by Dylan Brossette (Special to ESPN 1420)

Well, it may have taken seven games – seven long agonizing games – of people throughout our fare Bayou State holding their bated breath, but Leonard Fournette at long last fulfilled the hype and lived up to what so many talking heads said for years he would become.

Fournette almost single-handedly led the Tigers to their 30-27 win over the Florida Gators Saturday night in Gainesville, rushing for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns while his gunslinging counterpart Anthony Jennings maintained yet another middling 10-21 performance, chipping in 110 yards.

While I thoroughly enjoyed observing Fournette gash the Gators time after time, and felt myself becoming giddy with excitement at the prospect of having him at least two more seasons, I also had to remind myself it was just one performance. Albeit a solid and resounding one.

Thankfully, I think the talks of the true freshman winning the Heisman have finally died off, as the rigors of facing semi-pro quality teams caught up to “next Adrian Peterson,” but you could definitely see flashes of the talent that has coaches in Red Stick licking their chops to get this guy in the weight room and fully ingratiate him in the playbook.

Outside of Fournette, the offense looked as stagnate as always, and that is disappointing. However, the zombie-esque unit the Tigers have called their defense took heed of the players only meeting held earlier this week, and must have decided they were tired of hearing me complain about them – that’s what I’ll tell myself anyway.

I am now hoping the addition of Kendall Beckwith to the linebacking corps will offer the injection of new blood and raw talent that D.J. Welter could not provide, and if Jermauria Rasco and Danielle Hunter raise their level of play the way they did Saturday night, the Tigers may find the slightest trace of a pulse as they plunge further into SEC play. I’m not holding my breath yet.

I am feeling a great deal more hope coming out of this game, far more than last week’s Auburn debacle. Right now, there are still many holes in the offense for the proposition of a salvaged season to come to fruition. I still predict a few bad losses against Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas A&M, but I like the bones of how the LSU running attack could blossom.

The pieces are there, folks. It is up to the staff at LSU to aid them in realizing their full capability and put these young players in the best position to maximize their talent. This season may not be what we wanted, but I think this team will be soon.

 

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