Tigers Look to Change Question Marks into Exclamation Points

Momentum is riding high here in Death Valley. It seems like something has been in the air since the moment Joe Burrow stepped on campus. After nearly 7 years full of letdown and dismal quarterback play, 2018 has brought a year of promise. It didn’t start that way though. On national television, the College GameDay crew unanimously selected Miami to beat LSU. Some people thought that game was going to effectively end our season, but truly that is when our season began.

After shocking the doubters with a thrashing of 8th ranked Miami, SE Louisiana, and a thrilling victory over 6th ranked Auburn, this season has been given an unprecedented level of excitement since our national championship appearance in 2011.

Why bring all this up?

Because this might be the best LSU team since 2011 and, even saying that, this team still has some room to grow. That should excite us Bayou Bengals. The biggest question mark is Joe Burrow, and Burrow has played extremely well, especially in comparison to recent Tiger quarterback play. His stats do show there is room for improvement but they are also extremely misleading. According to SBNation.com, Burrow is 36 for 78 (46.1%!!) with only 3 touchdowns. A home game against Louisiana Tech should help him find an improved rhythm and even maybe a higher grasping of the playbook. Whether or not he can grow as an overall statistical player might just define this season, and it all starts this weekend. If he gets hot now, develops a more solid chemistry with his receivers, then there is no doubt the ceiling is high. Most people do forget he didn’t arrive until early May, which is after the spring game and spring practices.

Other than Burrow, any other question marks about the LSU season has been answered. We know our backfield has been solidified with a definite starter in Nick Brossette. We know the defense looks maybe as stingy and aggressive as it’s been in years. We know the special teams are solid, thanks to Cole Tracy and Assumption College. We know this team has heart and one of the most fun to watch coaches in College Football. There isn’t much that can stop that combination, especially when it all gels together this early in the season. Going in to Week 4 against a rowdy LA Tech, there are plenty of people saying “#6 LSU?”, but with a strong showing, much more people will be saying “#6 LSU!”.