Is Jayden Daniels to blame? 5 questions from LSU football's loss to Florida State
ORLANDO, Fla. — Sunday night was a nightmare for LSU football.
For a fourth consecutive season and for the second straight year against Florida State, LSU lost its season opener, falling 45-24 in Orlando on Sunday night. Despite leading at halftime, the Tigers got outcoached, outmuscled and outexecuted on their way to surrendering 31 unanswered in the second half.
Here are five questions following another embarrassing opening night defeat for coach Brian Kelly and his program.
How much is Jayden Daniels to blame from LSU's offense dissappearing in the second half?
Sunday wasn't Daniels' finest hour, but he was far from the problem on Sunday for LSU. He accounted for 437 yards of offense for the Tigers (not including yards lost on sacks) and threw for 347 yards despite being pressured 16 times, according to Pro Football Focus.
He didn't take many shots down field and his pocket awareness throughout the night was suspect at best, but LSU's offensive line and the key drops from its receiving corps were more instrumental in the decline of its offense.
Just how bad were LSU's dropped passes?
It felt like more, but LSU only dropped three passes on Monday. Two coming from Kyren Lacy and the other from Brian Thomas Jr.
However, the problem for the Tigers was the timing of the drops. Lacy's first dropped pass — with the score tied at 17 in the fourth quarter — was on a third-and-6 that would have handed LSU a first down. Thomas' dropped pass to end the same quarter, if caught, would have placed LSU in the red zone only down by a touchdown.
Was there a good performance in the secondary on Sunday?
Good might be a strong word to describe it, but Andre' Sam held his own Monday. The Marshall transfer didn't allow any receptions in coverage, according to PFF, while being used in a variety of roles.
Greg Brooks Jr. also surrendered one reception and Duce Chestnut had LSU's interception on the night.
But outside of those silver linings, not much else went right for the Tigers' secondary. Chestnut, Major Burns, Zy Alexander and Sage Ryan each surrendered at least four receptions for 53 yards.
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What happened to LSU's offensive line?
LSU's offensive line had an awful night against Jared Verse and Florida State's stout front seven.
The Tigers' line failed to open up any holes in the run game. LSU's running backs rushed for 49 yards.
In the passing game, LSU's offensive line surrendered 11 pressures against the Seminoles' pass rush, according to PFF. Will Campbell — who earned the No. 7 before the start of the season — allowed a team-high four pressures, while Emery Jones surrendered three more.
How alarming was Sunday for LSU fans?
There's still a lot of football left to be played. But unless the Tigers turn things around quickly, they're going to have trouble surviving their next five contests.
Grambling State on Saturday for the home opener should be an automatic win. But after that, LSU is on the road for three of its next four games, with trips to Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Missouri on the docket.
Sunday's performance showed that wins for LSU in all three games are not guaranteed, especially at Oxford.
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Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU football, Jayden Daniels questions after Florida State loss
