The LSU Tigers have suffered their first loss of the season. After several games of the defense willing the team to victory despite poor offensive performances, the Tigers' lack of offense finally caught up to them.
Fourth-ranked LSU fell to 13th-ranked Ole Miss by a score of 24-19 on Saturday afternoon, and there are several causes for concern for Brian Kelly's team. Most notably, the offensive woes contine to be a glaring issue as Garrett Nussmeier and company simply hung the defense out to dry against the Rebels.
LSU's offensive woes continue against Ole Miss
The Tiger offense put the LSU defense in tough spots all game long yet again. Ole Miss controlled time of possession 32:22-27:38, but it really didn't feel that close. The Rebels controlled the clock and kept the Tiger defense on the field in big spots. On the day, Ole Miss went a strong 8-for-16 on third down and was 2-for-2 on fourth down. Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss picked up a massive fourth down conversion to ice the game in the final minute.
The offense was hard to watch for most of the game, which ultimately was the difference. The Tigers simply couldn't sustain drives, which kept the defense on the field way too much and had them gassed down the stretch. The defense kept them in it, and if it wasn't for an AJ Haulcy punchout in the end zone, Ole Miss would have held an even bigger lead.
Unfortunately, it was more of the same for the LSU offense against Ole Miss in Week 5. The running game couldn't get going, the passing game lacked a vertical element, Nussmeier was inaccurate, and the Tigers struggled on third down. Not much that Joe Sloan dialed up was effective, which led to fans roasting him on social media all game long. A lack of a vertical threat made LSU's play-calling extremely predictable. Ole Miss wasn't fooled at all, and the Rebels were able to easily keep everything in front of them.
The offensive line struggled all game long. Ole Miss was regularly getting pressure on Nussmeier with just three pass-rushers, which is inexcusable. Nussmeier was sacked just once, but he was under duress earl and often. LSU managed just 254 yards of total offense in the game, and ran for just 57 yards. The Tigers also went a measly 2-for-11 on third down. It didn't help that LSU lost leading receiver Aaron Anderson and starting guard Paul Mubenga to injuries in the contest.
In four games against FBS opponents, LSU has averaged just 19.75 points per game. That is simply not going to cut it. The offensive struggles have let the defense down, and if LSU is going to get things back on track, improvements are needed. The Tigers enter a bye week now, and hopefully that brings time to get the offense sorted out.