Tigers showing progress in Matt McMahon’s Year 2

LSU got off to a 12-1 start last year that included a big conference opening win against Arkansas. McMahon’s Year 1 looked bright after that. But then, next thing you knew, LSU was 12-15 after a 14-game losing streak.

It started with a close loss to Kentucky, which was read as another good sign. After that, it all fell apart. The team took a couple of losses and proceeded to lose by double-digits night after night. There wasn’t much fight shown within games or on a game-to-game basis.

This year is different. LSU’s first few games with a mixed bag. There was a rough loss to Nicholls State followed by good performances against Dayton, North Texas and Wake Forest, all top 100 teams.

LSU got it together after that. It managed the nonconference, losing some games to good teams, but it didn’t find itself on the wrong end of any more embarrassing upsets.

When conference play got off to a rough start, LSU didn’t quit then either. The Tigers have a knack for bouncing back and competing throughout the game, even when the opponent is more talented.

This is a good sign and it speaks to what McMahon can do as a coach. This was a full rebuild when he took the job and it’s not nearly complete, but his message is starting to slip through.

It was a bad look to lose 14 in a row like that last year. Fans began to question if McMahon was right for the job. Right now, there aren’t many doubts and you have to like where this program is going.