Tag: Ed Ingram

Highest-graded returning players for LSU on offense

A look at the highest-graded returning players on offense for the LSU Tigers.

Fall camp officially wrapped up on Saturday with the second and final scrimmage. All focus turns toward Sept. 4 and the opening game against the UCLA Bruins in the Rose Bowl. The first trip to the Rose Bowl during the regular season in LSU Tigers history.

For the team to get off to a hot start in 2021, the offense is going to need to be a step better than they were a season ago. The team finished with 32 points per game, which was 39th in FBS. Newly hired offensive coordinator Jake Peetz is likely looking to far exceed that number. His former boss at Carolina, Joe Brady dialed up 48 points per game for the Tigers in 2019.

The Tigers will trot out quarterback Max Johnson, who led the offense in the final two games of 2020. The offense scored 37 and 53 in those two games. Johnson and Kayshon Boutte were a huge reason for those numbers, especially against Ole Miss in the finale.

A look at the highest-graded offensive players that returned in 2021 according to Pro Football Focus:

LSU showing promise of returning to its national championship offense in 2021

LSU aims to return to its former offensive dominance in 2021.

The LSU offense from the 2019 season was nothing short of invincible — so much so that the team secured a national championship victory over a dominant Clemson team, finishing out the year with an undefeated record.

We saw some concepts that were reminiscent of that video game-type of offense in the small glimpse we got at the team’s spring game on Saturday.

Several players spoke to the excitement surrounding new offensive coordinator Jake Peetz’s scheme and the level of confidence in what could be accomplished within it.

Offensive lineman Ed Ingram told reporters that LSU wanted to show it could have that same offense again and “possibly be better.”

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There’s obviously a lot of work to do before the program can reach that point, though.

“But we got some stuff to work on, we didn’t do everything we wanted to today, had a couple of mistakes,” he said. “But it was a different offense and we showed signs of life, made some big plays. “We have a lot of stuff coming so that was just a taste of where the offense is.”

Fellow lineman Austin Deculus acknowledged that what the team showed was a bit vanilla considering they know UCLA’s eyes will be on the tape and they don’t want to give too much away.

“You see the long passes, you see the big runs and you see the energetic, fun offense that everybody grew to know and love from the 2019 season,” he said. “You see those flashes and we’re not gonna show everybody all our tools, we’re just scratching the surface. Boutte had the long touchdown pass, Ty had a couple of breakout runs and that’s all you would see in 2019. We’re just going to continue to build on it.”

For now, it’s just a solid spring game performance and a sense of optimism, but it could become so much more depending on how LSU puts things into action in the fall.

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LSU football: Who’s staying, who’s leaving ahead of the 2021 season?

Here’s a look at who we know will be back, and who is leaving LSU ahead of the 2021 season.

Players across college football were granted an extra year of eligibility due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, and LSU is looking to return some of its top players after finishing with a dismal 5-5 overall record.

Head coach Ed Orgeron expressed confidence in his ability to retain players after the 2020 season.

“I think you’re gonna be surprised by the retention level that we have,” he said. “I’ve talked to a lot of guys, now a lot of things can happen, but right now a lot of them are leaning on coming back. I’m recruiting the heck out of the offensive line which would really help us.”

Based on player announcements over the past two weeks, here’s what we know about who will return and who will not for the Tigers ahead of the 2021 college football season:

Returning: LG Ed Ingram

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The LSU offensive line received good news when Ingram announced Saturday he would return for the upcoming season.

“Another year? ehhh what the heck, let’s ride #GeauxTigers,” he wrote on Twitter.

Ingram, a 6-foot-3, 315-pounder from DeSoto, Texas played in nine games in 2020, only missing the contest at Missouri.

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OL Ed Ingram returning to starting lineup for LSU

Offensive guard Ed Ingram is taking on a more permanent role in 2020.

We’ve seen LSU offensive lineman Ed Ingram bounce in and out of the starting lineup during his time with the Tigers, but he may have found a more permanent place moving forward.

Ingram, now the highest-graded LSU offensive lineman on Pro Football Focus through three games of the 2020 college football season, has seen action in two contests this year. He missed the matchup vs. Missouri with an injury, but should be back to aid the unit this week.

Ingram noted that he was “kind of glad” the game against the Florida Gators was cancelled, so that he had extra time to heal and get back to full capacity.

This could develop into a statement year for Ingram, who secured a starting gig at offensive guard as a true freshman in 2017, then was sidelined for the entirety of the 2018 season.

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Ingram made a few appearances on the 2019 season, starting just three of 12 games behind Adrian Magee and Damien Lewis.

Ingram seems confident in the improvement of the offensive line as a whole.

“I think we have developed a pretty good chemistry now,” he said. “The first game the whole team didn’t gel together. The offensive line, I felt personally, we didn’t gel. But three games in, I am confident in the guys.”

The Tigers and Gamecocks are set to kick of at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday in Tiger Stadium.

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Looking into LSU’s two most pressing areas of concern against Missouri

LSU has two primary areas of concern as the Tigers face off against Missouri on Saturday.

With game day quickly approaching, the No. 17 LSU Tigers head to Columbia, Missouri for the first time ever to face their SEC East foe Missouri Tigers.

Hurricane Delta is impacting the game, which was originally slated to be played inside Tiger Stadium, and will now be moved to Faurot Field to be played on the turf of the “other Tigers.”

LSU has many familiar faces back for this game. Defensive lineman Glen Logan is expected to return, for one.

Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. returned last week and running back Chris Curry should be back after missing last week with an illness.

Here’s a look at the most pressing areas of concern for LSU against Missouri.

Defensive line

Last week, LSU started freshman Jaquelin Roy on the defensive line and failed to get the result they had hoped for. Roy finished with just one tackle, but still has a great amount of upside that will carry his career.

Glen Logan is expected back this week, and that provides the Tigers with a boost up front. But overall, the defensive line needs to get back on track.

Ali Gaye had trouble last week after having 11 tackles in the season opener, but has obviously shown he has the ability to make a strong impact in a single game.

Missouri isn’t a great rushing team on offense, but LSU has to get in the backfield more this week. Defensive coordinator Bo Pelini could even dial up more blitz packages given the lack of stats for Missouri quarterback Connor Bazelak.

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Injury update: LSU to regain DT Glen Logan, LG Ed Ingram ‘may be questionable’ vs. Missouri

Orgeron seemed confident in that Rosenthal would be ready to go, noting that he had been questionable earlier on.

LSU football was without the likes of defensive end Glen Logan, offensive lineman Dare Rosenthal and running back Chris Curry in the team’s 41-7 rout of the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday.

But a lot of that changes heading into this weekend’s matchup against the Missouri Tigers in Baton Rouge.

Orgeron seemed confident in that Rosenthal would be ready to go, noting that he had been questionable earlier on.

“I think Dare is going to play this week,” he said Monday. “He was questionable going up to it. We thought maybe he could do it.”

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As for Curry, he was a game-time decision ahead of the Vanderbilt game, and should be expected to be back within the lineup when LSU hits the field in Tiger Stadium again.

Orgeron is happy with how his corps of running backs has performed as a whole to this point.

“We’ll have to see how healthy Chris (Curry) is,” he said. “Hopefully, those guys can share the reps back there, along with Tyrion. I still believe Tyrion Davis is an excellent back. I feel good about all three backs right now, and all three are equal in my mind.”

Logan is a full go for Missouri after sitting out the first two games of the season, and will have competition upcoming with how strong the group has been.

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“He’s good to go,” Orgeron said. “He’s been practicing. We’re going to have him starting. He’s been practicing every day, hasn’t missed a practice. Doing second team reps, running individual, doing extra on his own. He’s ready to go. I’ll tell you, it’s going to get a little tight there. He’s going to have competition because Joe Evans is playing well, Neil Farrell is playing well. Ika had a sack, and then Jaquelin Roy is coming along. Jaquelin is probably the most athletic with the biggest upside of any of them, and he’s only a freshman. I’m excited to see Jaquelin Roy playing the way he’s playing. I think he’s going to be an excellent defensive tackle for us.”

The status of Ingram, who limped off the field in the final drive of Saturday’s game, is still not for sure, with Orgeron saying he “may be questionable this week.”

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LSU-Missouri: everything Ed Orgeron had to say in his Monday press conference

Ed Orgeron met with the media ahead of Saturday’s matchup with the Missouri Tigers.

LSU football is coming off a strong 41-7 road victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores, and will look to establish a two-game winning streak as the Missouri Tigers head to Baton Rouge on Saturday.

When head coach Ed Orgeron met with the media on Monday, one of the first things he noted after recapping the Tigers’ performance against the Commodores was the Missouri offense that Bo Pelini’s defense will be up against this weekend.

“Missouri on offense is very, very complicated,” Orgeron said. “Coach has a lot of shifts and motions, will run the triple-option. First time I’ve seen a pitch in a while… a lot of different formations so we’re going to have to play assignment football.”

Orgeron also said he made a film cut up of New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees for quarterback Myles Brennan to study, saying that he worked all week long on stepping up in the pocket and not scrambling to the right like he was so inclined to do against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

While Brennan did look much-improved, Orgeron also made clear that he wasn’t exactly under a significant amount of duress.

On the injury front, Orgeron said that LSU should have both running back Chris Curry and offensive tackle Dare Rosenthal back this week, though he’s not entirely sure when Rosenthal will start practicing.

Defensive end Glen Logan will be back, and left guard Ed Ingram is considered questionable for Saturday.

The Tigers were without star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. in the first week due to illness, but certainly enjoyed the advantage of having him back against Vanderbilt.

There was also some Mississippi State talk — where zone and man coverage was concerned, and Orgeron noted that the Tigers suffered fewer busts and fewer losses in one-on-one situations against the Commodores.

Orgeron addressed a question on kicker Cade York, who’s had a solid season two games in, and drilled an impressive 53-yard attempt on Saturday.

“To be honest with you, I’m glad he’s kicking well, because Preston (Stafford) was right on his tail… there was some competition in camp.”

Terrace Marshall has been among the most impressive of LSU’s passing targets so far, but several guys are going to get a chance.

And, of course, the 2020 football season continues to look a bit different than we’re used to as restrictions surrounding COVID-19 remain in place.

As far as empty stadiums or those at limited capacity are concerned, LSU is focused on creating its own sense of energy.

LSU football’s two main areas of concern against Mississippi State

As LSU opens their season against Mississippi State on Saturday, the offensive and defensive lines draw concern.

The 2020 college football season for the defending national champion LSU Tigers kicks off in two days.

On Saturday, the Tigers welcome the Mississippi State Bulldogs to Baton Rouge for the first game of the conference-only season.

LSU lost 14 players from last year’s team to the 2020 NFL draft, which leaves a few questions in the air when it comes to production at each position.

Let’s take a look at two main areas of concern heading into Saturday’s season-opening game for the Tigers.

Offensive Line

As much of a lingering question that the quarterback position could be with Myles Brennan leading the way replacing Joe Burrow, the Tigers’ offensive line lost three starters from last season.

With the official depth chart for the first game being released last week, the Tigers will start three players that have experience on the line in Dare Rosenthal at offensive tackle, Chasen Hines at right guard and Austin Deculus at right tackle.

Offensive guard Ed Ingram also has starting experience and will be a key factor in protecting Brennan and opening holes in the running game.

The Tigers’ starting center will be Harvard transfer Liam Shanahan, who is a player that the coaching staff has been giving high praise for.

The main reason for the concern is due to the fact that the team lost nearly all of their starters from last season on the line. Protecting Brennan is focal point number one for this unit.

If they can transition into a solid unit early in the season, things will look good for them from a protection and production standpoint for the season.

However, the front seven has to give Brennan enough time in the pocket to complete passes and escape pressure. We will find out on Saturday how well the unit is clicking during the game.

Going up against a team with a new head coach, coupled with a new quarterback in Brennan, could give the offensive line a struggle during the game.

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