How did Saints, LSU, Nicholls fare? Let’s grade ’em…

New Orleans Saints:

Quarterback: Drew Brees knew going in the Vikings’ secondary was injury-depleted. He didn’t do anything to disappoint in a solid, turnover-free effort.

GRADE: B

Halfbacks: We’ll give these guys a C+, but it could have probably been a lot better. It’s not their fault they weren’t given an opportunity to handle the ball until the third quarter.

GRADE: C+

Receivers: In total, nine Saints caught passes in the game. As great as Drew Brees is, it’s his receivers that put him over the top. These guys were great at finding the holes in the zone again on Thursday night.

GRADE: A

Offensive line: Drew Brees was only sacked once. Protecting him is their most important job. Mission accomplished.

GRADE: B+

Defensive line: Will Smith gets an “A”, but the rest of the unit struggled, particularly in run defense, as Adrian Peterson was able to amass close to 90 yards on the ground.

GRADE: C+

Linebackers: While Peterson was getting past the defensive line, he wasn’t getting past the linebackers, who were nasty in the opener.

GRADE: A+

Defensive backs: Brett Favre never found a rhythm, but he did have several open receivers all throughout the night. Sure, the defense got an interception, but that came from a linebacker, not a defensive back. This unit still has room to improve.

GRADE: C

Special Teams: Reggie Bush did what Reggie Bush tends to do … stink. Combine that with Garrett Hartley missing a pair of field goals, and this unit brings in the rear. The kick coverage was much improved, though.

GRADE: D

Coaching Staff: It was another masterful performance from the white-hot Sean Payton. The Saints weren’t amazing, but they didn’t have to be. They did just enough to win, and used just enough of their repertoire to have plenty in the sack for rainy days.

GRADE: B+

OVERALL GRADE: Not terrible, but not their best. The offense would love to run the football better and ultimately score more than 14 points. But they did enough to win – and in the season opener, that’s all that counts.

TEAM GRADE: B+

LSU Tigers:

Quarterback: Jordan Jefferson missed open receivers all night long in an uninspiring performance.

GRADE: D

Halfbacks: Alas, the LSU running game awoke from their two-year slumber. A total of six players got carries in a 280-yard rushing output.

GRADE: A+

Receivers: Hard to grade, because Jefferson never got them the football accurately. But maybe they didn’t get open well, either.

GRADE: C

Offensive line: They protected Jordan Jefferson and gashed Vanderbilt’s defensive line in the running game. Best performance for these guys in a long time.

GRADE: A-

Defensive line: The unit compiled six sacks and kept Vanderbilt off balance all game. This is the best front-four LSU has had in years. And that’s saying a lot.

GRADE: A+

Linebackers: They missed a tackle or two here or there, but they really fed off the dominant performance of their front-four. Solid, solid effort.

GRADE: B+

Defensive backs: Vanderbilt completed just eight passes all game, with the longest pass being for just 22 yards. As bad as this unit was in Atlanta, they were equally stout against the Commodores.

GRADE: B+

Special Teams: Patrick Peterson didn’t get loose, but neither did Vanderbilt’s Warren Norman. Kudos to Josh Jasper for hitting a pair of field goals, as well.

GRADE: B

Coaching Staff: The play calling was vanilla, but the big errors from the North Carolina game (turnovers, penalties, defensive communication) were all fixed. If LSU makes this much improvement per game the rest of the season, the team could be pretty formidable in a slightly-weakened SEC.

GRADE: B

OVERALL GRADE: This was much better than last week. LSU dominated from really the second quarter on and while they weren’t flashy, they controlled the line of scrimmage. That’s something they haven’t done in a long time.

TEAM GRADE: A-

Nicholls St. Colonels:

Quarterbacks: This was a big source of improvement for the Colonels. They didn’t turn the football over and they completed a solid percentage of their passes. Much, much better.

GRADE: B

Halfbacks: Despite being “out-beefed” by the Broncos, Nicholls did accumulate more than 100 yards rushing, led by Jesse Turner’s 93 yards on 16 carries.

GRADE: B-

Receivers: It’s tough for these guys, because they are so inexperienced in this offensive scheme. But they did fight the entire ballgame, and they did make some plays. Not great, but not bad, either.

GRADE: C+

Offensive line: They ran the ball for marginal success and they protected LaQuintin Caston. In conference, those things will equate to success.

GRADE: B

Defensive line: The Broncos were consistently able to find 4-to-5 yards on the ground when they chose to run the football. While it’s unfair to penalize Nicholls because of the gap dividing the two teams, these guys could be better. They just didn’t get enough pressure on the quarterback.

GRADE: C-

Linebackers: Much like the defensive line, they did what they could with the hand they were dealt. Not a bad outing.

GRADE: C+

Defensive backs: The Colonels were sliced and diced by Broncos’ quarterback Alex Carder, who passed for 290 yards and five touchdowns. Not the best day to be a Colonel defensive back.

GRADE: D-

Special Teams: The coverage teams were fine. Punter Patrick Dolan was fine. But the return teams and the field goal teams weren’t so hot.

GRADE: C

Coaching Staff: Charlie Stubbs impressed in this one. He had the Colonels ready to play. Nicholls trailed this game by just a 21-14 score at halftime. But superior talent prevailed and the game got out of control late.

GRADE: B

OVERALL GRADE: It’s very hard to give the Colonels a grade in these first few games because they are not playing teams equal to them in terms of talent. But they are hanging tough, and good things should come in the Southland season if they can fix their pass defense.

TEAM GRADE: C+