Nitpicking LSU: 5 reasons they aren't that good

I love LSU, but experience has taught me that Week 2 of any season has never shown the true mettle of football team. After dismantling Mississippi State and Virginia Tech by a combined score of 93-7 I've found a few cracks in the mighty Purple-and-Gold armor.

1. Matt Flynn can't throw a touchdown in big game.

Sure, he dismantled Miami two years ago, but that was Miami, and that was two years ago. He threw some heat against Mississippi State, but that was State. On his biggest stage so far, against Virginia Tech, Flynn threw ... goose eggs. He ran for a score, true, true. But early in the season is when a qb is supposed to pad his stats. Flynn will find it tough to get TD's in the thick of the SEC schedule. He may end the year with somewhere around 10-11 TDs. The NFL won't be impressed (backup quarterback Ryan Perriloux on the other hand, is on track to throw for 20 TDs).

2. Glenn Dorsey has only 1 sack.

One sack. Is this par for the course for the "best defender in the country"? He got 'em one against Mississippi State, but against Virginia Tech he was kind of quiet. Or was it?

3. LSU's offense can't go 80 yards.

In the first quarter of the Virginia Tech game, LSU drove down and scored after getting the ball on their 13-yard line. But they needed a 15-yard penalty from Tech to do it. Only once in the previous two games has LSU drove 80 yards and scored. Every other time the field has been significantly shorter, especially against Miss. State.

4. Coaching is still suspect.

Let's face it, Les Miles still hasn't coached a victory. LSU has gotten back on sheer power, talent and will. Is it enough? So far, it's been plenty, but early in the second half of the game Virginia Tech brought in their second-string corner back, a Mike Vick-type fellow named Tyrod Taylor. His ability to run caused major problems for the Tigers and he made the total yardage for Virginia Tech kinda respectable (149). If it wasn't for this brilliant coaching move by Beamer, LSU would have held Tech to about 47 yards because Taylor had 44 on the ground and 62 in the air. He had four runs of 10 or more yards against the Tigers, including a 23-yarder, and engineered the lone scoring drive. Passing, he was 7-for-18 for 62 yards.
"Everybody likes his athleticism," Beamer said. "We like the way this kid throws the football too. ... It's going to be a learning process, but he'll learn fast."Still, looking at the game, you kind of got the feeling that LSU and Les was caught flat-footed by the move.

5. The schedule is super-hospitable.

The Tigers can have gumbo after the games against Auburn, Florida, Arkansas and South Carolina this year, making the road not easy, but easier. While most of the college world has seen their opponents for two weeks and their schedules have gotten harder, LSU's schedule has gotten easier, with no team wanting to come to Death Valley.
Again, this is just nitpicking a Monster. It can't be all perfect, ya know?