Tiger Up, Tiger Down: Which LSU players stood out on Saturday
It was a good night in Death Valley as the LSU Tigers defended their home turf at Tiger Stadium. The team improved to 35-0 in their last 35 games where they wore purple jerseys with gold pants and helmets.
Head coach Ed Orgeron had to be pleased with the performance of his team in the final tune-up game ahead of SEC play next week.
“We made some improvements tonight,” Orgeron said in his opening statement after the win. “I was very pleased with the up-tempo of our offense. I was really pleased with the play of the young receivers. I thought our quarterback, for the most part, played really well. Max had five touchdowns. You got to see what we’ve been seeing in practice with Deion Smith and those young receivers and a young running back. Some really good plays.”
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Virtual Report Card: Handing out grades in the LSU victory
Which LSU players stood out in the game? We break it down in our ‘Tiger Up, Tiger Down’ segment this week.
Tiger Up: Corey Kiner, Running Back
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Corey Kiner has really been a bright spot at running back the last two games. He once again led the team in rushing with his performance against Central Michigan. Of his 74 yards rushing, 61 came after contact. Kiner averaged 5.1 yards after contact per rush against the Chippewas with six missed tackles forced. Feeding No. 21 might be the move as they head into SEC play against Mississippi State this week.
Tiger Up: Max Johnson, Quarterback
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It was a historic night for the lefty quarterback. Max Johnson joined Zach Mettenberger and Joe Burrow in the record books with his five-touchdown performance. He completed 72% of his passes and pushed the ball down the field on multiple occasions.
Tiger Up: BJ Ojulari, Edge
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After seeing Maason Smith and Andre Anthony lead the charge in sacks against McNeese, it was BJ Ojulari who had his turn against Central Michigan. He tallied three sacks in the game with four total quarterback pressures.
Tiger Up: Deion Smith, Wide Receiver
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After collecting just two receptions for 13 yards against McNeese, Deion Smith exploded onto the scene in week three. He caught one touchdown pass when Smith went full Randy Moss over a CMU defender. Led the team in receptions, including his 24 yards after the catch. Smith also led the team in yards per route run at 5.4.
Tiger Up: Jack Bech, Wide Receiver/Tight End
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The other standout receiver from this game is freshman Jack Bech. He hauled in five receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown. His one-handed grab just showed how good his hands are, Kayshon Boutte said he will catch 10 out of 10 passes thrown his way. He led the team with 40 yards after the catch and second in yards per route with 3.12. The young guys are starting to emerge on offense.
Tiger Down: Tyrion Davis-Price, Running Back
(AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
It was another performance that Ty Davis-Price would like to forget against Central Michigan. He played a total of 29 snaps against CMU, five more than Kiner. Davis-Price carried the ball six times for just four yards.
Tiger Down: Blown Coverages
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Hard to find too much negative about a 28-point victory but receivers running free happened again on Saturday night. On what looked to be a missed assignment from Major Burns, JaCorey Sullivan took a pass 78-yards for a touchdown after CMU fell behind 21-0. It was the second 75+ yard touchdown the defense has allowed in three weeks. Something Daronte Jones needs to get cleaned up before Mississippi State this week.
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