Three Observations: LSU Gets the Run Game Off the Ground, Tiger Offense Show Major Strides

Defense with rough start on the ground, improve throughout the night

LSU showed major strides in its 41-7 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday evening. The Tigers came in with something to prove and were able to start fast and not take their foot off the gas, showing great improvement across the board. 

Coach Ed Orgeron said he thought the Tigers played a complete game and finished the way Orgeron hoped they would. 

"We never panicked, we stuck with what we know and I thought we played solid football," Orgeron said. "There were a lot less mistakes in this football game than there were in the first."

Here were three takeaways from Saturday night's performance.

John Emery Paves Way in the Rushing Game

Heading into Saturday’s matchup, one of the keys was to get the running game going early and the Tigers received major contribution from sophomore running back John Emery. Emery rushed for an efficient 102 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown in the win, setting the tone in the first half with his aggressive and elusive running. 

Not only was Emery hitting the right holes and making guys miss in the backfield, he made an impact on the way the offense was run as a whole. With Emery having such a stellar day, it opened up more play action for Myles Brennan and the receivers to take advantage of, leading to a productive offensive performance for the team.

After the game, coach Ed Orgeron said he's seen that growth from Emery throughout the offseason and was happy he could have the kind of night he did for the purple and gold. With Chris Curry not available, the plan was for Emery and Tyrion Davis-Price to share the reps. 

"John got hot and we've been seeing this John Emery in practice," Orgeron said. "He finally got his chance in the game and what I'm most proud of is him protecting the football."

The 161 yards overall and five yards per carry was a dramatic improvement over week one's 2.1 yards per carry. The positive performance is one that the program hopes will carry into next week's home matchup with Missouri.

"I feel like our running backs played really, really well," Brennan said. "They ran the ball hard and John and Ty are two guys that have busted their butts since they got here day one. This is not a surprise to us and I'm excited to see them progress throughout the season."

Brennan Shows Improved Pocket Presence, Dishes it Out to 11 Different Receivers

It was hard for Brennan not to hear the chatter around Baton Rouge this last week. Despite showing flashes of greatness against Mississippi State, inconsistent protection up front and pocket presence issues led to eight sacks by the Bulldogs.

On Saturday against the Commodores, Brennan and the offense took a giant step forward, building confidence along the way. He was not sacked one time and completed passes to 11 different receivers en route to the 41-7 victory. A lot of time this week for the junior quarterback was spent in drills, working closely with analyst Russ Callaway to help him improve on his poise in the pocket. 

"We drilled every single day different ways to step up into the pocket, feel the rush and still deliver a good ball," Brennan said. "It wasn't perfect by any means but I definitely saw improvement."

He passed for 337 yards and four touchdowns on the evening. Brennan showed enough improvement to build on heading into the meat of the schedule.

"We improved on something every single day and that's what's important for this team. Like coach O says, we're an ascending football team and we're gonna get better every single day," Brennan said.

Defense Dials Up the Intensity in the Second Half 

For much of the first half, it wasn't the passing game that was killing the LSU defense, it was the running game. That was the MO of this Vanderbilt team heading in but after 30 minutes of play, the Commodores had gashed LSU for 107 yards on the ground.

Much like Mississippi State a week ago, it looked as if the LSU defense would succumb to its opponent's area of strength. But in the locker room at halftime, the requisite adjustments were made and the message was short and concise.

"Just stay in your gap," Orgeron said. "We had guys gettin' cut out of our gap, guys shuffling inside. Do your job and we challenged our guys just to settle down and do their job."

After a rough outing in week one, safety JaCoby Stevens actually put the entire defense in "punishment." That meant that there would be no outside television other than watching game film on Vanderbilt. 

"It worked out. Look at how we played," Stevens said. "The entire defense as a  whole had a really good game so we might be on punishment this week too just off of how well we played. We just really stressed making the tackles and wrapping up in that second half."