Tag: lsu offense

LSU’s offense the team’s biggest question heading into 2024, per ESPN

The defense was a limiting factor this fall, but the offense may be a bigger question in 2024 with all it’s set to lose.

LSU had a lot of issues on the defensive side of the ball that limited it in 2023. If it doesn’t address those problems, it’s hard to imagine the team takes the leap to competing for a national title in 2024.

But while questions abound defensively, the Tigers arguably face even more on the offensive side of the ball, where they lose a ton of production from the 2023 season. [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag], [autotag]Malik Nabers[/autotag] and [autotag]Brian Thomas Jr.[/autotag] are all likely off to the NFL, and those may not be the only losses this offense sees.

Whether it’s a transfer quarterback or [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] leading the charge in 2024, that side of the ball is LSU’s biggest question entering the offseason, per ESPN’s Chris Low.

LSU was a lot of fun to watch on offense this season and incredibly explosive with Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels throwing to Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., all of whom will be in the NFL next season. The Tigers led the country in scoring offense (46.4 points per game), total offense (547.8 yards per game) and yards per play (8.5). The good news is that LSU locked up offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock with a hefty raise after Texas A&M came after him, and now Denbrock has to go to work in retooling an offense that scored more than 40 points in nine of its 12 games this season. Garrett Nussmeier has waited his turn at quarterback and will get his first shot at leading the Tigers next season. They may need to look in the portal to surround him with some new playmakers on offense, and some of the younger players on the roster will need to grow up in a hurry.

With Denbrock back and the flashes Nussmeier has shown when he’s gotten the chance to play, it’s easy to talk yourself into this unit next year. But as Low mentions, it may need some portal help — particularly at receiver — if it’s going to come close to replicating the production it found this season.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Tyler to continue the conversation on Twitter: @TylerNettuno

LSU offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock is a semifinalist for the Broyles Award

The mastermind behind the No. 1 offense in the NCAA is getting the recognition he deserves from voters.

The mastermind behind the No. 1 offense in the NCAA is getting the recognition he deserves from voters.

[autotag]Mike Denbrock[/autotag] is the offensive coordinator for the LSU Tigers and he has been the mastermind calling the plays for the Tigers as they have become the No. 1 offense in the NCAA. LSU’s offense has the No. 1 scoring offense in the country. They average 562.2 yards per game, 8.60 yards per play, and 6,184 yards on 719 plays.

All of those stats are No. 1 in the country. The only stat the Tigers do not lead in is offensive touchdowns. LSU has 67 touchdowns this season but the Oregon Ducks have 68. LSU is only one touchdown behind the Ducks and the Tigers have played the No. 1 rated strength of schedule in the country.

Denbrock joins Tommy Rees (Alabama), Adam Fuller (Florida State), Mike Bobo (Georgia), Phil Parker (Iowa), Bryant Haines (James Madison), Ron English (Louisville), Sherrone Moore (Michigan), Kevin Peoples (Missouri), Jim Knowles (Ohio State), Will Stein (Oregon), Manny Diaz (Penn State), Pete Kwiatkowski (Texas), D’Anton Lynn (UCLA), and Ryan Grubb (Washington) as the semifinalists.

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

This 1 stat explains much of LSU’s offensive success in 2022

Success on first downs was a major factor for LSU last fall.

Third down has always been known as the “money down”.

How a team performs on third down is thought to go a long way toward determining the outcome of the game — and for the most part, that’s true.

What leads to success on third down? You need a good offense and a play-caller dialing up the right thing at the right moment. You need the players to execute it, too.

But the easiest way to be good on third down is to not get there. The best offenses take care of business before late downs even arrive. When they do arrive, they’re manageable. Third and three is a lot easier than third and nine.

LSU’s offense was efficient last year. It wasn’t explosive, but it was efficient. The main culprit leading to that success was LSU’s performance on first down.

LSU’s offense ran 997 plays in 2022. Only 201 of those came on third or fourth down. A percentage around 20%.

The only offenses who ran late down players at a lower clip were Georgia, USC, Alabama and Syracuse. Three of those units were some of the sports best. Other offenses in the top 10 include UCLA, UTSA and Oregon.

According to CollegeFootballData, LSU was eighth in first down PPA/EPA. On second and third down, LSU was just 30th and 42nd. Not terrible, but not elite and far from the top 10.

The conversion rate tells a bit of a different story, where LSU was one of the sport’s best on late downs. LSU was one of just seven FBS teams to rank in the top 15 in avoiding late downs, but also top 15 when it came to converting them.

Despite all the consistency issues LSU had on offense, the numbers still suggest this was a good unit across the board, capable of handling every situation.

That bodes well for Mike Denbrock’s unit this fall.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1389]

Contact/Follow us @LSUTigersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Louisiana State news, notes, and opinions.

[mm-video type=video id=01gtfyh7f1pxs7jy8kjr playlist_id=01eqbz5s7cf4w69e0n player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gtfyh7f1pxs7jy8kjr/01gtfyh7f1pxs7jy8kjr-5c8c11972b76d3cc0072e68192d752ad.jpg]

Ranking the 10 best offenses in LSU history

Let’s take a look at the best offenses in program history while doing our best to adjust for era.

Offense. Offense. Offense.

To many, it’s the most exciting part of the game. Quarterbacks are the stars, and wide receivers and running backs get all the highlight reels on YouTube. Here, we’ll be looking at the 10 best offenses in LSU history.

This was tricky. The game has changed, and so has the way offenses are evaluated. Prolific passers and scorers are much more common now than they were in the 20th century. Yards come a dime a dozen now.

Because of that, I’ve tried my best to adjust for era. I didn’t just use total yards and points, but I also looked at how the units performed in big games and the individual talent as well. If an offense was also good in back-to-back years and featured several of the same players, I used them once in the interest of variety.

Here’s how it all breaks down.

Where LSU’s offense ranked in every key stat

Here’s how LSU stacked up in nearly every offensive stat category.

The days of LSU being the dark ages on offense have been over for some time. Really, ever since [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag] got the job, LSU’s offense has been competent at its worst and elite at its best.

LSU’s 2022 unit was somewhere in the middle. It was up and down, but it was beyond competent and showed flashes of being a top unit. [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] behind center was much different than LSU’s quarterbacks of recent years.

It’s been a minute since someone with the running and playmaking ability of Daniels was taking snaps for LSU. His legs added a different dimension to Mike Denbrock’s offense. With the year now over, it’s time to take a by-the-numbers looked at how this offense stacked up with others across the country.

Evaluating LSU’s wide receiver room in 2022 and beyond

We take a look at how LSU stacks up at wide receiver in 2022 and the years to come

When Brian Kelly first took the job at LSU, perhaps his most daunting task was to rebuild the roster.

That’s what this is, after all, a rebuild. Rebuilding takes time. When Kelly took this job, it was clear it would take some time to fill this roster.

In a short time, Kelly and the staff have done a good job at steering the ship in the right direction. LSU has been active in the portal and LSU has done what it can do on the recruiting trail.

With all the movement that has gone on, it was easy to miss some things. The roster looks wildly different now than it did in November.

There’s now some time to take a look at how the roster is positioned heading into 2022 and the future.

LSU looks good at some positions such as defensive line and quarterback. There are position groups that are trending up, such as linebackers and safety. Some question marks remain too, like cornerback and offensive line.

The pandemic combined with new transfer rules has presented challenges to managing a roster over the last couple of years. These are things coaches plan for years in advance. Recent turbulence in the sport has forced coaches to adjust.

Now that we’ve done quarterback and running back, today we will take a look at the wide receiver position.

Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm suffers ankle injury in SEC title game

Three-year starting quarterback Jake Fromm suffered an ankle injury following an awkward landing on a sack.

In the second quarter in today’s SEC Championship game, three-year starting quarterback Jake Fromm suffered an ankle injury following an awkward landing on a sack.

Backup quarterback Stetson Bennett has stepped in but Fromm’s injury appears to be minor and will not keep him out of the game.

Fromm since returned but looks rattled entering the second half.

Bad luck for the Dawgs: Joe Burrow passes to Joe Burrow

Following several dropped passes on offense, Georgia’s luck got worse.

Following several dropped passes on offense, Georgia’s luck got worse.

This prolonged a drive that ultimately led to a questionable catch ruled as a touchdown.

 

How Georgia football’s defense can limit LSU QB Joe Burrow

UGA’s defense allows 10.4 PPG. It’s the best defense LSU has seen all year. The Tigers’ offense is the best the Dawgs will face in 2019.

Georgia’s defense is giving up 10.4 points per game and is by all metrics the best defense LSU has played all year. The Tigers’ offense is the best that the Dawgs have faced in 2019 and is led by Joe Burrow, who will likely have his name inscribed onto the Heisman Trophy in a few short weeks.

Burrow has completed an insane 314 of his 401 passing attempts (78.3%), has thrown an even more insane 44 touchdowns, and has amassed 4366 passing yards, enough to make him the SEC record holder for passing yards in a single season.

Those numbers are staggering and present a daunting task for the Silver Britches. But if any unit can possibly limit Joe Burrow, it’s the Bulldogs’ smothering defense.

The Tigers’ quarterback is poised and methodical with an ability to scramble outside the pocket the extend plays. He keeps his eyes downfield and has the speed to roll out and tuck the ball for quick gains to the sideline.

For the Junkyard Dawgs to diminish Burrow’s prowess, they need to keep him in the pocket. Rushing three men while dropping eight, including a spy linebacker eyeing the quarterback, keeps Georgia’s defense in a man free alignment that can negate big plays and contain Louisiana State’s explosive offense.

In 2019, several SEC West teams have used this formation in attempt to confuse Burrow to no avail, but Georgia’s speedy and physical defense possesses better athletes than any defensive group the Tigers have seen thus far, save for Alabama (which is debatable).

All of this is much easier said than done against a team with the Southeastern Conference’s best performing signal caller and an embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position, which includes Biletnikoff Award finalists Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. If Georgia’s secondary can maintain man coverage downfield while the front seven can keeping a spy on Burrow, they can hand LSU their first loss of the year.

Matchup preview: Georgia’s defense against LSU’s offense

Georgia enters the SEC Championship ranked fourth in total defense. LSU is ranked second in total offense. Something’s gotta give.

Georgia enters the SEC Championship ranked fourth in total defense behind playoff locks Ohio State and Clemson and playoff hopeful Utah. They’ve given up the fewest touchdowns (12) in FBS.

LSU’s offense is led by Joe Burrow, the Heisman Trophy frontrunner who recently broke the Southeastern Conference record for passing yards in a single season.

The Tigers are ranked second in total offense and thus poses the greatest threat that the historically great 2019 Georgia defense has yet seen.

Something’s gotta give, right?

It’s worth noting that LSU’s main offensive strength plays well against the Georgia defense’s primary weakness whereas the Silver Britches’ defensive strengths play well against LSU’s offensive weakness.

Maybe the Tigers shouldn’t be labeled a “pass first” offense, but they have attempted 25 more passes than runs on the year (438 to 413). The Dawgs’ secondary has been great but is at times prone to giving up chunk yardage in quick passing plays. As we saw against Auburn, Georgia’s cornerbacks tackle well but occasionally have trouble covering in quick-release short-yardage scenarios.

Without opponents stacking the box in anticipation of a possible pass, LSU’s air attack in turn opens things up for a group of tailbacks who have accumulated more yards than any of the Bulldogs’ prior competion excluding Kentucky (who have rushed for over 3000 yards this season despite only gaining 160 ground yards in a rain-plagued contest in Athens).

Behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s 1233 solo rushing yards, the Tigers have combined for 2299 yards on the ground.

Georgia’s defense is second in the nation in rushing defense, giving up 71 ground yards per game and having allowed only 16 plays of over ten yards rushing this season. They’ve given up just 852 yards this year. The Junkyard Dawgs have proven they can contain tailbacks.

With a Heisman hopeful and one of the most talented group of wide receivers in college football, LSU will almost certainly attempt more passes than runs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday. Now more than ever, expect Ed Orgeron’s Tigers to go to the air against a defense that can stop tailbacks before they get a chance to run.

For a full statistical breakdown of how the Dawgs match up against the Tigers, click here.