Tag: Mason Taylor

Death Valley: Where opponents’ dreams come to die

Death Valley lived up to its reputation as LSU suffocated Alabama’s CFP hopes.

“That was Death Valley. That was the place where opponents’ dreams come to die.”

[autotag]Les Miles[/autotag] said that after beating Ole Miss at home in 2014, but the statement still holds true in 2022. Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide came into Tiger Stadium with dreams of winning the SEC West once again and getting a rematch with Georgia in the title game as well as having dreams of going to the playoffs once again.

Those dreams died under the lights in Baton Rouge as [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag] scored on a two-point conversion in overtime to win the biggest game of the year for LSU. Now the Tigers control their own destiny in the SEC. LSU could possibly clinch the SEC West next week with a win over Arkansas and an Alabama win over Ole Miss.

As our writer Will Rosenblatt wrote, the Tigers had everything to gain and nothing to lose on Saturday night. This is Brian Kelly’s first season at LSU, the Tigers were supposed to be rebuilding.

LSU was projected to be the seventh-best team in the SEC this year by Sports Illustrated, and it was projected to finish fifth in the SEC West in the preseason SEC media poll.

No one outside the LSU program believed this team would be as good as they are this year, but that doesn’t matter. When the Tigers leave their locker room and hit the WIN bar before heading out onto the field, all that matters is that they believe in themselves and their brothers that they go to war with.

Kelly knew these guys could win this game. There were 102,000 fans packed into Tiger Stadium last night and most of them were there because they believed LSU would win. Every time the Tigers play at home, the fans bring it. They come to the stadium early on gameday and stay even later after the game ends.

There isn’t an atmosphere in college football that can come close to Tiger Stadium on a Saturday Night. It is special. When Taylor stretched the ball over the goal line in overtime, the only people that were surprised it happened are people that haven’t been watching this team all season long.

These guys have worked hard to get better every week. [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] has become one of the best quarterbacks in the country. All of the transfers in the secondary are settling in on defense and playing great.

On Saturday night in Tiger Stadium, Alabama’s dreams died, but LSU’s dreams are just getting started.

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COLUMN: LSU is back like it never left

Saturday night is just a taste of what the Brian Kelly era might look like at LSU.

I hate declaring that a team is “back.”

It’s become cliche to the point where it’s almost a joke. It jumps to conclusions and boils nuanced situations down to just a few words.

LSU’s win over Alabama will lead many to declare that LSU is back. After two seasons middling in mediocrity, LSU now controls its own destiny in the SEC West.

You know the story. After putting together one of the best teams the sport has seen in 2019, LSU took a tumble. It looked like it was in need of a full-scale rebuild.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] knew the potential LSU had, that’s why he took the job, but he also knew he had his work cut out for him. The staff went to work, and Kelly took down Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide on his first try.

LSU wasn’t supposed to be here. Even Kelly’s biggest supporters can admit that. This was a team that some projected to finish last in the west. An after thought that nobody thought was ready to contend.

LSU has exceeded all expectations. A season that began with a heartbreaking loss to Florida State has now become a fairy tale.

At the same time, LSU winning the west is no fairy tale. To say it wasn’t supposed to be here is an excuse because this is LSU, and it is supposed to be here.

This should be the standard, the expectation.

The fact that LSU has done this in Kelly’s first year is precisely why he took this job because even when the program is down, it’s not that far from being up.

Thinner than the typical Tigers roster, maybe a bit less talented and certainly less experienced, the roster was still good enough to beat Alabama and likely win the West.

If this is the floor for Kelly’s LSU, then what does the ceiling look like?

[autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag], the man who caught the winning two-point conversion, will be back next year. So will stud freshman linebacker [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag].

LSU hasn’t lost a game when [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] and [autotag]Emery Jones[/autotag] have both started. They’ll be back next year.

[autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag], who has been LSU’s most consistent wide receiver and showed up in big moments again on Saturday night, has at least one more year in Baton Rouge, too.

LSU has only gotten better this year. That’s going to continue through the end of this year and well into next. We’re seeing the pieces fall into place in real time and many already have.

LSU was a double-digit underdog against Alabama. The Crimson Tide has been the Tiger’s kryptonite for years. LSU hadn’t beaten Saban in Tiger Stadium since 2010.

There wasn’t much reason to believe Saturday would be any different. I thought LSU would put up a good fight, but I thought Alabama would win.

I was wrong, just like so many have been about this LSU team all year.

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Keeping up with the rest of the SEC in Week 10

Here’s what happened around the league while the Tigers upset Alabama.

Of the two biggest games in the SEC this weekend, one of them lived up to the hype, and it isn’t the one you were likely expecting. The No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs dismantled the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers in Sanford Stadium yesterday. As the rain poured on the Vols’ parade, the Dawgs proved that they are the best team in the SEC East as the 27-13 score doesn’t tell the story of just how good Georgia was.

In the other big game, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the LSU Tigers knocked off Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide as [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] hit [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag] for a gutsy two-point conversion to win the game in overtime.

The Tigers now control their own destiny in the SEC West as they essentially eliminated Alabama from an SEC title and another playoff appearance.

Everything Brian Kelly said after LSU’s statement win over Alabama

Here’s what Kelly said following his team’s huge win on Saturday night.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] announced LSU’s return to prominence on Saturday night with a 32-31 win in overtime over the Alabama Crimson Tide.

In what was largely a back-and-forth affair, the Tigers made the gutsy decision after scoring a potential game-tying touchdown in overtime to go for two and the win over coach Nick Saban’s team. [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] found [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag] in the end zone, and Tigers fans stormed the field in celebration of the first win over Alabama in Baton Rouge since 2010.

The win gives LSU control of the SEC West, which it could clinch as soon as next Saturday if it beats Arkansas and Alabama beats Ole Miss. For now, here’s what Kelly had to say after a defining win for his regime.

Stock up from Week 10: Standouts from a stunner in Tiger Stadium against Alabama

The Tigers like ended Alabama’s playoff hopes (and potentially kickstarted their own) on Saturday night in Death Valley.

Let the band play Neck!

The LSU Tigers, in their first season under [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag], have knocked off [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Alabama Crimson Tide. For what seems like the first time this season, LSU didn’t dig themselves into a two or three-touchdown deficit and it paid off.

[autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] once again proved why he is the quarterback LSU needed this year as he put on a clinic running the ball and made great decisions through the air to pace the Tigers’ offense.

Death Valley, where opponents’ dreams come to die. Tiger Stadium lived up to its motto as Alabama’s dreams of another SEC Championship and another appearance in the playoffs were dashed by LSU.

Here’s who shined in the win.

Five takeaways as LSU upsets Alabama in Brian Kelly’s first season

LSU beat Alabama 32-31, earning a win that put LSU in firm control of the SEC West.

It was one for the ages in Baton Rouge.

LSU beat Alabama 32-31, earning a win that put LSU in firm control of the SEC West. LSU struck first when [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] found [autotag]John Emery Jr.[/autotag] on a hot route in the flats. Emery made a couple of Alabama defenders miss and trotted 30-yards to the end zone.

The Tide responded with two field goals and LSU took a 7-6 lead into the half. Alabama tacked on another field goal in the third, which gave the Crimson Tide their first lead of the night at 9-7.

LSU had a response of its own, with [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] punching it in and taking the lead back.

The back-and-forth continued, Alabama found the end zone but came up short on a two-point attempt. [autotag]Damian Ramos[/autotag] put LSU back on top, 17-15, on the ensuing drive.

It wouldn’t stop there. The squads traded scores into overtime. Alabama got the ball first and found the endzone, leaving LSU with no choice but to do the same.

Jayden Daniels scampered 25-yards on LSU’s first play and [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] sent his offense back out there, going for the win on the next play. Daniels found [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag] for two, and that was that.

Here are five takeaways from LSU’s defining win over Alabama.

Instant Analysis: LSU stuns Alabama in overtime, seizes control of SEC West

The Tigers shocked Alabama for their first win against the Tide in Baton Rouge since 2010.

When the Tigers scored a potentially game-tying touchdown in overtime against No. 6 Alabama on Saturday night, there wasn’t any question about what [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] was going to do.

Instead of kicking the extra point to send the game to overtime, he went for the win in a matchup with SEC West title stakes. On a designed rollout, Jayden Daniels found sure-handed tight end [autotag]Mason Taylor[/autotag], who also caught a touchdown earlier in the season, crossing the goal line and sealing a 32-31 win over the Crimson Tide — the program’s first at Tiger Stadium over ‘Bama since 2010 and second overall since 2011.

Pandemonium ensued as the fans stormed the field to celebrate a colossal win in Kelly’s first season, which announced LSU’s return to SEC and national contention much sooner than anyone expected.

LSU had shown steady signs of progress in its previous two wins, and it put all that together on Saturday night with its most complete game of the year.

The real star was the Tiger defense, which gave up 328 yards to Bryce Young and nearly 100 on the ground to Jahmyr Gibbs but forced several mistakes from the defending Heisman winner, who completed just 25 of 51 passes and tossed a costly interception in the end zone on a tipped ball to [autotag]Jarrick Bernard-Converse[/autotag] in the first half.

True freshman [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] added another sack, while veteran edge rusher [autotag]BJ Ojulari[/autotag] had half a sack and led the team with 11 tackles.

Alabama was just 6 of 16 on third down and scored only six points in the first half, trailing 7-6 at the break. It had some big plays in the final 30 minutes and scored quickly to open the overtime segment, but the offense didn’t do enough to pull away.

Penalties ultimately proved costly once again for Alabama, which was penalized nine times for 92 yards

LSU, meanwhile, was efficient offensively. Daniels passed for just 182 yards on 22 of 32 attempts, but he had two passing touchdowns and avoided turnovers once more. In addition to Taylor’s contributions in the receiving game, Kayshon Boutte (seven catches, 51 yards) and Malik Nabers (six catches, 49 yards) had good games and led the passing attack.

Daniels added 95 carries and a touchdown on the ground, and Josh Williams also had solid contributions with 54 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.

It was a monumental win for Kelly’s team, which moves to 7-2 on the year and 5-1 in SEC play. The Tigers haven’t technically locked up the division, but with remaining contests against Arkansas and Texas A&M, they certainly have a very good shot.

For now, Tigers fans will enjoy a win over their division rival that is sure to send shockwaves around the college football world.

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Jayden Daniels finds Mason Taylor to give LSU late lead over Alabama

Mason Taylor with a touchdown grab to give LSU a late lead over Alabama

LSU’s Jayden Daniels was looking for a freshman late in the fourth quarter against Alabama Saturday in Death Valley.

This was no ordinary freshman, however.

Mason Taylor comes from great genes. His dad is Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor

His uncle is former Miami Dolphins star Zach Thomas.

And the freshman made his family proud by coming down with the pass in the back of the end zone to give LSU a 24-21 lead with 107 seconds left.

Taylor is a 6-foot-5, 245-pound tight end from Plantation, Fl.

 

First impressions of LSU’s newcomers in Week 1

LSU had a lot of fresh faces take the field against Florida State. Here’s how they fared in their debuts.

There were a lot of fresh faces on the field for LSU in the opener. Aside from almost the entire coaching staff, returning starters were hard to find.

LSU’s entire cornerback group was new. [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Noah Cain[/autotag] were making their LSU debuts. [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] started at left tackle as a true freshman, and we saw highly-touted transfer [autotag]Miles Frazier[/autotag] get the start at left guard.

How these newcomers come into form over the course of the year will determine LSU’s season. They could begin to gel and this team could really start to improve. It also could take awhile, meaning there are more growing pains to come.

Let’s evaluate how LSU’s newcomers fared against Florida State.

Five freshmen most likely to see the field for LSU in 2022

Examining which of LSU’s newcomers will have a chance to make an immediate impact in 2022

With signing day now done, there is some clarity regarding what rosters may look like across college football in 2022.

It’s been a hectic couple of months all over the sport. With coaching changes, a flurry of transfers, and players declaring for the NFL draft. This off-season has provided more roster shakeup than any in recent memory.

That holds true for LSU as well.

Over the last couple of years, the previous coaching staff didn’t demonstrate much competence when it came to managing a roster. On top of that, coaching changes always lead to their own list of personnel shakeups.

There will be more moves to come throughout the spring and summer. It isn’t over yet. But the roster LSU has now should look close to the one it takes the field in the opener against Florida State.

All things considered, LSU will bring in a decent freshmen class. Given the inexperience all over the team, a lot of these guys will have opportunities to see the field right away.

Good teams usually need some contributions from first-year players if they want to have success. That could go even further for LSU, who’s just counting on these recruits to have enough athletes on scholarship.

Let’s look at the five freshmen most likely to see the field in 2022.