SEC Championship: Beatdown shows how far LSU still has to go

For most of this season, it has looked like Brian Kelly was ahead of schedule in rebuilding LSU.

The Tigers easily exceeded preseason expectations when they got ranked, when they beat Alabama, when they clinched the SEC West with 1 league game remaining and when they ascended to the cusp of a Top 4 College Football Playoff ranking.

That was all good stuff.

But it masked the reality that Kelly still has a long way to go to make the Tigers a viable contender for an SEC championship — let alone a national-championship contender.

The reality was exposed in a 38-23 loss at Texas A&M last week and it was driven home by the 50-30 beatdown that No. 14 LSU received from No. 1 Georgia in the SEC title game on Saturday afternoon in Atlanta.

The Bulldogs (13-0) showed what a bona fide SEC champion looks like, what a defending national champion and clear-cut favorite to repeat looks like and what a program that Kelly and the Tigers (9-4) aspire to have looks like.

But LSU was merely a sparring partner.

It didn’t have the size, strength or depth on either line to compete with Georgia.

It couldn’t run the ball.

Jayden Daniels was effective as a pocket passer in the early going, but LSU had little to show for it and the Bulldogs put an end to that in the 2nd quarter.

Kayshon Boutte did manage to make his most Kayshon Boutte-looking play of the season on a 53-yard touchdown catch that briefly tied the score at 7.

But shortly after that Daniels found himself under constant duress, and he was forced from the game at halftime.

Meanwhile, Stetson Bennett was able to operate duress-free. On virtually every pass play, he was able to wait as long as was necessary for 1 or more receivers to get open without ever being bothered by an LSU defender.

Bennett took advantage by throwing 4 touchdown passes, as the Bulldogs raced to a 35-10 halftime lead. He finished 23 of 29 for 274 yards.

The Tigers actually began the game looking like an underdog capable of positioning itself to have a chance at an upset.

On their 2nd drive of the game, they drove to a 1st-and-goal at the 7, but they stalled when Daniels was sacked.

Then the special teams, which have been plagued by disastrous plays all season, came up with its most inexplicable break-down yet.

Damian Ramos’ 32-yard field goal was blocked — just as his potential overtime-producing PAT was blocked with no time remaining, sealing the season-opening loss to Florida State.

This was worse.

After the kick was blocked, the football trickled inside the 5-yard line and the LSU field-goal team seemed to think the play was over. In fact, it was just beginning.

The Bulldogs’ Christopher Smith stood over the ball, seemingly in disbelief at the opportunity in front of him, before picking the ball up and sprinting 96 yards for a touchdown.

The Tigers were close to taking a 7-0 lead (or at least 6-0), even closer to taking a 3-0 lead and instead were down 7-0.

A team’s lack of quality depth often shows up on special teams, and that has been the case with this depth-challenged team.

To their credit, they didn’t sulk but seemed to get angry, and on the 3rd play of the next possession Daniels and Boutte teamed for their touchdown.

But Georgia needed just 6 plays to respond with a touchdown, and it wound up scoring 4 touchdowns in less than a quarter of game time.

The Tigers were down 35-10 at halftime.

Daniels, who was sacked 3 times and hit several more times, was replaced by Garrett Nussmeier to start the 3rd quarter.

Nussmeier got them within 18 points and 19 points in the 3rd quarter, but no closer. He did some good stuff — completing 15 of 27 for 294 yards with 2 touchdowns. And some not-so-good stuff — an interception and a lost fumble.

Kelly, his staff and their players did a commendable job in winning 9 games and taking advantage of a West Division that wasn’t quite up to its normal standard to earn a spot in the title game.

The Tigers have a lot of momentum on the recruiting trail and should be an ascending program for the foreseeable future.

They may well be back in the title game soon, perhaps as soon as next season.

But there is much work left to be done before they have a realistic shot at winning in Atlanta and earning a CFP berth during the 1st weekend in December.