Again …
In his first season back as the Tigers coordinatorPlanner former Nebraska and Youngstown State coach Bo Pelini has crafted a scheme plan allowed Mississippi State to crank out 623 passing yards and Missouri to gain 586 yards backyards total overall. There is an aspect of the win that speaks to LSUs mediocrity, of course, however Missouri has several winnable games ahead and can finish the year with four or 5 wins; that would make Drinkwitzs debut a success.
After narrow wins against TCU and Oklahoma, Iowa State was up 21-7 and in control at halftime. Like Iowa State, the Wildcats have actually gone from the low point of losing to a Sun Belt group (Arkansas State) to the high of winning 3 in a row in Big 12 play. LSU has actually officially bottomed out under Pelini, who assisted LSU declare the national champion while in the very same position under Les Miles in 2007 however has struggled orchestrating an unit capable of stopping Mississippi State and Missouri.
Losing to Mississippi State and Missouri in a three-game period would send out any coaching staff scampering back to the drawing board searching for responses..
That LSU has lost to the Bulldogs and Tigers on the heels of last years national champion leaves the Tigers season teetering on the edge even before coming across the meat of the conference-only schedule.
Missouri, which had 6 scoring drives of at least 75 yards, took a 45-41 lead with five minutes left in the fourth quarter and made a goal-line stand with seconds left to pull off the upset as roughly two-touchdown underdogs.
Less hazardous on offense and a disaster on defense, the 1-2 Tigers still deal with a killers row of SEC competition: Florida next week, Auburn on Halloween, and Alabama and Texas A&M in November.
The season already appears lost. How much worse can it get?
It probably cant get any more catastrophic on defense. However …
In his first season back as the Tigers coordinator, previous Nebraska and Youngstown State coach Bo Pelini has actually crafted a scheme that enabled Mississippi State to crank out 623 passing lawns and Missouri to gain 586 lawns of total offense. In his very first career start, Missouri freshman quarterback Connor Bazelak finished 29 of 34 attempts for 406 lawns and 4 goals.
Up next, LSU takes on Kyle Trask and the Florida offense, which is averaging more than 450 backyards and 40 points per video game.
Tuesday marks 9 months to the day of LSU beating Clemson to close out an unbeaten season. The offseason losses were extreme, from quarterback Joe Burrow through both organizers through a series of crucial factors at receiver, the offending line and on each level of the defense.
That does not excuse how bad LSU has been through three games. The safeguarding nationwide champions are the biggest disappointment in the Bowl Subdivision — and it might get worse in the next two months.
Dan Wolkens observations: SEC defensive meltdowns heading 10 takeaways from Week 6 in college football.
SEC power rankings: How Southeastern Conference groups stack up after Week 6.
Leading 10 efficiencies: The gamers who shined in Week 6.
Here are the rest of Saturdays winners and losers:.
WINNERS.
Missouri.
First-year coach Eli Drinkwitz takes down his very first win and potentially alters the course of Missouris season, which before Saturday appeared destined to end near the bottom of the East division. Plainly, the Tigers have actually discovered a quarterback in Bazelak, who need to be the starter from this point. There is an element of the win that talks to LSUs mediocrity, naturally, but Missouri has a number of winnable video games ahead and can complete the year with 4 or 5 wins; that would make Drinkwitzs launching a success.
Texas A&M.
Coming one week after a humbling loss to Alabama, Texas A&Ms 41-38 win versus Florida brings back faith in third-year coach Jimbo Fisher and breathes life back into the Aggies season. The nature of the win might inform you something about this group: A&M was down 28-17 and appeared in threat of seeing the Gators retreat before pulling even and after that ahead with a basket as time expired. Senior quarterback Kellen Mond had one of the finest games of his career with 338 yards and 3 touchdowns without an interception.
North Carolina.
A complete performance still eludes UNC, which controlled the first half versus Virginia Tech, allowed the Hokies to pull within a touchdown during a 23-point third quarter and then reasserted control in the 4th to win 56-45. When in rhythm, the Tar Heels are difficult to deal with. (The issues occur throughout the other moments.) Ahead 42-37 getting in the fourth, UNC scored on succeeding drives to put the video game away and hand Virginia Tech its first loss.
Oklahoma.
Great news initially: OU beat competing Texas 53-45 in 4 overtimes to win this years Red River Showdown and end a two-game losing streak. The reviled OU defense rebounded to hold the Longhorns to 4.9 backyards per play. Young quarterback Spencer Rattler kept his grace as the video game moved into numerous overtimes.
Iowa State.
The Cyclones have recovered from a season-opening loss to Louisiana-Lafayette to take three straight in the Big 12, the latest a 31-15 win against Texas Tech. After narrow wins versus TCU and Oklahoma, Iowa State was up 21-7 and in control at halftime. Provided the uncertainty throughout the Big 12, the Cyclones need to be seen as among the conference co-favorites.
Georgia.
Tennessee went into halftime with momentum after a late stand near its goal line maintained a 21-17 lead. Georgia pulverized the Volunteers in the 2nd half to win 44-21 and remain unbeaten heading into next weekends video game versus Alabama. Theres absolutely nothing especially quite about the Bulldogs design of play, which leans more toward the SEC design of the early 2010s than the more wide-open approach in style throughout the conference.
BULLDOGS ROLL ON: No. 3 Georgia manages No. 12 Tennessee.
Kansas State.
Like Iowa State, the Wildcats have actually gone from the low point of losing to a Sun Belt group (Arkansas State) to the high of winning three in a row in Big 12 play. The 21-14 win versus TCU came with senior quarterback Skylar Thompson sidelined.
Clemson.
The Tigers beat Miami 42-17 and gifted the Hurricanes a goal to end the very first half due to an odd choice by Dabo Swinney: to try a 61-yard field objective as time ended instead of enabling Trevor Lawrence to toss into the end zone. Miami blocked the kick and ran it back to make it 21-10 at the half.
LOSERS.
Florida.
The loss to A&M chews up the Gators wiggle space however does not necessarily change the course to the playoff: Florida still needs to beat Georgia, win the East and then declare the SEC champion to make sure a place in the semifinals. Not that any team with these problems on defense has a real chance at the national title. While the offense is humming behind quarterback Kyle Trask, the Gators have actually enabled at least 35 points two times through 3 video games.
Bo Pelini.
Hey, it might be even worse. LSU has officially bottomed out under Pelini, who assisted LSU claim the nationwide champion while in the same position under Les Miles in 2007 however has struggled managing an unit capable of stopping Mississippi State and Missouri. That bodes improperly for the efficiency of this defense against the very best teams in the SEC. After allowing 3,341 passing lawns and 20 goals in 15 video games last season, the Tigers have currently quit 1,142 backyards and 10 ratings through the air.
Texas.
Texas has lost 5 of 6 against Oklahoma. The Longhorns have permitted a minimum of 33 points in each of their three video games against Big 12 competition. UT is 4-6 in its last 10 versus the Big 12. Fourth-year coach Tom Herman is up to 27-17 total and 18-12 in conference play. Its not a lovely photo.
Mississippi State.
Remember when Mississippi State was set to take college football by storm after beating LSU in its opener? The Wildcats held the Bulldogs to 275 passing lawns on 70 attempts and made 6 interceptions to win 24-2.
Alabamas defense.
Any concerns about whether Mac Jones could lead the Crimson Tide offense are formally laid to rest after he threw for another 417 lawns with 2 touchdowns and simply 4 incompletions in a 63-48 win against Ole Miss. There are renewed issues over the Alabama defense, which allowed the Rebels to gain 268 lawns on the ground and 647 backyards in general. Has the Ole Miss offense progressed under Lane Kiffin? Yeah, and quickly. Churning out that amount of yardage in pieces raises questions about whether Alabama can handle up-tempo schemes..
Pittsburgh.
After last weeks 30-29 loss to N.C. State, Pitt lost 31-30 in overtime to Boston College after missing an additional point. With Miami and Notre Dame up next, these close losses might signify the start of the end for the Panthers hopes of an above-average season.
Follow USA TODAY Sports colleges press reporter Paul Myerberg on Twitter @PaulMyerberg.
