LSU Football: Rivals analyst explains why Tigers should be feeling positive
By Zach Ragan
LSU football had an up-and-down 2020 season that included some extremely low moments.
The Tigers’ season got off to a dreadful start thanks to a 34-24 loss to Mississippi State in Baton Rouge.
After the loss to the Bulldogs, it was clear that LSU was in for a tough season.
In the following weeks, the Tigers suffered tough losses to Missouri, Auburn, and Texas A&M.
But despite the tough start to the season, LSU was able to finish on a high note.
The biggest reason to feel positive about LSU football in 2021
With two games left in the 2020 season, the Tigers had a 3-5 record with games remaining against No. 6 Florida and Ole Miss (the Rebels had one of the top-performing offenses in college football in 2020).
The program was also dealing with key late-season opt outs (Arik Gilbert and Terrace Marshall Jr).
A 3-7 season was looking likely.
LSU, however, was able to come together as a team and finish the season with two straight wins.
A big reason the Tigers were able to beat Florida and Ole Miss?
The young talent on the roster.
“We saw it in the win against Florida at the end of the season that this team has a ton of young talent,” explained Rivals recruiting analyst Mike Farrell this week. ‘Be it Kayshon Boutte on offense or Elias Ricks and B.J. Ojulari on defense, new leaders have emerged.”
I’ve said before that the 2020 season served as a “buffer” season between the 2019 national championship team and the next great version of LSU.
Farrell’s comments seemingly confirm that thought process.
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Talent has never been an issue for LSU. But when a program loses 14 players to the NFL draft (as the Tigers did after the 2019 season), then a mini-rebuild is almost always necessary.