LSU's win over Arkansas in Week 4 wasn't pretty, but it was still a win nonetheless. They hung on to take down the Razorbacks 34-31 at home to notch another win in the Golden Boot rivalry. LSU is now 3-1 on the season, but that doesn't mean they don't have room to improve upon.

LSU only outgained Arkansas by 83 yards, their first lead didn't come until the second half, and at one point, they trailed by 10 points. It took a field goal with five seconds left to go for the Tigers to come out victorious in this one. If LSU had not won the turnover battle 2-1, this game could have swung the opposite direction. LSU still was the better side and deserved to win, but there are two things that they need to improve upon if they want to avoid close calls like this one.

2. Jayden Daniels accuracy and decision making

This is not meant to make people think that Jayden Daniels did not play well in this game, because he was exceptional, especially in the second half. His stat line was great; he completed 20 of 29 passes for 320 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. But he did leave food on the table. There were a few instances where he overthrew wide open receivers down the field or just simply missed them. His interception came on a pass where he stared down his receiver and threw a ball that didn't have much of a chance, even if Dwight McGlothern didn't come off his man to swoop in for an interception.

Daniels also continued his propensity for getting hit in the open field while looking for extra yardage. No one wants to dissuade a mobile quarterback from using his legs, but Daniels needs to be smarter about it and avoid taking hits like these when he can.

Despite this, Daniels did more than enough to win this game for the Tigers. His throw to Malik Nabers to put LSU up 31-24 with 9:43 to go in the fourth quarter was a thing of beauty (and an incredible route by Nabers).

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Daniels is certainly good enough to get LSU where it wants to go, but he needs to play with a little more consistency and care for his body and the football. It could've cost them this past weekend and could bite them down the road if that part of his game doesn't improve.

1. LSU's secondary

It isn't a coincidence that LSU's two closest games this season have been the games where their secondary got torched. Jordan Travis and Florida State lit them up in the second half of that game, and KJ Jefferson had his way with this unit in Week 4. In LSU's loss to Florida State, Travis completed 23 of 31 passes for 342 yards and four touchdowns and an interception. Jefferson went 21 of 31 through the air for 289 yards and three touchdowns to go with two interceptions.

At least this unit has forced turnovers in these games but there also have been plenty of coverage busts and mistakes. LSU let Arkansas tight end Luke Hasz get loose multiple times for big plays by either miscommunicating or simply not executing properly. One of those plays went for a 59-yard touchdown, and another resulted in a nine-yard touchdown.

 

There are no shortages of potent offenses in the SEC. LSU will be going up against one of them in Week 5 when they take on Ole Miss. LSU better straighten some screws on defense, or they could get involved in another close game they surely want to avoid going forward.