Everyone continues to doubt our offense when the lowest points scored has been 28, and that was against Florida. The rebs have zero chance of stopping this offense for the entire game. Our concern needs to be with our defense and special teams that have given up too many yards and points lately. If those guys show up, it will be a very long day for johnny reb.
I think they came out flat because, if you'll remember, Ark beat Moo U earlier in the day and clinched the West. I think they had a let down when they saw the score of that game. We won't overlook them this year because there's so much more at stake.
i'll counter and say that our defense has given up "too many points" due to offensive mistakes. in each the UF, AU, and Bama games the defense on gave up only two long drives per game. that's 14 pts per contest. the rest was the offense either having to punt and giving up good field position or turning over the ball.
Having the worst red zone defense is why opponents score points. The game turning mistakes are also committed by the defense or special teams. Regardless of field position, if you have 3rd and long repeatedly and you don't stop your opponent, they will run up and down on you. I don't suggest that our offense has played mistake free, but our defense has jeopardized us much more in the last 4 games and the stats prove that.
i see what you're saying but in the UF and AU games the defense tightened when it mattered including forcing 2 to's and a 3 and out against fla. the punt return (i agree with you on spec teams) was the only late threat by bama when the defense went into lockdown mode. red zone defense is just points in the red zone so FG's count with that. if the other team's offense is getting shots on your side of the field with great frequency anyone's red zone D would be terrible. i'll just say that LSU could benefit from limiting mistakes on both sides of the ball, limiting penalties, and shoring up special team's coverage. (our return game is pretty shabby too).
LSU has the number one offense in the SEC. LSU has the number one defense in the SEC. Our problem is not offense or defense, it is special teams. We are in the bottom half of the SEC in every special teams category.
Everyone knows that, and it has become a tired statement and is almost exclusively a cause of our first few games including 2 shut outs. Allowing Florida to score 24, Kentucky 43, Auburn 24, and Alabama 34 is a far cry from where we need to be and helped contribute to those games being close or actually being lost. My argument is that LSU's offense is getting the majority of the blame because of sporadic play during some games but continues to throw points on the board. Our defense is very good, but makes plenty of mistakes and has hung us out to dry on more than one occasion because the mistakes seem to be momentum swingers. Citing our stats on defense does not change this one bit.
My argument is that no team is perfect, but LSU's defense is making fewer mistakes, allowing fewer yards, and allowing fewer points than the rest of the league and most of the country. Our defense is more than very good . . . it is one of the best in the country. Citing some imperfections on defense does not change this one bit.
