LSU
LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly speaks during the NCAA college football Southeastern Conference Media Days, Monday, July 17, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

LSU Looks to Bounce Back Against Grambling State

The Grambling State Tigers (0-1) travel to Baton Rouge to take on the 14th ranked LSU Tigers (0-1) Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Grambling State is coming off of a close 35-31 defeat to the Hampton Pirates. Despite the loss, quarterback Myles Crawley put up a solid performance, completing 25 of his 38 passes and throwing for 311 yards and two touchdowns. One of his touchdowns went to Lyndon Rash, who had strong performance in the game. He caught eight passes for 90 yards.

LSU is trying to bounce back from a 45-24 defeat to the Florida State Seminoles Sunday night. The second half spiraled out of control for the Tigers, where they were outscored 31-7.

Positives for LSU.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels was one of the only bright spots for the Tigers, throwing for 346 yards and one touchdown. He also had 64 yards rushing. Another LSU player to look out for is Brian Thomas Jr., who caught seven passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. While the Tigers were heavily outscored in the second half, they were up 17-14 at halftime. They also missed a lot of opportunities in the first half, failing on two red zone fourth down plays. If LSU can capitalize on their opportunities, they should have no problem getting back to winning ways.

Execution is Key.

Head coach Brian Kelly was adamant in his teleconference that their problems came from not executing, not poor preparation. He said the preparation was solid, but they could not execute on the field.

Even though the offense was not the problem statistically, Daniels still said that he needs to approach every play with the mentality that he needs to execute his job. Daniels wants to hold himself accountable and help the team win. Daniels first priority is having trust with his players and the staff and said the players need to buy into everything the captains and coach Kelly say.

 

New players.

Kelly also attributed the amount of new players being a reason why they have to adjust to the new season. He was adamant that they were very in touch with their new players, but with games in full swing, they have to observe and adjust to how their new players play. Playing Grambling State this weekend will allow the Tigers to give these players more game time to improve before they begin conference play on the road against Mississippi State Sept. 16.

Bouncing Back From a Loss.

After losing to Florida State in their opening game for the second straight year, LSU has the task to bounce back from another opening game loss. Playing with a chip on their shoulder after this game is going to be very important. Losing a major game in that fashion can either make or break a team. If the Tigers play like they have to prove themselves to people, then they will be a team to watch out for the rest of this season.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. in Baton rouge.

About Jackson Colding

Jackson Colding is a second-year journalism sports and media student at the University of Florida.

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