Paul Finebaum: 'People Are Not Taking LSU Seriously'

Finebaum believes the Tigers aren't receiving enough attention despite hitting their stride, becoming a sleeper team.

Paul Finebaum, radio and ESPN television personality, gets ready to speak on television near activities outside the Superdome, before of the College Football Playoff National Championship game in New Orleans Monday, January 13, 2020. Pregame Fans Clemson Lsu Football Cfp National Championship New Orleans / Ken Ruinard / staff, The Greenville News via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers continue working through the bye week with an opportunity to both recover and begin game preparation for the Ole Miss Rebels in Week 7.

Kelly and Co. are riding a four-game win streak heading into next weekend's clash where the program will be well-rested heading into the meat of SEC play.

It's been a rollercoaster season through five games for the Bayou Bengals.

After dropping the season opener to the USC Trojans, many dismissed Kelly's program as a College Football Playoff contender.

Just two weeks later, the program hit the road to South Carolina with ESPN's College GameDay in attendance where LSU fought back to take down the Gamecocks after trailing 17-0 in the second quarter.

Now, the Tigers are 4-1 (1-0) heading into the thick of conference play with the Ole Miss Rebels set to make their way to Baton Rouge.

No. 13 LSU is clicking offensively and it's woken up several college football analysts, including SEC Network's Paul Finebaum.

Finebaum was discussing Texas A&M's schedule on "The Paul Finebaum Show" where he opened up on LSU and the lack of attention they're receiving.

"I think LSU may be a little bit tougher than Missouri," Finebaum said. "People are just not taking LSU seriously."

The Bayou Bengals have shined offensively despite not being at full strength just yet with starting wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr. sidelined.

Through the first five weeks of the season, signal-caller Garrett Nussmeier is 138-of-198 passing for 1,652 yards with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions.

He leads the SEC in both completions and touchdowns while ranking in or near the Top 5 nationally in both categories.

LSU has seen production from WR1 Kyren Lacy, tight end Mason Taylor and emerging star Aaron Anderson through the first quarter of the season.

Anderson leads the program in receiving yards with 371 on 27 receptions and a pair of touchdowns on 13.7 yards per catch. The second-year Tiger has become a focal point of LSU's offense while adding a weapon alongside Lacy at the receiver position.

For Lacy specifically, he's been the WR1 that LSU has needed this season with the departures of Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. He's up to 352 yards and five touchdowns on just 25 receptions this season while leading the program in yards per catch with 14.1.

It's evident the passing attack is firing on all cylinders with Nussmeier utilizing weapons Lacy, Anderson, Taylor and CJ Daniels, but it still feels as though this unit has another gear it can hit during SEC play when fully healthy.

The Injury Report: LSU Wide Receivers Edition

Chris Hilton: Ankle

LSU wide receiver Chris Hilton was expected to make his season debut last weekend against the South Alabama Jaguars, but didn't see the field in Week 5.

After suffering an ankle injury in August, Hilton has been sidelined, but continues trending in the right direction. He warmed up and went through pregame two weekend's ago prior to the UCLA game for the first time all season.

Now, all signs point to Hilton making his season debut next weekend against Ole Miss on Oct. 12 following the bye week.

"We’re bringing him back from a long layoff, so we’ll see what he looks like when he gets out there on Saturday,” Kelly said last week.

LSU has rolled with a receiver rotation of Kyren Lacy, Kyle Parker, CJ Daniels, Aaron Anderson and Zavion Thomas so far this season.

Once Hilton gets back in the mix, it will provide LSU signal-caller Garrett Nussmeier with another receiver that can unlock the vertical passing game on offense.

WR CJ Daniels: Knee

LSU wide receiver CJ Daniels re-aggravated a knee injury he suffered in the past, according to Kelly, and will be continuing to rehab in order to build it back up. There is yet to be a timeframe revealed on how long he will be out.

The program has received "good reports" and the belief is that this will not be an injury that keeps him out for the foreseeable future.

“He aggravated a knee injury, but we got good reports on it,” Kelly said. “CJ is concerned because he had an ACL injury before, but it was not an ACL injury this time. Those are things, at first you’re concerned, but it turned out to be the best case scenario for us.”

More LSU News:

LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America

What's Next for LSU Without Harold Perkins?

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season

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