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LSU Football: 3 takeaways from Tigers’ convincing upset over Miami

By Gavin Jernigan

ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 02: Nick Brossette #4 of the LSU Tigers runs for a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the first quarter during the AdvoCare Classic at AT&T Stadium on September 2, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 02: Nick Brossette #4 of the LSU Tigers runs for a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the first quarter during the AdvoCare Classic at AT&T Stadium on September 2, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 02: Cole Tracy #36 of the LSU Tigers kicks a field goal against the Miami Hurricanes in the first quarter of The AdvoCare Classic at AT&T Stadium on September 2, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 02: Cole Tracy #36 of the LSU Tigers kicks a field goal against the Miami Hurricanes in the first quarter of The AdvoCare Classic at AT&T Stadium on September 2, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

2. Football is a game of inches

In a game where your offense and defense gets off to a slow start, the only thing that can make it worse is bad special team’s play and penalties. Both played a significant factor in Miami’s early game struggles.

In the early part of the first quarter, Miami cornerback, Trajan Bandy, was ejected due to a targeting penalty. This was the start of the discipline issues for the Hurricanes. LSU was also able to earn extra yards on offense by drawing the Miami defensive line offsides. The Hurricanes ended the game with 11 penalties.

Miami also struggled to win the field position battle due to issues in the punting game. The Hurricanes’ punter, Zach Feagles, averaged a net of 32 yards punting, with his first and third punt of the game only travelling 20 and 22 yards, respectively. The short field for LSU aided in their opportunity to get points on the board.

On that note, LSU kicker, Cole Tracy connected on all four of his field goal attempts, with a long of 54 yards. Miami’s kicker, Bubba Baxa, missed one field goal early in the game. The kicking game and penalties made the difference in the narrative of this game.

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