LSU football: Which players earned their stripes against SU?
LSU football improved its record to 1-1 on the season with a 65-17 demolition job of Southern. The result was never in question, but the atmosphere was still special as the two Baton Rouge staples came together for the first time in their histories. The Tigers were excellent on the evening, as many expected them to be, following a disappointing loss the week before to Florida State in the Allstate Louisiana Kickoff.
It was a near perfect evening from beginning to end—with only a couple of minor hiccups in between—on Saturday as the Bayou Bengals defeated their cross-town foes. LSU set a program record for points in a first quarter with 37, so the game was wrapped up from the start. Brian Kelly then turned to his second and third-string players to finish the job.
Which LSU football players earned their stripes against Southern?
This contest (really, the first quarter) provided the Tigers with an opportunity to right their wrongs from the season’s opening weekend. Suffice it to say, they did so … and then some. Nearly every player in purple and gold was superb in the game against Southern. However, it’s our job to highlight a handful of individuals who stood out on the night.
Here are “three” LSU players who earned their stripes in the win over the Jaguars:
Kayshon Boutte (WR)
If it hadn’t been for fellow wide receiver Malik Nabers muffing two punt returns against the Seminoles, Kayshon Boutte would’ve been the punching bag for some “fans”* in the opener. He drastically underperformed Week 1. The Tigers struggled to get the passing game going as a whole against Florida State, it wasn’t just on Boutte.
Nevertheless, anybody who has watched the talented receiver put on an LSU uniform before knew that he was going to quickly bounce back from a disappointing performance. It didn’t take him long to get involved against Southern with Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock choosing to get the ball to him on the opening drive. That’s not to say the coaching staff forced Daniels to get him the ball either, Kelly and Denbrock got a bit creative in the opening period.
By the time he came off the field, Boutte racked up nearly 100 all-purpose yards. He caught a joint-team high five passes (alongside Chris Hilton Jr.) for 42 yards and even tacked on a rush that saw him add on 41 yards to his total.
Hopefully this is only the beginning of things to come for Boutte, who is an incredibly important piece going forward for LSU. After that big performance, is it too much to ask Tigers fans to quit questioning his commitment to the university at this point? Boutte isn’t going anywhere and Kelly’s team is much better because of that reality.
*- Stop verbally abusing college student athletes. It’s weird and wrong—don’t do it.