In the “no kidding” department, Les Miles summed up his team’s issues yesterday by saying it’s time to run and throw the ball better.  No shock.  In SEC games only, LSU ranks 11th in the league in both rushing and passing the football.  That’s not championship-calibre offensive production by any stretch.

But the coach also said — in his inimitable style — that the Tigers aren’t planning a move from Zach Mettenberger to a more mobile-type quarterback to help in those areas.

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Bye-bye, moustache.  LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger has shaved his facial hair in an attempt to change the luck for his sometimes struggling offense:

“The moustache was a great look for me, but unfortunately we didn’t play too hot the first five games.  I’m hoping to bring a different vibe to the offense and some good luck.”

What the Tigers really need are less stumbles and bumbles when they have the football, not less facial hair.

LSU is currently ranked 11th in the SEC in fumbles lost with six, but they’ve put the ball on the ground an additional five times for a grand total of 11 fumbles through five games.  Two fumbles per contest?  That’s way too many.

The Tigers are also seventh in the conference in sacks allowed having given up 11 total.  Les Miles says Mettenberger is working on getting rid of the ball faster.  “My game is definitely not running around laterally in the pocket,” the quarterback told The Baton Rouge Advocate.  “I’m a north-south type of guy, but this year, I’ve have to try to create plays.  Out of frustration I guess I do it too much.  I need to stick to the gameplan and my abilities.”

LSU is 13th — out of 14 SEC schools — in terms of penalty-yards-per-game.  The Tigers have been flagged 42 times for 305 yards… an average of 61.0 yards per game lost.

Yes, the Tigers are still 5-0 and ranked #4 in the nation.  But if they don’t begin to clean up their mix-ups on offense, that undefeated record might not last too long.

Playing well, the Tigers will be hard for anyone to beat.  Which is why they can’t afford to beat themselves.

LSU 41 – Washington 3

1. Tigers offense rolls up 437 yards while the defense limits the Huskies to just 183.

2. LSU hounds Huskies QB Keith Price – four sacks and seven hurries.

3. Zach Mettenberger 12-of-18 throwing – receivers drop five balls.

4. From a Supreme Court justice to Shaq – celebrity sightings at Tiger Stadium.

LSU Video Highlights

Kentucky 47 – Kent State 14

5. Kentucky wins its seventh straight home opener in front of the smallest crowd since 1996.

6. Joker Phillips on attendance: ”We’ve got to put a better product on the field than we have in the past and they’ll come.”

7. 11 catches for 100 yards for wide receiver Aaron Boyd.

8. 27 plays gained at least seven yards.

Kentucky Video Highlights

1.  Realignment nugget: Syracuse will officially leave the Big East for the ACC next July.  (Your move, Pittsburgh.)

2.  Welcome back, Tony Barnhart.  Here are his five questions heading into SEC Media Days.

3.  Here’s a look at Alabama’s tailbacks…

4.  And a look at Auburn’s tailbacks.

5.  New quarterback Zach Mettenberger is getting plenty of attention at LSU.

6.  Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin is excited about his SEC debut.

7.  Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones is the SEC’s top player according to The Gainesville Sun.

8.  Tennessee linebacker Herman Lathers is pushing forward after missing 2011 with an injury.

9. Vanderbilt is taking advantage of NCAA rule changes in basketball.

10.  In case you didn’t know it, the SEC is no place for job security.

11.  Check the latest on the SEC players making preseason award watch lists right here.

12.  And get yer college football bowl predictions right here.

1.  There should be plenty of NFL draft picks from the SEC again next year.  (Shock!)

2.  Auburn’s Gene Chizik is looking for a starting quarterback with mental toughness.

3.  Oh, and you can now officially start the clock on Chizik’s tenure on the Plains.

4.  Arkansas AD Jeff Long will be held accountable for his next hire… not the hire of interim coach John L. Smith.

5.  Les Miles believes he has one “capable backup” to new starting quarterback Zach Mettenberger at LSU.

6.  Texas A&M’s board of regents will take up the contract status of outgoing AD Bill Byrne when they meet this week.

7.  The Kentucky basketball team will be heading to the White House to the meet the President on Friday.

8.  Tennessee’s once gushing NFL talent spigot should be open up again over the next two years.

Les Miles might have done the best coaching work of his career in 2011.  Note that we say 2011 and we don’t include the nightmare offensive gameplan trotted out by the Tigers in January, 2012.

Coming off an SEC Championship and a 13-1 season, Miles isn’t backing down from high expectations.  He’s embracing them.  Heck, he’s feeding them:

“We came off a really strong spring. Everybody realizes that we can be a really dominant football team.  I think offensively, we’ll move the football better than we did last year.  With that being said, let’s go see.”

The main reason Miles thinks LSU will move the ball better is new signal-caller Zach Mettenberger.  Of the ex-Georgia and juco QB, the coach said: “Not only is he a guy who can throw it, but he’s really worked hard at understanding what he needs to do. He made better decisions even this spring than he did last fall. I think he’s done a great job. I think he’s very excited about the opportunity to be the leader and the quarterback. And I think the offense has had really good chemistry based on that.”

After the sour note produced by LSU’s last offensive performance, that should be music to Tiger fans’ ears.

1.  Anthony Grant opens up about the comings and goings from Alabama’s roster.

2.  Jaison Fowler is adding toughness to Bama’s running game this spring.

3.  Great story: Shon Coleman’s Auburn teammates cheered when the cancer survivor practiced for the first time yesterday.

4.  Auburn’s receivers are learning a new game under new O-coordinator Scot Loeffler.

5.  Best headline of the day: Bobby Petrino says he’s sorry, and Arkansas agrees by firing him.

6.  Petrino — as noted earlier today — can seek a review of his dismissal.

7.  Hog quarterback Tyler Wilson isn’t planning on heading to the NFL’s supplemental draft despite Arkansas’ troubles.

8.  New LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger passed a big test this spring.

9.  With Trent Johnson leaving, Tiger basketballer Johnny O’Bryant says, “Everything’s kind of up in the air right now.”

10.  Mississippi State is shaking up it’s O-line.

11.  And another one gone and another one gone… MSU hoops signee Josh Gray has been given a release.  “I committed to Coach Stansbury,” he said.

12.  Randall Mackey is moving to receiver at Ole Miss with Barry Brunetti and Bo Wallace left to duke it out for the starting quarterback job.

13.  New coach Hugh Freeze says his team is facing several issues on the academics front.

14.  The cost of Freeze’s first staff is less than Houston Nutt’s last staff.

15.  Maybe that money will go to Andy Kennedy who just got a one-year extension from new AD Ross Bjork.

1.  This writer says Alabama was wise not to saddle Nick Saban with a mega-buyout.

2.  Crimson Tide hoops attendance has made big strides since Anthony Grant’s arrival.

3.  Auburn linebacker Kris Frost is “shaking off the rust” on the Plains.

4.  Tiger players seem to like the new styles two new coordinators have brought to their program.

5.  New Arkansas D-coordinator Paul Haynes isn’t having his veterans do much tackling so far in spring practice.

6.  Tenarius Wright says “it’s a dream come true” to be a full-time linebacker.

7.  This scribe says LSU’s best and only option at quarterback is Zach Mettenberger.

8.  That’s partly because he’s already taken on the leadership role of a starting QB.

9.  Josh Boyd will try to replace defensive tackle Fletcher Cox at Mississippi State this fall.

10.  As you already know, Arnett Moultrie — MSU’s top scorer and rebounder — is heading to the NBA.

11.  New Ole Miss AD Ross Bjork is starting to do some Q&As in Oxford.

12.  The SEC has denied Texas A&M’s request for a waiver that would allow them to keep their band right behind the opposing team’s bench at Kyle Field.  (That’s a no-no in the SEC.)

13.  New Aggie coach Kevin Sumlin has a big job ahead of him.

Sort of a light day of action around the SEC today…

1.  Zach Mettenberger says he’s ready to take over LSU’s offense.

2.  The ex-Georgia quarterbacks is expected to be one of the new stars of the 2012 Tigers.

3.  Florida has already clinched a bye in the SEC Tournament.

4.  Kentucky’s Ridge Wilson — arrested for drug trafficking over the weekend — was allowed by former coach Rich Brooks to return to UK’s team after allegedly striking his girlfriend in 2009.

5.  Will the NCAA’s new kickoff rule backfire?

6.  Mid-season addition Jarnell Stokes is still learning his role at Tennessee.

7.  As well as Vanderbilt shoots from the field, free throws could be the Commodores’ eventual undoing.

1.  The SEC has named its Players of the Week.

2.  No surprise… Alabama’s getting it done with defense.

3.  Nick Saban believes his O-line was “much better” this past weekend.

4.  Two games in and Auburn is still searching for a defensive identity.  (Better to be doing that at 2-0 than 0-2, however.)

5.  Heading to Clemson next, AU needs to start making some third-down stops.

6.  Arkansas’ offense made progress in a 52-3 win over New Mexico…

7.  But quarterback Tyler Wilson had to leave the game with concussion-like symptoms.

8.  There’s no time for rest in Baton Rouge as the Tigers must prepare for a Thursday night affair in Starkville.

9.  Sure they came against Northwestern State, but Jarrett Lee and Zach Mettenberger rolled up some pretty good passing numbers on Saturday.

10.  Houston Nutt says his team has shown flashes of being a good football team this season.

11.  Ole Miss hasn’t run the ball well and Vanderbilt — off to solid start defensively — is up next.

12.  Against Auburn, MSU lost a game it should have won.

13.  Dan Mullen now must quickly get his team to rebound from a tough loss in time for a Thursday game with a Top 5 team.