BATON ROUGE - LSU gets a chance to do something Saturday night that it hasn't been able to do much of this season: take a breath. The Tigers return home for their final non-conference game of the season when McNeese comes to Tiger Stadium. After last week's 35-6 win over Texas A&M, LSU enters the game 3-1 and ranked No. 11 nationally. On paper, this is the kind of game LSU should control, but that's not really the point. The Tigers have bigger things to figure out before SEC play takes over the schedule again. Keep Building The win over Texas A&M was important for LSU because it showed what this team can look like when everything is working together. The defense dominated. The offense was efficient. And, maybe most importantly, LSU looked like a team that had moved on from the loss at Ole Miss. But now, the Tigers have to do it again. McNeese isn't going to present the same challenge Texas A&M did, but that doesn't mean Saturday is meaningless. LSU needs to take care of business, clean up some of the things that have bothered it through the first four games and get ready for the part of the schedule that actually matters. Because after Saturday, the Tigers begin a stretch of seven consecutive SEC games, and there isn't much room for error once that starts. The Injuries Matter The biggest question surrounding LSU right now might have very little to do with McNeese; it's health. LSU has taken some significant hits defensively. Whit Weeks is out after suffering a broken leg against Texas A&M, while Charles Ross II and safety Dashawn Spears are also done for the season. Tight end Trey'Dez Green remains out, and quarterback Sam Leavitt's status bears watching after he dealt with a hamstring issue last week. That's a lot of experience and production missing from a team that still has plenty of football ahead of it. Saturday should give LSU an opportunity to see what some of its younger players can do, which is very important. You don't want to get to the middle of October, lose another starter and suddenly find out the player behind him has never played meaningful snaps. McNeese Can Make this Uncomfortable McNeese enters the game 2-3, but the Cowboys aren't coming to Baton Rouge simply to collect a check. They beat East Texas A&M 27-24 last week and ran for 210 yards in the game. Running back Omiri Wiggins is a player LSU will need to keep an eye on. He rushed for 116 yards last week and has already broken off touchdown runs of 74 and 75 yards this season. LSU should have too much talent for McNeese, but that doesn't mean the Tigers can afford to be sloppy. If LSU handles the first quarter, establishes the run and lets its defense dictate the game, this should become the kind of night where the coaching staff can get some younger players on the field. The Bottom Line This isn't the game that will define LSU's season because the games coming after it will. LSU needs to continue building on what it did against Texas A&M, avoid adding to its injury list and give some of its younger players valuable experience. Most importantly, the Tigers need to leave Tiger Stadium feeling like they're ready for what's next because after McNeese, there won't be another break. SEC play is coming. And that's where we'll really find out what this LSU team is.