Tag: LSU Special Teams

How LSU’s improved special teams can impact the offense

An improved special teams unit could come with a scoring boost for LSU’s offense.

LSU special teams were a mess last year.

We saw it in the opener against Florida State and issues persisted through the SEC title loss to Georgia.

LSU will handle this unit differently this year. [autotag]Bill Polian[/autotag] is out as special teams coordinator and the staff will take a committee approach.

LSU was good enough to overcome some of the issues on its way to a 10-win season. But the struggles kept LSU from reaching its ceiling.

Bad special teams put the entire team in a rough spot. Field position is worsened and momentum is stifled. LSU’s average starting field position ranked 105th in college football last year.

LSU still managed to average 34.5 points per game, which is more than any other team ranked outside the top 100 in field position. Teams outside the top 100 averaged 24.6 points per game. On the flipside, teams in the top 25 percentile averaged 32.6 points per game.

Based on expected points and points per game, only four offenses overperformed their field position expectation more than LSU.

That’s good news. LSU sustained drives and was one of the most efficient teams in the country. But you don’t want the offense to be in that position every week. You can win 10 games doing that, but you won’t make the playoff.

LSU’s average yards to go mark on a drive that ended in a touchdown was 69.6 yards. On drives that resulted in just a field goal, that number rose to 75.2 yards. And on punts and missed field goals, the average yards to go was at 77.04.

This is an area of the game where the smallest margins matter.

If LSU even manages to improve its average starting field position by a yard, its expected points per drive rise about half a point. Over the course of a season, that’s enough to swing one or two games.

LSU expects to have an improved return game. Transfer [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] can be a playmaker back there. He’s the type of player LSU missed last year. And again, he doesn’t need to rip off a big return every week. But a few yards here and a few yards there add up.

In a year where LSU expects to be strong on offense and defense, it can’t afford to give games away on special teams.

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Alabama transfer Aaron Anderson to return kicks and punts, other special teams notes from Brian Kelly

It’s no secret that LSU was held back by its special teams in 2022.

You didn’t have to watch much LSU football last fall to gather that execution on special teams was a limiting factor.

Those issues reared their head early and often as the Tigers lost in Week 1 against Florida State as the result of a blocked extra point in the final seconds.

After a coaching change (coordinator [autotag]Bill Polian[/autotag] was replaced with [autotag]John Jancek[/autotag], though [autotag]Bob Diaco[/autotag] is currently filling the role), LSU hopes it has those issues fixed in 2023.

Kelly addressed the special teams on Tuesday, announcing that speedy Alabama transfer [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] will return kicks and punts. True freshman running back [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag] will be the off-ball returner.

Coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said avoiding miscues will be key for the returners this fall.

“They’ve got to field the ball, they’ve got to be able to do the little things the right way,” Kelly said Monday.

Kelly had positive things to say about the unit in general. Placekicker [autotag]Damian Ramos[/autotag] has apparently had a good camp and seems likely to hold on to his starting spot again. Punter [autotag]Jay Bramblett[/autotag], who was named to the preseason watch list for the Ray Guy Award, also received praise.

“We think special teams should and can be a positive for us and influence games,” Kelly said.

If that ultimately proves to be the case, it would be a major boon for an LSU team that was held back by shoddy special teams play in an overall good campaign last fall.

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John Jancek details LSU’s new approach to special teams

Here’s how Jancek is approaching special teams with LSU.

Special teams was a major issue for LSU in 2022.

It led to a change, with [autotag]Brian Polian[/autotag] shifting into an outside roll and [autotag]John Jancek[/autotag] now overseeing the unit. At a press conference on Tuesday, Jancek offered some insight into how LSU is approaching special teams.

“I think we’ve made great strides. We’ve tweaked a few things, but not a lot. It’s not about what we did, but about we did it,” Jancek said, “That’s been our emphasis. I think the players have responded really well.”

Jancek isn’t the only one working with the unit. He has the help of several assistants and said every area of special teams has been divided up with their own coach responsible for it.

Jancek added that veteran assistant coach [autotag]Frank Wilson[/autotag] is one of those guys helping.

Hearing Jancek, it doesn’t sound like fans should expect an overhaul of the unit, but just a renewed focus on the fundementals.

“You got to have guys out there that do the little things right.”

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LSU promotes John Jancek to on-field role, replaces Brian Polian

LSU will stay in-house to fill its coaching vacancy.

LSU will stay in-house to fill its one current on-field coaching vacancy.

Analyst [autotag]John Jancek[/autotag] has been promoted to special teams and outside linebackers coach after [autotag]Brian Polian[/autotag], LSU’s special teams coach in 2022, moved into a general manager role last month.

LSU interviewed several outside candidates, but [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] opted to rol1 with a familiar face. Kelly’s relationship with Jancek goes all the way back to their time at Grand Valley State.

Jancek’s playing days overlapped with Kelly’s time as an assistant. Jancek later returned to GVSU as defensive coordinator when Kelly was the head coach.

Jancek has SEC experience, holding positions at Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky throughout his career. He’s coached defensive line, linebackers, and safeties.

Working with special teams and OLBs, Jancek will oversee two units that need some work entering 2023. The special teams struggles of 2022 were well documented, and LSU’s replacing its top edge rushers on defense.

With Jancek’s promotion, continuity remains a theme on LSU’s coaching staff.

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Brian Kelly brings back former defensive coordinator as an analyst

Kelly will be reuniting with former Notre Dame defensive coordinator and UConn head coach Bob Diaco.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] is reuniting with a long-time assistant and old friend in Baton Rouge.

[autotag]Bob Diaco[/autotag] will be joining the Tigers’ staff as an analyst, as was first reported by On3’s Matt Zenitz.  Diaco spent 2005 with Kelly at Central Michigan before later joining him at Cincinnati and Notre Dame. He spent six seasons with Kelly.

Diaco left Notre Dame to take the head coaching job at UConn until 2016, after which he bounced around as an assistant. He was the DC at Louisiana Tech in 2019, where he was on staff with current LSU quarterbacks coach [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag]. That Tech defense ranked third in CUSA in yards per play allowed.

Diaco brings a strong working relationship with Kelly and a decent track record of defensive coaching. LSU’s on-field staff has remained mostly intact, but the Tigers have lost some support staff.

Considering LSU’s linebackers coach [autotag]Matt House[/autotag] is also the defensive coordinator, Diaco can help shoulder some of that LB workload. Diaco also has a history of special teams work, an area where LSU struggled in 2022.

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Twitter reacts to mind-boggling LSU special teams error that gave Georgia a touchdown in the SEC Championship

What just happened?

Special teams has been LSU’s Achilles heel all season, and those issues reared their head again in LSU’s SEC Championship contest against Georgia.

In the first quarter, the Tigers were driving to score the game’s first points. A solid drive stalled in the red zone, and kicker [autotag]Damian Ramos[/autotag] lined up for what would have been a 32-yard field goal.

However, Ramos’ kick was blocked, and one special teams error compounded into an even bigger one. Apparently forgetting that a ball is live after a block on a field goal, LSU’s players acted as if the play was ever.

But as Georgia defensive back Christopher Smith knew, that wasn’t the case. Ninety-five yards later, Smith reached paydirt as the Bulldogs swung the momentum completely.

College football Twitter was stunned by the poorly timed gaffe.