Tag: John Emery Jr.

Five takeaways from LSU’s blowout loss to Alabama

LSU’s defense was an embarrassment against one of the top offenses in the country, but there were a couple of positive spins to observe too.

LSU had a rough outing on their home field on Saturday night against No. 1 Alabama. The Crimson Tide scored the third-largest blowout in series history against LSU with a 55-17 win against the Tigers, thus clinching their spot in the SEC Championship Game. But was it as bad as the score would indicate for LSU?

Well, yeah. It was pretty bad. Here are five observations from the game as LSU begins to come down the final stretch of its 2020 season.

How much blame goes to Bo Pelini?

Alabama scored touchdowns on each of their first five offensive possessions in the first half. Giving up 35 points on your first five defensive series is troubling for any team. This is especially the case for one of the highest-paid defensive coordinator who has come under plenty of fire as the season has progressed. It will be easy to pile on defensive coordinator Bo Pelini this week following this performance against Alabama, but considering the Crimson Tide do this to every opponent, should Pelini be taking any more criticism than he typically has this year?

Yes, probably.

Alabama has an absolutely loaded offense. There is no mistake about that. And LSU’s defense does not have the kind of depth it typically does for a variety of reasons. But this is still LSU, and the defense was an embarrassment from the start of the game against the team that typically stands in LSU’s way in the division. On your home field. This was not a good look for Pelini.

TJ Finley avoided crucial mistakes

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron chewed into young starting quarterback TJ Finley last week following an ill-advised pass that wound up going for a Texas A&M touchdown in the second half. Againats Alabama, Finley remained the starting quarterback and he avoided making similar mistakes. Finley didn’t have an overly impressive night in the box score, but he didn’t make the kind of mistake that would lead to an easy Alabama score (as if Alabama needed the help). And perhaps if LSU decided to let Finley pick up an early first down on the first offensive series of the game, things could have turned out at least a little bit different.

John Emery Jr. brought some juice to the running game

LSU’s rushing attack was virtually non-existent a week ago against a stingy Texas A&M defense. The running game wasn’t able to be a major factor against Alabama as the game got away from LSU early, but there were some positive moments from running back John Emery Jr. Emery Jr. led the Tigers with 79 rushing yards and a touchdown. He did so on seven rushing attempts, averaging 11.3 yards per rushing attempt. But 54 of those yards came on one play.

DeVonta Smith enjoyed a return to Louisiana

It always stings when one of the top high school players in Louisiana decides to head to Alabama. On Saturday night, wid receiver DeVonta Smith returned to the state to pour some salt on the recruiting wound. Smith caught eight passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns for quite a night to add to his personal highlight reel.

And you can’t quite blame LSU for not preparing to face Smith. Head coach Ed Orgeron said it was stressed in the defensive game plan. It just didn’t work.

Alabama is just in a class of their own

As much as LSU would like to think they are on the same level as Alabama, especially after last season, the reality is they just are not. Alabama has won nine out of the last 10 meetings in the series. Six of Alabama’s last seven wins against LSU have been decided by double-digits. The 2019 result was certainly the exception to the rule during LSU’s historic season.

This 2020 matchup will be tough to prove the gap is closing between the two programs. In fact, it could do more damage in suggesting the gap has widened in favor of Alabama more than it ever has before.

There is something to be said about getting your first taste of a big game like this one. And if LSU got all of the lumps out of the way for its youngest players against Alabama, LSU can only hope that leads to a much more competitive game when these teams are scheduled to square off again in 2021.

What does LSU football’s bowl game history look like over the past 20 years?

Report Card: Grading LSU’s win against Arkansas

LSU looked confident in all areas of the game in a road victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday.

After a couple of weeks off for one reason or another, LSU got back in the win column on Saturday with a 27-24 win at Arkansas. The win featured a fourth-quarter rally and a defensive stand to protect the lead.

The win evened LSU’s record at 3-3 as a season of ups and downs continued. Overall, this was a fairly positive game without much reason to criticize any particular group. This was a stark contrast from our last report card following LSU’s blowout loss to Auburn.

Let’s dig into this latest progress report on the Tigers.

Quarterback: B

TJ Finley started his third game for the Tigers, and he was much closer to his South Carolina performance than his dreadful outing against Auburn. That was very good news for LSU. Finley passed for 271 yards and two touchdowns without an interception thrown. The ability to protect the football was essential in a tight game like this, and seeing him look much more comfortable was an encouraging sign after Auburn really roughed him up a few weeks ago.

Finley also added 15 rushing yards to the game, but the ground game was in good hands as well.

NEXT: Running Backs

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LSU remains out of AP Top 25 Poll for Week 10

LSU lost at Auburn, 48-11 on Saturday and fell to 2-3 on the season.

LSU suffered a 48-11 loss at Auburn on Saturday and moved to 2-3 on the year.

The Tigers have a bye next week before hosting Alabama on November 14.

LSU allowed 506 total yards of offense to Auburn and only gained 32 rushing yards with its own offense. John Emery Jr. led the Tigers in rushing with just 21 yards gained on nine carries.

Freshman tight end Arik Gilbert led the team in receiving with 55 yards on six receptions.

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TJ Finley started the game at quarterback for the Tigers and went 13-of-24 for 143 yards and two interceptions. He was benched for fellow freshman Max Johnson who went 15-of-24 for 172 yards and a touchdown.

LSU’s defense had a challenge stopping Auburn quarterback Bo Nix who went 18-of-24 for 300 yards and three passing touchdowns.

LSU gave up 206 total rushing yards to Auburn. The Tigers also committed three turnovers, with two interceptions and a fumble.

The loss keeps the Tigers out of the AP Poll for the fourth straight week. The last time LSU was listed in the AP Top 25 was after a 41-7 win over Vanderbilt following week two of the SEC season.

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The SEC has five teams ranked in the Week 10 AP Poll. Auburn moved back into the rankings after the win over the Tigers which improved its record to 4-2 on the season.

Here is the updated AP Poll after 10 weeks of college football.

  1.  Clemson (7-0)
  2. Alabama (6-0)
  3. Ohio State (2-0)
  4. Notre Dame (6-0)
  5. Georgia (4-1)
  6. Cincinnati (5-0)
  7. Texas A&M (4-1)
  8. Florida (3-1)
  9. BYU (7-0)
  10. Wisconsin (1-0)
  11. Miami  (5-1)
  12. Oregon (0-0)
  13. Indiana (2-0)
  14. Oklahoma State (4-1)
  15. Coastal Carolina (6-0)
  16. Marshall (5-0)
  17. Iowa State (4-2)
  18. SMU (6-1)
  19. Oklahoma (4-2)
  20. USC (0-0)
  21. Boise State (2-0)
  22. Texas (4-2)
  23. Michigan (1-1)
  24. Auburn (4-2)
  25. Liberty (6-0)

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LSU’s offensive keys to the game against Missouri

As No. 17 LSU heads to Columbia, the offense must continue its success to defeat Missouri.

The No. 17 LSU Tigers are riding a one-game winning streak heading into Saturday’s tilt with the 0-2 Missouri Tigers.

Running back John Emery Jr. had a solid outing last week against Vanderbilt as he rushed for 103 yards and one touchdown in his first start of the season.

Redshirt junior quarterback Myles Brennan is beginning to find his rhythm after having a shaky game in the season opener.

As the Tigers head to Columbia for the first time ever, here are the keys to the game for the LSU offense.

Brennan has to continue the upward trek

Last week against Vanderbilt, Myles Brennan went 23-of-37 for 337 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. He has thrown at least one pick in the Tigers’ two games this year.

Despite the interceptions, the LSU junior signal-caller looked much improved last week. Missouri is allowing 246.5 passing yards per game. Brennan is averaging 341 passing yards per game so far.

For the Tigers offense to have a successful game, the Tigers’ junior leader has to continue the upward trek he started last week.

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Offensive, Defensive Players of the Week from LSU’s win over Vanderbilt

The defending national champion LSU Tigers got back on track last with a 41-7 victory over Vanderbilt to move to 1-1 on the season.

The LSU Tigers got back on track last with a 41-7 victory over Vanderbilt to move to 1-1 on the season after a disappointing loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs to kick it off.

Junior quarterback Myles Brennan was tremendous in his second career start, completing 23 of 37 passes for 337 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Brennan completed a pass to 11 different receivers in the win.

Brennan has now thrown for over 300 yards with at least three touchdowns passes in each of his first two starts.

For as good as the offense was, Bo Pelini’s defense was equally as outstanding.

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After giving up a record 623 passing yards to Mississippi State’s K.J. Costello in the season-opener, Pelini’s defense allowed just 266 total yards in the win over Vandy.

Vanderbilt quarterback Ken Seals completed 11 of 25 passes for 113 yards and was intercepted twice.

In last week’s win, LSU had several standout individual performances on both sides of the ball.

Who was the best?

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QB Myles Brennan, LSU offense seem to be finding rhythm after 41-7 win over Vanderbilt

Saturday was a much different story for LSU quarterback Myles Brennan than the week before.

LSU’s offense was in disarray and redshirt junior quarterback Myles Brennan looked anything but settled in when the Tigers fell 44-34 to K.J. Costello and the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the season-opener.

But Saturday was a much different story, as LSU put together a dominant effort in all phases of the game to take down the Vanderbilt Commodores, 41-7 on the road.

Brennan completed 23-of-37 passes for 337 yards with four touchdowns, two to Terrace Marshall Jr. and two to Jontre Kirklin, with one interception on an overthrown ball that set the Commodores up for their only touchdown of the night.

LSU also struggled with some drops, so it’s safe to assume these numbers should have been even stronger.

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In the previous week, Brennan completed 27-of-46 passes for 345 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

The proof of improvement can’t be found on the stats sheet, but rather in the film instead as Brennan faced a Vanderbilt defense that got wearier by the quarter.

We saw a completely different Brennan from the one who looked indecisive and couldn’t light the fire under the offense the way they needed him to.

Brennan’s decision-making was significantly improved, and he looked sure of himself in Vanderbilt Stadium.

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Coach Ed Orgeron said after the game that Brennan “made some excellent plays,” though there were still some he missed. Overall, Orgeron seemed pleased with Brennan’s second outing as the starter.

“Obviously, that interception was not a good decision,” Orgeron said. “There was two or three times he could’ve made better decisions, but he threw some good balls.”

Brennan is still far from perfect, but it seems that things are moving upward for LSU at the quarterback position.

It wasn’t just Brennan who looked better, but the offense as a whole. The Tigers looked balanced, posting 498 yards of total offense — 161 of which came from the ground game. In Week 1, LSU had 80 total rushing yards (a number that would have stood at 117 if not for Brennan’s -37 yards on the ground).

Running back John Emery Jr. put up 103 rushing yards in place of Chris Curry to finish as the game’s leading rusher, whereas it was Curry with 47 rushing yards a week before.

Still, the question of if the Tigers have actually found themselves or if this is merely a success over a lowly opponent lingers.

The Tigers will look to stay hot as they face Missouri on Saturday at 8 p.m. CST in Baton Rouge.

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Best of highlights: LSU downs Vanderbilt, 41-7

Looking at some of the best plays of LSU’s 41-7 road victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday.

The LSU Tigers bounced back from a disappointing 44-34 loss the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Week 1, toppling the Vanderbilt Commodores, 41-7 on the road in Vanderbilt Stadium on Saturday night.

One of the most important takeaways of the night was that quarterback Myles Brennan looked much-improved, appearing much more calm and decisive in the pocket than we saw him look against the Bulldogs.

The defense also stepped up and looked more competent than they did against Mississippi State, showing improved tackling and sacking Vanderbilt quarterback Ken Seals three times.

Here’s a look at some of the most exciting plays of the game as LSU evened out its record.

The Tigers will face the Missouri Tigers up next as they return to Tiger Stadium for an 8 p.m. CST kickoff Saturday.

Studs and duds in LSU’s 41-7 win over Vanderbilt

LSU earned an impressive win against Vanderbilt on Saturday while putting up solid numbers from a few key players.

LSU defeated Vanderbilt in a dominant fashion on Saturday to move to 1-1 on the season. The No. 20 Tigers took a big step on both sides of the ball in their first win of the season, showing reason for optimism within the fan base after a disappointing 44-34 loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the opener.

Redshirt junior quarterback Myles Brennan looked more poised in the pocket this week and took less time on his throws.

Here’s a look at who came up big, and who could have done better in the Tigers’ 41-7 victory on Saturday night in Nashville.

Stud: Myles Brennan

Brennan completed 23-of-37 passes for 337 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. But it isn’t the numbers that place him on the studs list. His composure and calmness in the pocket gave him the ability to make better throws than last week.

The junior quarterback was dishing the ball everywhere to any receiver that was open. Two of his touchdowns went to Jontre Kirklin and the other two went to Terrace Marshall Jr.

If Brennan can continue what he started on Saturday, he could finish between 1,500 and 2,500 passing yards for the season.

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Four takeaways from LSU’s 41-7 win over Vanderbilt

LSU bounced back with a dominant 41-7 win over Vanderbilt as the Tigers offense found its rhythm early and never slowed down.

The No. 20 LSU Tigers defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 41-7 on Saturday night in Nashville after suffering a 44-34 loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the season-opener.

On offense, the Tigers racked up 498 yards of offense while converting four out of 12 times on third down and being perfect on fourth-down conversion attempts.

Here are four takeaways from the Tigers’ dominating victory as they’ve evened out their record.

1. LSU established the rushing attack.

Last week against Mississippi State, LSU totaled just 80 yards on the ground. Saturday against Vanderbilt, the offense doubled that total for 161 yards. Sophomore John Emery Jr. carried the ball 12 times for 103 yards and a touchdown and averaged 8.6 yards per rush.

Freshman Josh Williams saw the field in the fourth quarter and held the ball  eight times for 30 yards.  Tyrion Davis-Price also had eight touches for 29 yards.

One key going into this game was to get the running game more established, and LSU gave the Commodores defense a tough challenge on the ground.

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No. 20 LSU defeats Vanderbilt, 41-7 to move to 1-1 on the season

The LSU Tigers bounced back in a big way on Saturday night defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores, 41-7 to improve to 1-1 on the season.

The LSU Tigers bounced back in a big way on Saturday night defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores 41-7 to improve to 1-1 on the season.

LSU quarterback Myles Brennan completed 23-of-37 passes for 337 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in his second career start, looking much more confident and decisive this time around, marking an improvement the Tigers desperately needed to see from him after a debut that didn’t look the way it could have on film.

Junior receiver Terrace Marshall caught two passes for 67 yards — both touchdowns, while senior Jontre Kirklin had a breakout game of sorts with three receptions for 65 yards and two scores.

After the running game struggled in last week’s loss to Mississippi State, things improved this week as sophomore running John Emery Jr. had himself a career game, rushing 12 times for 103 yards and a touchdown. As a team, LSU rushed for 163 yards.

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In total offense, the Tigers posted 498 yards and looked balanced, much opposed to Week 1.

Bo Pelini’s defense was much better this week, too, after not being able to come up with an answer to Mike Leach’s air raid offense. The Tigers held Vanderbilt to just 266 total yards to go with the lone touchdown.

Vanderbilt seemed able to keep pace in the first half well enough to not let the game get away, but efforts from Brennan, kicker Cade York, Kirklin and Emery dashed any hopes of the Commodores putting together the makings of a potential upset.

LSU returns to Baton Rouge next week to host Missouri, which should mark another easy win as the team continues to get back on the right track.

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