LSU Football: 5 Takeaways from breakthrough 2018 season

2. Joe Burrow’s late season improvement a big development for 2019

Joe Burrow was probably given too much credit for LSU’s hot start to the season. His transfer from Ohio State was seen as the missing piece for the Tigers this season despite his numbers actually being worse than departed starter Danny Etling.

He finished the season as the 12th most efficient passer in the SEC, but there were some legitimate glimmers of hope for the rising senior late in the season. Three of his four most prolific passing games in 2018 came over the last three games of the season.

After struggling in back-to-back games against Mississippi State and Alabama, Burrow played great down the stretch, posting passer ratings above 150 in LSU’s final four games. He threw 10 touchdowns to just a single interception in that stretch, averaging just south of 300 yards-per-game through the air.

Burrow flashed plenty of moxie down the stretch of the season, keeping LSU afloat in the seven overtime road loss to Texas A&M despite plenty of adversity. He scored six touchdowns in the two-point loss in College Station.

He flashed that same moxie in the Fiesta Bowl win over UCF, shaking off a first-quarter pick-six and a leveling hit from a Knights lineman. He shook off the interception and the brutal hit by carving up UCF’s defense for 394 yards and four touchdowns.

Burrow will be back to Baton Rouge for his senior season, and his return is a big reason for optimism that the Tigers can build off the momentum they gathered in 2018 and push Alabama for the SEC West.