LSU’s offense has played two bad halves in 12 quarters of football this season.
The Tigers turned the ball over on four consecutive first-half possessions and sputtered early in the game last Saturday at Ole Miss.
Still, after three weeks, Lane Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr. found their offense ranked 18th nationally in total yardage and fourth in first downs.
It’s the red zone where struggles have cropped up. They’ve come in different forms.
“I mean, missed assignments. We have a toss to the running back that’s going to walk in the end zone, and tight end doesn’t block the defensive end,” Kiffin said. “Still made five yards, but it’s going to walk in the end zone. There’s nobody else left. Those are the ones you struggle with because a lot of times they’re four-point plays….we’re kicking a field goal instead of a touchdown.
“The two open receivers that, at the end or the open receiver earlier, that we missed on the corner out. Those are tough ones because they count for four points.”
Sam Leavitt misfired for Eugene Wilson III on what would have been a touchdown against Ole Miss and missed Zach Grace on third-and-goal with the game on the line. In fairness, Leavitt has run the ball excellently in that part of the field, but his passing needs to tighten up.
LSU has reached the red zone 18 times through three games, the fifth-most in the nation. The Tigers are only scoring touchdowns at a 61% clip which ranks 94th.
Only a quarter of the season has been played. Kiffin was asked if significant problems can be diagnosed this quickly, especially in this era.
“I think you still don’t know, especially in today’s world with so many new players,” he said. “And for us, it’s our first year with everybody except for the couple that we coached a year ago at Ole Miss. But other than that, it’s our first year. So, I think it’s still too early to tell.”
