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.
Special teams
Brian Polian, much like Boutte, was subject to intense criticism from anybody who watched the Tigers’ opening game. Overall, following two muffed punts, a blocked field goal, a blocked point after attempt and a couple of other special teams woes, the anger was justified. Polian’s unit didn’t look anywhere near prepared for the season when it took the field against Florida State a couple of weeks ago. Plain and simple.
Poor execution on the special teams front ended up dropping LSU to 0-1 on the season. A handful of the mistakes were inexcusable and it was hard to believe Polian was the only coordinator to venture with Kelly to the Louisiana capital. Some were even calling for his job.
For those who didn’t have the chance to watch the season opener, that’s how bad special teams were against the Seminoles. This meant that all eyes were on the special teams groups heading into Saturday night’s game against Southern.
The Tigers eased the tension toward the special teams from the opening whistle. When Southern kick returner Reginald King fielded Damian Ramos’ opening kickoff and tried to return it, he was quickly met by the aforementioned Hilton Jr. The wide receiver jarred the ball loose before veteran linebacker Micah Baskerville promptly scooped it up. This huge play set the tone for how LSU would play—especially on special teams—for the remainder of the game.
Special teams rebounded flawlessly on the evening. The Tigers made all nine of their PATs (eight by Ramos, one by Trey Finison) and only punted twice. They held onto the ball on both kick and punt returns too. It won’t show up with anything flashy on a stat sheet, but LSU also defended each return by the Jaguars extremely well.
It was a refreshing all-around performance from a unit that struggled across the board the week prior. Special teams jobs aren’t sexy, they are necessary to win games though. Kelly and Polian know this as well as anybody in the country, which is why an excellent night against Southern was absolutely imperative to the team’s success going forward.
Armoni Goodwin (RB)
It’s no secret that LSU had an abundance of mishaps everywhere against Florida State. All of those mistakes aside, the Tigers just didn’t look like themselves—or an SEC football team for that matter—during their game at the Caesars Superdome. Key areas where SEC teams usually beat their opponents, such as in the trenches or on the ground, were lost to the Seminoles. LSU looked overpowered, defeated and hopeless for a majority of the game in New Orleans.
One of the key areas that the Tigers needed to improve in was the running game. This wasn’t because the running back committee looked bad or messed up against Florida State, they were just underutilized by Denbrock and his offense. LSU needed to get its ground game going against the Jaguars or it’d risk making life harder for Daniels going forward.
Luckily, everybody in Death Valley knew this.
A new-look offensive line was able to get a lot more push against Southern. The FCS opponent had no answer for LSU’s offensive line as it had its way with the Jaguars’ defenders all night. The biggest beneficiary of this dominance in the trenches was Armoni Goodwin.
The Sophomore from Birmingham, Alabama had a career day on Saturday as he took over as the lead back for the Tigers. That is at least until John Emery Jr. is back up to speed following a two-game suspension carried over from last season. Goodwin carried the ball 12 times for a total of 85 yards and two touchdowns (the first of his collegiate career) against the Jaguars. He put on an impressive show and possibly even jumped Noah Cain on the depth chart.
The Southern game acted as Goodwin’s coming out party. He showed the Tiger Stadium crowd what a 5-foot-8 frame could do with the ball in his hands as he barreled through defenders left and right. There always seems to be a sleeper candidate that emerges from the rubble that is LSU’s backfield, Goodwin seems to be that individual in 2022.
Goodwin’s emergence also helped to prove that the Tigers actually can run the rock quite well. Despite some early concerns, the LSU offense looks to be putting together a pretty lethal attack both on the ground and through the air—opponents beware.