LSU entered Saturday afternoon as a popular potential upset pick, as the team had to go to the always tricky Starkville to take on Mississippi State in their SEC opener. It didn’t take long for them to squash any idea of an upset, though, as the team took a 24-7 lead into halftime and looked like the potential Playoff contender they were hyped up to be coming into the season.
A lead this emphatic means it’s easy to justify giving some run to young fellas, so after his 11-carry, 62-yard performance against Grambling State last season, LSU put 4-star true freshman running back Kaleb Jackson on the field. He took a relatively normal handoff, tried to go up the middle, bounced it to the outside, and was 1-on-1 with a defensive back, who learned the hard way that this youngster can lay the lumber.
The Freshman Bulldozer
@Kaleb_TheGreat
ESPN pic.twitter.com/IPBOzqx1Wm
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) September 16, 2023
That man went backwards a full six yards because he got a shoulder dropped into his chest! It was an impressive bit of ball carrying by Jackson, to the point that it caught the attention of a former LSU running back who was pretty good at doing this stuff to opposing players.
That man has a family in the stands
https://t.co/DObgkSg1eI
— 7⃣ Leonard Fournette (@_fournette) September 16, 2023
This does, indeed, look like it hurt.