LSU Tigers

LSU Football: Why The Florida Cancellation Benefits The Tigers

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The LSU Tigers did not play the Florida Gators this past Saturday, and with no real shot at the game getting rescheduled at this point, it’s time to start looking forward.

We all know how poorly the entire situation was handled and how much this game meant for building momentum in the early stages of the Ed Oregon era, but the game didn’t happen, and now all we can do is look ahead to Southern Miss and the tough conference slate down the stretch.

This team could have taken a big step forward with a road win over the #18 team in the nation, but there are still some positives that can be taken away from the team getting an off week. It was not ideal, but here are a few ways the bye week benefitted the LSU Tigers. 

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

1. The Progression Of Danny Etling

When the Tigers finally decided to move on from quarterback Brandon Harris and insert Purdue transfer Danny Etling, the LSU offense immediately took a big step forward. The team was still not producing at the level we had hoped to see, but Etling gave us glimmers of hope in his first couple of games.

Since that point, he and the offense have improved tremendously. He has proven to be a good player at the quarterback position, putting up his best performance of the season last week in a 42-7 win over the Missouri Tigers. His ability to get the ball to the receivers and spread the field has opened up lanes for the running backs, and the entire offense has benefited as a result.

With a new head coach who is determined to improve this team’s ability to move the ball through the air, Etling’s numbers should only go up. He has shown the ability to lead the offense, but with limited samples and a new system, he still has some developing to do.

That’s one reason why a week off greatly benefits this LSU team. Southern Miss does not present much of a challenge, but the stretch beginning the following week is about as tough as it gets. Having an extra week to prepare Etling to face the Tigers’ grueling SEC schedule is certainly a positive, and if they can take advantage of it and continue to progress him, LSU may have a shot at winning these games.

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

2. Rest For Leonard Fournette

For the first few weeks of the season, it was clear that star LSU running back Leonard Fournette was not fully healthy. His nagging ankle injury was bothering him, and it was impacting his play. He finally got it rested and healed, and we expected to see him at a full 100% against Auburn.

Fournette looked good against the Tigers, but that little bit of encouragement was quickly snuffed out, as he re-injured the right ankle in the closing minutes of the contest. He then missed the game against Missouri, and was slated to sit out Saturday’s game against the Florida Gators. We don’t know what his status is for this week just yet.

If LSU is to get back into the thick of things in the SEC standings, they will need Fournette to be full-go when they open the stretch run of their conference schedule. Having an extra week to rest up could prove to be huge for the Tigers if their star running back is able to get back on the field in the coming weeks.

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

3. More Time To Make Scheme Changes

When Les Miles was let go and Ed Orgeron took over, we knew we were in store for some pretty big scheme changes, especially on offense. The system Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron were running with was clearly broken, and if Orgeron was going to put this team in position to win, he was going to have to completely scrap what they were doing.

The problem is, it’s almost impossible to make any kind of drastic changes in the middle of the season. All you can do is make subtle adjustments from week-to-week, and Orgeron said that was his plan from the start. We saw some of his tweaks against Missouri, and it resulted in the team’s best offensive showing of the year.

Many were excited to see what he could do against Florida after a second week with the team, but unfortunately, that did not happen.

The bright side of that is Orgeron is now given two weeks instead of one to implement his changes. If you think about it, with Southern Miss this week, he really has three weeks to make adjustments before the brutal conference slate begins. Three weeks is enough time to instill some major tweaks in a system, and that could be critical as the remainder of the schedule plays out.

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