John Emery Jr. – Page 10 – Syndication Server

Four takeaways from LSU’s 44-34 loss to Mississippi State

LSU had issues on both sides of the ball during Saturday’s 44-34 loss to Mississippi State. But Myles Brennan rebounded after a slow start.

The LSU Tigers took a heartbreaking 44-34 loss at home to the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday after not losing a single game for 672 days straight.

The loss to Mike Leach’s team ends the Tigers’ 16-game winning streak and it is the first season-opening loss since the Tigers lost to Wisconsin in 2016.

It’s clear the Tigers have much to work on moving forward, but should be able to get their feet under them against an easier opponent in the Vanderbilt Commodores next week.

Here are four takeaways from Saturday’s game.

1. QB Myles Brennan started slow, but improved.

Brennan, the Tigers’ junior quarterback, replaced Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow. Though he started slow, he showed improvement in the second half. In his first start as a Tiger, Brennan finished with three passing touchdowns and two interceptions.

Sure, this isn’t the offense from last season. That was evident early on during the game. The Tigers’ first five possessions ended in a three-and-out. But Brennan continued to remain calm and slowly progressed as the game went along.

But remember back to the opener against Miami in 2018, Burrow’s first game as a Tiger. He only passed for 140 yards that game. The time for Brennan to excel will come, but there is developing to do.

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LSU’s offensive keys to the game vs. Mississippi State

Here’s a look at what the LSU Tigers must accomplish on offense to defeat the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the season opener.

The LSU Tigers finally open the 2020 college football season on Saturday as the Mississippi State Bulldogs come to Baton Rouge. As the Tigers look to defend their national championship, they do so with a host of new starters on offense.

The Bulldogs could prove to be a tough matchup for LSU’s opener for a couple of reasons: quarterback K.J. Costello and new head coach Mike Leach and his high-powered Air-Raid offense.

That means the pressure will be on LSU’s new-look offense and quarterback Myles Brennan.

LSU had the nation’s top offense in 2019, led by Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow at quarterback, All-American wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and first-round picks Justin Jefferson and Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

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All of those players are gone, and the Tigers are also replacing four starters on the offensive line.

Here are two things LSU can do to in order to start the 2020 season 1-0.

Establish a running game

It sounds cliche. Everyone wants to establish the running game and then be able to move the ball through the air.

For LSU, running back is a position where the team has plenty of depth and talent.

Chris Curry, Tyrion Davis-Price and John Emery should all see plenty of time on Saturday. If say Curry starts out hot, the Tigers and offensive coordinator Steve Ensinger should go with the hot hand.

It’s important for the Tigers to try and run the ball early to ease Brennan into the game.

Mississippi State allowed opponents to rush for over 152 yards per game one year ago and allowed 4.4 yards per attempt. The Bulldogs will have several new starters on defense, including a new defensive coordinator in Zach Arnett.

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