re: LSU fans feeling real chirpy in advance of our game

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They actually pass the ball, so yes they have improved

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Let's do a blind comparison.

Team A
Game 1: 18/28 228 yds 2 td 0 int 8.1 ypa
Game 2: 13/19 202 yds 2 td 0 int 10.6 ypa
Game 3: 11/20 286 yds 3 td 0 int 14.3 ypa

Three game totals
42/67 62.6%
716 total yards 238.67 ypg 10.68 ypa
7 td 0 int

All games vs FBS foes with a combined record at game time of 14-7. Two of three games against SEC foes.

Team B
Game 1: 11/18 276 yds 3 td 1 int 15.3 ypa
Game 2: 19/30 216 yds 0 td 0 int 7.2 ypa
Game 3: 19/28 204 yds 1 td 1 int 7.3 ypa

Three game totals
49/76 64.5%
696 total yards 232 ypg 9.16 ypa
4 td 2 int

All games vs FBS foes with combined records at game time of 9-10. Two of three games against SEC foes.


In Summary, team B has seven more completions over the 3 game stretch, but only a 2% better completion ratio. Team A threw for 20 more yards, had higher ypa and ypg averages, threw 3 more touchdowns, 2 less interceptions (actually threw no picks), and faced foes with significantly better records.

Tell me which team has the better passing attack? It is a close call but based on the pure statistics, I'd take Team A every single time.

Team A is 2015 LSU with Brandon Harris in the three games prior to facing Bama. Team B is 2016 LSU with Danny Etling in the three games prior to facing Bama.

LSU could win the game. Etling may channel his inner Stephen Garcia and/or Bama may shite the bed but when you take the names off and look at the cold, hard numbers there is utterly no reason to think LSU has suddenly found a resurgent passing attack. They're the same to slightly worse than they were last season. The one and only difference is that they hit an Auburn team that is far better than expected this year, which prompted them to make a coaching change. The recent improvement has also corresponded with a much easier stretch in the schedule and now LSU fans all think that correlation = causation. We'll see in two weeks if that's the case, but it probably isn't.