It has been a tough couple of weeks for the LSU Tigers team after losing to Ole Miss 24-19 on the road the last time they played. After an off week, the LSU team is anxious to be back playing another opponent this Saturday against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
The Tigers are still in the College Football Playoff conversation coming in with a 4-1 record and ranked #11, but in order to stay in the conversation, LSU must show how much they have improved over the bye week entering a treacherous SEC gauntlet starting with the Gamecocks.
“We have to get ourselves ready for a gauntlet. 6 SEC games in 7 weeks. We all realize that if you do not play your best against a SEC opponent, you will leave yourself vulnerable. We know that. We know what is out in front of us. We have outstanding teams that we are playing that are nationally ranked. This is the part of the season where teams begin to show what they are made of.”
LSU HC Brian Kelly
The bye week allowed LSU to do a lot of self-scouting and most importantly, recovery as the Tigers begin the next half of their season. It was a good time for a lot of the Tigers’ key players to recover from injury.
There may not be a more important diagnosis than quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who Brian Kelly said was dealing with a “torso injury” about a month ago. Kelly said that Nussmeier would not be able to shut it down until the bye week. Since the bye week has now passed, Kelly gave an update about his quarterback and how healthy he is heading into South Carolina.
“He’s feeling better and better. We didn’t do a lot with him last week. We wanted to use that as a recovery week for him. He did a lot with VR and stayed involved with everything that we are doing with run game checks, blitz game checks, and things of that nature. We just cut him down from the throwing. Our expectations after talking to him is that he feels good and is ready to go.”
LSU HC Brian Kelly
Kelly also gave a couple of more injury updates regarding other offensive players. Along with Nussmeier, running back Caden Durham and offensive tackle Weston Davis were ruled that they were good to go after both missed the Ole Miss game. Aaron Anderson is listed as questionable at LSU with the Wednesday report while offensive guard Paul Mubenga is listed as doubtful dealing with a high ankle sprain.
With Davis being available, it is highly likely that he will return to right tackle while five star freshman Carius Curne, who filled in at right tackle for Davis against Ole Miss, could get the start on Saturday against South Carolina filling in for Mubenga.
“Weston Davis obviously couldn’t play in the Ole Miss game, but he has some snaps underneath him. Carius is there and we can also look at Carius inside at the guard position now that Paul is banged up. We have some flexibility with Carius to move him at the guard position or the tackle position.”
LSU HC Brian Kelly
A lot of the questions throughout not only the last two weeks, but the entire season have been primarily about the offensive side of the football. Those issues ran their ugly head in the loss against the Rebels.
Entering this week, the LSU offense is 84th in the country in 363.8 yards per game, 119th in the country in rushing yards per game with 104.8 yards per game, and 81st in the country with 27 points per game.
A combination of not being able to generate any positive push in the run game as well as not being able to throw the football down the field has made it tough for a LSU offense that has been way underachieving at this point this season.
“We have been so much better in the second half than in the first half. From an offensive perspective, we need to play a little bit more to our strengths and we need a more efficient four quarters from our offense. We have to be more efficient in the passing game. We have to hit more shots down the field, and we have to be more efficient in the running game. I am proud of how our guys locked in last week and my expectation is that the offense will get better each and every week.”
LSU HC Brian Kelly
“Two weeks ago, you saw less personnel moving in and out of the game at the wide receiver position. We were setting almost every play for a particular player. In some instances, that’s good, but some instances, you don’t get the flow of the game. I think we felt more comfortable about our receivers being in and out of the game. At the end of the day, we need more explosive plays. We were 1/7 in throwing the ball down the field. We got to hit some of those shots that we came up short on. Those were big plays that led themselves to touchdowns. Big plays down the field, we got to hit on those and finding a nice rhythm offensively is what we need to be more consistent on.”
LSU HC Brian Kelly
While the offense must show that they have improved in some of those areas, the LSU defense has to show that they have improved in containing running quarterbacks. Overall, the LSU defense has become one of the best in the entire country under Blake Baker and has been a key reason for the Tigers’ 4-1 start as they are ranked 22nd nationally in yards given up per game with 293, 14th in rushing yards per game with 84.4, and 6th in scoring giving up only 12.2 points per game.
If there has been an Achilles heel for this defense, it has been trying to contain mobile quarterbacks. In LSU’s 36-33 win over South Carolina last year, Gamecocks QB LaNorris Sellers ran for 88 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. LSU also had trouble stopping quarterback runs in their last three losses dating back to last season against Marcel Reed (Texas A&M), Jalen Milroe (Alabama), and this year, Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), who ran for over 70 yards against the Tigers two weeks ago.
“Last year, Sellers when he was in, hurt us running the football. First and foremost, we have to have a plan in stopping the quarterback run and then, you have to keep him in the pocket. He operates best when he is outside the pocket. We have to be disciplined in our pass rush lanes, have a solid scheme up front to take away the quarterback run and then, let him be who he is. He is a quarterback with talent. He makes plays outside the pocket down the field. You got to avoid the big chunk plays that are not scripted. He is a major focus of what we are doing this week.”
LSU HC Brian Kelly
Focusing on the next play and playing complementary football are all coach speak terms, but are true in order for LSU to get back to their winning ways and set themselves up for success. How they treated the bye week and have adjusted their strengths as well as their weaknesses will be a telling sign this Saturday against South Carolina.
Keys To Victory For LSU:
- Start the game strong offensively: After an inept offensive performance, LSU’s offense needs to start fast and play efficient, especially in front of the home fans while also making it easier on your defense to play loose and free holding a lead.
- Don’t abandon the run: LSU has struggled to run the football this year, but even when it’s not working. LSU was unsuccessful against Ole Miss on third down attempts and a lot of it was because of being behind in the chains. Many of LSU’s opponents are only rushing three while dropping eight. Committing to the run and showing enough production on the ground will only help the passing game and a quarterback that is still trying to get back to full health.
- Keep LaNorris Sellers in the pocket: As Brian Kelly said, LaNorris Sellers is at his most dangerous when he is outside the pocket not only as a runner, but as a thrower. South Carolina’s offensive line has struggled in protecting Sellers this year so if LSU can be disciplined in their pass rush lanes, it will make it tough on Sellers.
- Make them earn the yards: South Carolina has not been a consistent offense this year, but they have proven to hit big plays a lot this year. Preventing the big play and forcing South Carolina to be a methodical offense will only work in LSU’s favor.
- Don’t let Beamer ball beat you: What you can always count on from a Beamer coached football team is that they are sound on special teams and can even win a lot of games in that area. Last year, LSU had a punt blocked against South Carolina and this year, Vicari Swain has shown that he can change the game as a return specialist. Losing the edge in the third phase of the game could make a lot of difference in this game although LSU’s special teams has improved drastically this year.
Final Score: LSU 31, South Carolina 13
After hearing about all the struggles and the question marks surrounding this LSU team, I believe the Tigers will be ready to play especially with the home crowd on their side and also the fact that it is tough to go on the road and win a Saturday night game in Tiger Stadium. I also expect a bounce back game from Garrett Nussmeier and I even make a bold prediction that he will throw four touchdowns against the Gamecocks on Saturday. LSU’s defense will continue to play great football and will try to force Sellers into becoming a game manager and a distributor of the football instead of a playmaker. This is a got to have it type of game for LSU in order to bring some momentum back and show that everything is still in front of them.
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