LSU continues to show they are far from a perfect team, but they are 1-0 in the SEC

There was no banging a fist on the table after this one, just some deep breaths after a roller coaster win over a feisty South Carolina team in Columbia on Saturday.

What could have gone wrong in this game went wrong for LSU. Falling behind 17-0. Just seven total yards in the first quarter. Having a punt blocked, a botched extra point, an unexpected snap led to a turnover, failing to score twice in the Red Zone, including from the one-yard line, the other was an interception that if not for a penalty would have been a pick six and the defense allowed two long rushing touchdowns.

But in the end the Tigers won their SEC opener 36-33. Rallying back from 17 down, in the second largest come from behind win on the road in school history.

Was it perfect? Heck no, but this LSU team showed a lot of fight which is the least a fan can ask for from their favorite team.

“They fight like LSU Tigers and that’s what we want for our fans, that’s what they want for their family, that’s what they want for their teammates, and they showed that today, if they continue to do that which I know they will because they continue to prepare the right way , we just need to execute better and I know that they will, it’s going to be a real good team” coach Brian Kelly said.

For LSU to be a good team, they need to run the ball. And they might have found a running back they can lean on. Freshman Caden Durham rushed 11 times for 98 yards and two touchdowns. His first touchdown got LSU on the board in the second quarter when he ran 26 yards into the end zone on 3rd down and nine.

We knew about Durham’s speed, but his ability to break tackles was most impressive on a warm Saturday afternoon in Columbia, South Carolina.

“Look it’s the SEC you got to make people miss, you got to break though tackles that’s just the nature of it,” said Durham.

The Tigers also got another big game from Aaron Anderson, who had five catches for 96 yards, including a 46-yard grab.

I was concerned Anderson would not get an opportunity again this year, because of the talent at wide receiver for LSU. But the injury to Chris Hilton has allowed him to become LSU’s big play receiver.

And what can you say about the play of quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. He was pressured a lot. His fourth quarter interception nearly turned into a pick six, but he battled and led the Tigers on two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter and finished with 285 yards passing.

On the defensive side of the football, Bradyn Swinson had a monster game with three sacks and linebacker Whit Weeks and led LSU with eight solo tackles.

The Tigers allowed just one yard in the third quarter and forced three turnovers.

But LSU allowed a bad SEC offense to march right down the field on the opening drive and gave up rushing touchdowns of 75 and 66 yards.

“We want to be better defensively, a lot of this, all of this that you saw today on both sides of the football, and all of it is correctable, all of it can be coached and all of it can be executed,” Kelly said.

LSU had several new starters on defense, Paris Shand, Dashawn Spears, Zy Alexander and Weeks.

So maybe that contributed to the problems on the first drive. And LSU has issues with its run fits which allowed the two long rushing touchdowns, just like in the Nicholls game.

They have a few more weeks to figure it out before Ole Miss comes to town on October 12.

Many will look at this win over South Carolina as a game LSU should have won easily, because they are the more talented team. Probably so, but there is also something to say about a team that when everything goes wrong and you play poorly, but still figure out how to win a game in front of a hostile crowd.