Two Truths and a Lie: Is LSU’s offense stuck?

By Chris Marler

Sunday morning is here which means it’s time for our weekly edition of two truths and a lie following the LSU-Florida game. 

Truth No. 1 – The defense can get you to a championship. 

They can probably win one, too. But, what kind of championship are we talking about? This LSU defense is giving up just nine points per game and leads the SEC in both interceptions (6) and rush yards allowed with 56 per game. 

Defense travels, and we’ve already seen that from this LSU team. The new additions in the secondary have been incredible. A.J. Haulcy and Mansoor Delane have been tremendous. Patrick Payton and Jack Pyburn have been great off the edge. And, the linebacker corps of Harold Perkins and two Weeks brothers may be the best in America. 

The scariest part? LSU’s defense still isn’t fully healthy or fully developed, a terrifying thought for anyone not wearing purple and gold.

Truth No. 2 – We still don’t know how good this team actually is. 

The perception of this team has changed more in three weeks than outfits at a Lady Gaga concert.

LSU opened the season with a road win over Clemson, earning recognition as one of the nation’s top teams, and rightfully so. Then the offense sputtered against Louisiana Tech, and seemingly again against Florida in underwhelming home wins to get the Tigers off to a 3-0 start. 

The victory over Clemson was a major statement for LSU, but that opponent now sits at 1-2. The hard-fought win over Florida carried weight too, yet the Gators are also 1-2.

Trying to assess what this LSU team is based on the opponents it’s beaten in the first three weeks of the season may not be the right move. What we do know more than anything is that this team isn’t complete. However, the areas in which they are most complete right now are the areas that felt like concerns coming into the season – defense and special teams. 

Max Chadwick was awesome on Saturday night. The Tigers defense has been elite all three Saturday nights this season, and will likely be dominant in their fourth one next week against Southeastern. 

The silver lining for LSU is that no one else at the top of the SEC has truly proven themselves yet. Still, the Tigers look stronger than the rest of the league.

The Lie – The offense is a MAJOR problem.

I was in that press conference, and honestly, I thought Michael Cauble’s question for Brian Kelly was fair. The offense looked clunky, and five interceptions, including a pick six, should probably have led to a win by more than 10 points.

Brian Kelly is FIRED UP in his postgame press conference after being asked a “stupid question” about LSU’s offense#LSU #GeauxTigers pic.twitter.com/tHGtWbuJoK

— 104.5 ESPN (@1045espn) September 14, 2025

But, the win is what matters. There are concerns through three games about some things this team will need to do offensively if they want to achieve the goals they set for themselves before the season. 

Getting into a 3rd-and-2 and not feeling like you can run the football to move the chains is concerning. That being said, there are parts of the offense that are still being unveiled and that will continue to develop. There are also parts of the offense that haven’t looked great because LSU has played two very good and very physical defenses through their first three games. 

Is there concern? Sure. Is it time to panic after three games with an offense featuring the amount of talent that this one has? No. I’d be shocked if an offense featuring Garrett Nussmeier, Caden Durham, and the deepest receiving corps in America doesn’t figure this thing out in the final two, to potentially four, months of the season.