning Fan Club. Follow him on Twitter at @TheOtherAA
and listen to the Krewe du
Drew podcast.
