Tigers focused amid distractions, losing streak

By Hunt Palmer

Alex Atkins took over play calling when offensive coordinator Joe Sloan was let go.

For the season’s final month, he’s part time play caller, part time director of morale.

In his first week directing the LSU offense, his most pertinent words had nothing to do with formations or route combinations. He told the team to huddle at practice and during the games.

“As y’all see, we came into the huddle a lot, but the message was behind coming into the huddle,” said senior wide receiver Zavion Thomas. “It was more like every play we’re looking at our brothers in the eyes and telling them, ‘I love you, and I got your back.’ I feel like that was important, because I feel like, as an offense things haven’t been going good, so I think we needed that.”

LSU’s offense is a collection of standouts that hasn’t meshed into a productive unit this fall. Highly touted offensive linemen have struggled. Previously productive wide receivers have middling to poor numbers. The quarterback is going to fall well short of his 2024 numbers.

That’s mentally taxing on a unit that hasn’t gotten out of neutral since August.

“Just us being in the huddle and me telling Barion (Brown) ‘I got you right here. Aaron (Anderson), I got you.’ Vibing, fist pumping. That’s really important for us right now to stay united when a lot of people can go against you,” Thomas said. “Control what you can control. Coach Atkins has really done a good job. Things aren’t always going to go well. As a man, you’ve got to learn how to react to it, and we’ve been doing a good job of it.”

LSU’s offense gets another chance to break through on Saturday against the worst statistical offense in the SEC, Arkansas.

On the other side of the ball, the Tiger defense is primed for a challenge with one of the most productive units in the league and a quarterback who leads the nation in total offense.

While the offensive staff has been shaken up with a change at coordinator and the running backs coach taking head coaching responsibilities, the defensive leadership remains the same.

That showed a week ago when LSU held Alabama to just 20 points.

“There’s an emphasis on trying to win out,” said graduate defensive tackle Jacobian Guillory. “The performance (the defense) had last Saturday, we want to replicate that for Saturdays to come. Texas A&M, we didn’t play to our ability. Last week was a shake back game, but we want to win the game. This week, it’s going to be, shut up the run, stop their quarterback and win the game.”

The fan base may have shifted focus to the new athletic director and the coaching search going on behind the scenes. LSU’s next coach could be named this month, or the search could drag into 2026.

The players on this team don’t care.

“I think mentally we’re good,” said senior linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. “We’ve just got to stay focused. A lot of stuff is going on. There are a lot of distractions around the building. I feel like we’ve just got to keep going 1-0 every week and focusing on what we can control. The uncontrollable? Don’t worry about them.”