10/29/26 5:20 am CT

Good morning, Tiger Fans,

October is quickly approaching its end, and No. 15 LSU is enjoying an open week before a treacherous November slate that begins with a highly anticipated showdown against No. 10 Alabama in Tiger Stadium. As most of you know, that game will kick off next Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on ABC, marking the first time in 16 years that these two rivals will meet in Tiger Stadium during the day.

Lane Kiffin was asked about the unusual kickoff time during yesterday’s SEC teleconference and admitted he hadn’t expected the league to schedule this rivalry for an afternoon slot. He also shared an interesting reaction to the suggestion that the SEC might be trying to take away LSU’s home-field advantage by keeping the game out of prime time. “And I was like, ‘Well, if someone thinks the SEC wants us to win this year after what’s been going on. They must have just been on Mars the last four months.’ So I guess when I look at it that way, I’m not surprised.”

And speaking of the ongoing friction between LSU and the SEC, there’s a significant new development in the RJ Luis Jr. eligibility saga. According to NOLA.com, attorneys for the former St. John’s basketball standout filed a petition Tuesday asking a Baton Rouge judge to prevent the SEC from punishing LSU if Will Wade adds Luis to the Tigers’ roster. On Wednesday, Judge Ronald Johnson granted a temporary injunction that clears the way for Luis to practice and play, at least until a November 13 hearing. 

As you’ll recall, Luis previously won an injunction against the NCAA, but LSU has held off on rostering him because of the SEC’s rules concerning players with professional experience. In fact, Wade said earlier this month, “We’re going to follow all the SEC protocols with him.” Now, with the threat of conference penalties temporarily blocked, the question is whether LSU will actually add Luis to its roster in time for Tuesday’s season opener against LSU New Orleans. Stay tuned.

Now, getting back to football, let’s continue our three-part series on areas where LSU can improve as the Tigers prepare for their challenging November schedule. Yesterday, we looked at guard play and linebackers. Today, we’ll turn our attention to two other areas that could make a big difference down the stretch: special teams and red-zone efficiency.

AREAS WHERE LSU CAN IMPROVE
Part 2

Special teams play

The Tigers have been good in this area this season, but they may need to be great to win four straight in November. That means no long kickoff returns, no punt return touchdowns, continued steady kicking from Scott Starzyk and more booming punts from Grant Chadwick.

I suppose the biggest surprise on this unit this season has been Chadwick’s leg. LSU was sixth in the SEC in punting average last season, with Chadwick averaging 45 yards per punt. This year? He’s averaging under 40 yards per punt, which ranks last in the conference.

Take the Auburn game, for instance. It didn’t matter in the end because LSU rolled, but Chadwick averaged just 33.3 yards on three punts and pinned Auburn inside the 20-yard line only once.

When LSU gets into a tight game where field position can tilt things in either direction, the Tigers have to be much sharper here. And it’s not just Chadwick. Returners have to show better judgment at times, and the punt coverage team can’t allow massive returns like the one at Kentucky.

There’s really been only one game this season where special teams played a huge role in the final outcome. A lot of us came away from that Kentucky game saying, “Well, if LSU hadn’t allowed that punt return,” or “If the officials had called that block in the back, the Tigers would have won.”

If this unit can eliminate those kinds of “ifs,” it’ll go a long way toward helping LSU win tight ballgames against elite SEC opponents.

Continue upward trajectory in the red zone

We like where this is heading. LSU made five trips to the red zone against Auburn and scored on every single one of them, including four touchdowns. And if you compare LSU’s touchdown rate in the red zone to the rest of the conference, the Tigers rank fifth in the SEC at 71.1%. Again, trending in the right direction here.

Perhaps the most amazing red-zone stat is the number of trips LSU has made. The Tigers have reached the red zone 45 times this season, more than any other team in the country. LSU currently ranks 41st nationally in red-zone scoring percentage and 28th in touchdown percentage.

Tiger fans will take those numbers in a heartbeat after how things started. Through the first month of the season, LSU ranked 105th nationally in red-zone scoring percentage (79.2%) and tied for 78th in touchdown percentage (62.5%).

Trey’Dez Green’s return will certainly help the Tigers in this area going forward. And I’d argue his presence played a direct role in LSU’s 5-for-5 showing at Auburn last weekend.

Moving the ball has not been an issue for this LSU offense. The Tigers rank sixth nationally in total offense, but finishing drives has hampered them at times, especially in that September loss at Ole Miss.

It’s clear LSU is improving in the red zone, and that needs to continue. Adding a big target like the 6-foot-7 Green back into the mix, and taking advantage of the mismatches he creates, should certainly help.

Stay tuned for a few more thoughts on where LSU can improve as it prepares for a challenging November stretch with its College Football Playoff hopes on the line.

Closing Tidbits:

• Another thing you can stay tuned for in tomorrow’s post is a little baseball talk. That’s because Coach Jay Johnson will meet with the media to discuss fall practice as it reaches the halfway mark and preview this weekend’s exhibition games against Samford in Biloxi. The games are set for Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. at Keesler Federal Park.

• Kim Mulkey’s Tigers will be back in action tonight for their final exhibition game before the regular season. No. 9 LSU hosts Loyola of New Orleans at 7 p.m. in the PMAC, and admission is free. After routing UNT Dallas 159-31 in their first exhibition, the Tigers will look to build on that performance before opening the regular season Monday against Southeastern Louisiana. Tonight’s game will stream on SEC Network+.

• If you’re like me and enjoy a good film study every now and then, you might want to check out this one by Landon Tengwall. It’s a great look at how LSU’s offense throttled Auburn last week. I especially like that Tengwall spends a lot of time breaking down what the linemen are doing, since that’s often hard to follow in real time.

• Lastly, we’ve updated our Ticket Exchange and Extra Points with new listings.

Enjoy your Thursday, Tiger Fans.