New Orleans • It’s a tough thing a team must do when it gets crushed, especially in the early part of a season.
It has to choose between two unhappy conclusions — either it stares down and blames its own reflection in the mirror, its own shortcomings, for the result or it looks straight at the other guys, humbly nods, and understands that they are flat superior, far superior.
On Saturday night, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the clear evidence in BYU’s case tilted toward … toward … uh, toward … what? LSU’s supremacy? BYU’s offensive ineptitude? If it really was the former and not the latter, it was up to the Cougars to figure out whether that realization brought them any solace, whether it hurt them more or less. Either way, they certainly had — and have — some troubling issues, beginning with this: Their offense sucked.
And LSU tortured them for it.
The Tigers handled their own business in front of their own fans, by the count of 27-0, in a venue that was supposed to be a neutral site, but was as partisan as any building could be. Turns out, Death Valley has a side slot canyon that’s just as lethal right here in the Crescent City. But that wasn’t any kind of excuse, it wasn’t one of BYU’s choices.
A Cougar offense that lurched in its first game, against a lesser opponent, this time utterly collapsed against a better one. The Cougars gained a mere 97 yards to LSU’s 479. They could not make plays, let alone sustain drives, and didn’t cross the 50-yard line. Quarterback Tanner Mangum was ineffective, particularly after everyone realized that the O could not go on the ground, against an LSU defensive front that was … unrelenting. A complication for Ty Detmer’s attack was that the opponent’s defensive secondary was just as difficult.
If the Cougars couldn’t effectively run and couldn’t effectively pass, nobody could think of any other way to try to advance the ball.
On the other side, BYU’s defense attempted to give the visitors a chance, knowing full well that, in most cases, when teams beat LSU, they keep the scoring down and find a way to win at the end. Ironically, that’s exactly what Tigers coach Ed Orgeron said in the run-up to the game was BYU’s strength.
If he was right, he was wrong on this night.
BYU’s defense struggled to slow LSU’s ground game, led as it was by Derrius Guice, who repeatedly pounded that D-front. He scored two touchdowns. This was major trouble for the Cougars, since they, again and again, saw minutes chewed off the clock, unable to get stops, unable to cause turnovers, unable to get off the field for long stretches, unable to rupture LSU’s pass offense, unable to breathe.
That was due, in part, to the sorry BYU offense’s inability to do anything at all.
Instead, the D was punished, while that offense found no rhythm.
One of many instances came in the first half — after the defense allowed a long scoring march, Mangum launched a deep ball that was picked, giving his defense no blow whatsoever. Immediately thereafter, a 52-yard completion put the ball on the doorstep of BYU’s goal line, with Guice scoring from there, handing LSU a 14-zip lead early in the second quarter. The Tigers rolled from there.
As mentioned, the only way BYU had any shot in this game was if the defense played like grown men, as the Tigers played a brand of offensive ball that absolutely required it.
At no time did it feel as though that could be accomplished.
So, BYU now looks at its own reflection, knowing it is not the equal of a quality team. Maybe it can, in fact, get better. The Cougars had best hope so, with rival Utah coming up next, Wisconsin and Boise State and Mississippi State standing in their path thereafter.
Few thought they had a chance here at the Superdome, and perhaps the Cougars, themselves, fell in with the majority.
They were right.
GORDON MONSON hosts “The Big Show” with Spence Checketts weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 97.5 FM and 1280 AM The Zone.