Final: LSU 35, Syracuse 26.
Optimism. Not much of it in Baton Rouge right now.
LSU entered the night as a convincing 21-point favorite against Syracuse, only to find themselves up just two points late in the fourth quarter. The Tigers’ offensive line was depleted for much of the night, being controlled by ‘Cuse’s defensive front, forcing pressure on almost every Danny Etling throw.
Etling finished 10-17, for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns.
In the second half, Orgeron went with a surprising change. Myles Brennan, the highly touted freshman quarterback entered the game, going 4/6 with an interception. After throwing that costly interception, which wasn’t entirely his fault, Etling returned, finding D.J. Chark for a 20-yard score with 1:52 left in the contest.
“I think we’re inconsistent right now. We need to get things going,” said Orgeron.
LSU’s depleted offensive and defensive lines were the story of the night. Both units found themselves overly tired down the stretch, each getting thoroughly dominated by Syracuse. “It’s about protection first,” said Orgeron, who wasn’t pleased with his O-Line’s performance. Orgeron also recognized that Etling was “under duress” the entire night, taking some of the blame off his fifth-year senior quarterback.
LSU (3-1) takes on Troy next Saturday at 6:00 p.m. in Tiger Stadium. As always, for more information on LSU football, follow @HValentine or @InsideLSU on Twitter.
Photography via Syracuse.com
