Tag: LSU

Potential LSU starting cornerback suspended, might not face USC on September 1

LSU’s secondary might not be intact for Week 1 against USC.

The USC Trojans face the LSU Tigers on Sept. 1 in Las Vegas, in a massive Week 1 college football showdown. One of the central tension points entering this game is that USC and LSU face tons of uncertainties on their rosters. USC has an unproven quarterback, Miller Moss, going against an unproven LSU secondary which struggled last year. Javien Toviano was part of that secondary. As a sophomore in 2024, Toviano was expected to contend for a starting role at LSU. Now, his playing status for the big game against USC is in jeopardy.

LSU Tigers Wire has more on this story:

Potential starting LSU cornerback Javien Toviano has been arrested on charges of video voyeurism, according to a report from The Advocate.

Toviano turned himself in on Sunday, according to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office.

LSU Wire added this note about Toviano:

Toviano is entering his sophomore season, and the former four-star recruit from Arlington, Texas, appeared in 13 games with three starts as a true freshman in 2023. He was expected to compete for a potential starting spot this season, as well.

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LSU intends to replace Jayden Daniels with a committee of excellence

LSU has to be better at all 10 non-QB positions on offense. The Tigers think they’re capable of doing that.

The excellence of Jayden Daniels was impossible to ignore last season. Daniels was a one-man band who won the Heisman Trophy even though LSU lost to Alabama, did not win the SEC, and did not make the College Football Playoff. This year, LSU has to be better at every non-quarterback position in order to compensate for Daniels’ exit to the NFL. Brian Kelly thinks his Tiger offense is in position to do exactly that and become just as productive as it was in 2023, if not more so.

ESPN has more:

“I don’t know if we have a receiver like (Malik) Nabers, but we have speed and we have experience at that position,” Kelly said. “I think we have two or three tight ends that are mismatch problems. It starts with Mason Taylor, and I think we’ve got enough running backs. I think we all have seen the running back position is really unique, capable and you need more than one. And I think that’s what we’ve got.

“So, with a running game that is not predicated upon the quarterback running it, that has to start with an offensive line. That’s why I feel confident.”

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier is confident about his offense because he thinks his offensive line is elite:

“They call themselves the bomb squad, and they have this nasty identity,” Nussmeier said of his tackles. “They want to outwork everybody, and they push all of us to catch them.”

LSU thinks it can replace Jayden Daniels with a full roster of quality players. USC will see if the Tigers’ new roster is up to the task on Sept. 1 in Las Vegas.

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Brian Kelly is talking big about his 2024 LSU offense

Brian Kelly is not hedging his bet on the LSU offense. He’s all-in.

A USC defense which has been awful for the past several years (remember Todd Orlando and Clancy Pendergast before Alex Grinch) will be challenged out of the gate in 2024. LSU brings a lot of weapons to Las Vegas for the big Labor Day weekend showdown everyone is talking about. Though LSU is definitely a team worth taking seriously, it also has to be said that the Tigers will have a hard time matching last year’s production under Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels. Is coach Brian Kelly worried about that? Not based on what he told ESPN at SEC media days this past week:

The Tigers led the country in scoring offense (45.5 points) and total offense (543.5 yards) last season, but Daniels was taken No. 2 in the NFL draft and his top two receivers, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., were taken at No. 6 and No. 21 respectively.

That said, when Kelly was asked Monday by ESPN’s social media team at the SEC media days what he was most looking forward to in Tiger Stadium this season, he said confidently, “Scoring a s—load of touchdowns.”

No ambiguity there. Kelly thinks his offense is the real deal once again. It’s up to USC to stand up to the Tigers on Sept. 1 in Sin City.

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ESPN college football writers rank Notre Dame Stadium fourth-best

Pretty good ranking.

College football will be here before you know it, and that means anticipation of going to its hallowed stadiums. Among those excited for it are the ESPN writers who cover the sport. To reflect that, ESPN asked 14 of them to rank their top 20 stadiums in order. From there, the top 25 stadiums would be determined.

Notre Dame Stadium comes in at fourth on the list behind LSU’s Tiger Stadium, the Rose Bowl and Michigan Stadium. Adam Rittenberg was given the honor talking about the Irish’s home:

“Since opening in 1930, Notre Dame Stadium has hosted some of college football’s most significant teams, players, coaches and moments. But the venue is known as much for what lies just beyond its northern edge as for what’s inside.

Since fall 1964, the ‘Word of Life’ mural on the university library tower has welcomed ball carriers to the north end zone. Known as ‘Touchdown Jesus,’ the mural depicts Jesus Christ with his arms raised, similar to the touchdown signal. Located a little more than a football field away from the Knute Rockne Gate, where Notre Dame players enter for each game, Touchdown Jesus is visible from a portion of seats in the south part of the stadium and is frequently shown in camera shots of Notre Dame contests.”

All things considered, this was as good a ranking as Notre Dame Stadium could have hoped for. Do you agree, or should it have been higher? But that’s the point of these lists. We debate them until the cows come home, and this should be no exception.

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Nick Saban, retired from coaching, thinks LSU football will thrive in 2024

Nick Saban is optimistic about LSU.

USC football meets LSU in Week 1 of the college football season. It’s one of the biggest opening-week games on the slate. Nick Saban didn’t make a USC-LSU prediction this week at SEC media days, but the now-retired coach is making his assessments of various SEC teams. He is more bullish on LSU than many others who follow the SEC. LSU Tigers Wire has the details on what the former national champion LSU head coach said:

Saban said he sees the Tigers as a sleeper team entering 2024. He spoke highly of quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and the receiving corps while also stating his belief that the defense is improving. Despite the heavy losses this offseason, he thinks the 2024 team could be the most complete under Kelly.

“I think that people sort of look at LSU having a first-round draft pick quarterback, two first-round wide receivers, they see these significant impact players leave the program,” Saban said, per On3. “But what I see at LSU is still a very good, talented receiver corps, I see a young quarterback who has tremendous potential and I see the defense getting better.

“So I think the squad, overall, is probably more balanced and a better squad than they had a year ago even though they don’t have those three significant players. So I think they’re still going to have a much better team than people may give them credit for.”

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USC secondary will need to deal with LSU’s depth at wide receiver

LSU will throw a lot, and it will throw a lot of bodies at the USC corners.

Doug Belk and Taylor Mays face a stiff challenge in Week 1 of the 2024 college football season. LSU doesn’t just have good receivers; it has a lot of them. LSU Tigers Wire has more on the quality depth LSU brings to the gridiron at the receiver position:

Kelly was asked about LSU losing Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr, especially about how LSU plans to replace its top two receivers from 2023.

“At the wide receiver position, there are probably 6-8 players that will get the opportunity to contribute and make an impact. I think that’s what I like about our receiving core more than anything else, is the depth.”

Kelly highlighted Kyren Lacy as a guy who will emerge and mentioned the speed Chris Hilton put on display in the bowl game.

Kelly likes the flexibility of this group and said LSU brought in the right mix of players to provide depth inside and out.

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LSU faces tough decisions on its secondary when it meets USC receivers

LSU has to balance experience, talent, and physical readiness when it faces USC.

The LSU Tigers had a bad defense and a terrible secondary in 2023. As they prepare to face USC’s loaded wide receiver room in the 2024 college football season opener, the Tigers face tough decisions. LSU Tigers Wire offers more context on this particular topic, focusing on freshman cornerback P.J. Woodland and coach Brian Kelly’s evaluation of him:

“To play corner, in my opinion, you have to do three things. You gotta be able to play the ball down the field. There are many guys that can be in man coverage but the ball is in the air and they can’t find it. The second thing is, you gotta be able to tackle, and he’s a ferocious tackler. He loves to tackle the football,” Kelly said.

Kelly said the third aspect is the ability to play man-to-man coverage, and Woodland can do that too. However, Kelly said Woodland was 157-159 pounds when he arrived. It can be difficult to play at that weight week in and week out in the SEC.

“When he physically develops, he’s going to be a really good football player,” Kelly said.

It’s hard to say if Kelly’s comments provide a reason to pump the brakes on the Woodland hype. Kelly isn’t shy about playing true freshmen, but LSU will want to be sure he’s physically ready. This could mean LSU rolls with its veterans early in the year with Woodland forcing his way into the lineup later in the year.

You can see the dilemma in front of Brian Kelly. His younger corners might be better than his current veteran corners, but they might not be physically developed just yet. The Tigers could be caught in between before facing USC’s elite receivers in Las Vegas.

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LSU versus USC is a measurement of accountability

LSU-USC is the Accountability Bowl.

When you think about it, the LSU-USC football game in Week 1 of the 2024 college football season is a measurement of how accountable these two coaching staffs and rosters truly are. Both teams were not detail-oriented or generally responsible on defense last season. We have spoken a lot about this problem at USC. LSU and Brian Kelly are in the same position, as LSU Tigers Wire recently explained:

Kelly didn’t shy away from it when talking to the SEC Network Monday morning and when he was asked about the Ole Miss loss later, Kelly offered more thoughts.

“That game cost us a chance to be in the playoffs,” Kelly said, “In many ways, it forced our hand to evaluate our defense and what we needed to do in the offseason.”

“That game really became the mark for where we can’t go again,” Kelly said.

The change Kelly mentioned was the firing and replacing of the entire defensive staff. Kelly knows LSU can’t afford to have another letdown like that on one side of the ball. This year, the aim is look like a much more complete team.

That sounds very familiar to USC football fans. Call this game the “Accountability Bowl.”

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LSU freshmen for USC fans to watch in Week 1 college football showdown

Keep your eyes on three LSU freshmen who could be impact players in Week 1.

USC versus LSU. It doesn’t get much bigger for a Week 1 college football game. If you’re a Trojan fan who is trying to get a fuller sense of what the Tigers bring to the table, keep your eyes on three LSU freshmen coach Brian Kelly discussed at SEC media days. LSU Tigers Wire has more on the story:

At SEC Media Days on Monday, coach Brian Kelly identified three true freshmen who could make a Day 1 impact at LSU: defensive tackle Dominick McKinley, defensive end Gabriel Reliford and receiver Jelani Watkins.

“We have some freshmen that I think are poised and ready to play,” Brian Kelly said, per On3. “We’ve got a defensive tackle in Dom McKinley. We’ve got a defensive end in Gabe Reliford. We’ve got a wide receiver in Jelani Watkins, who is maybe one of the fastest players in the country, that I think are poised, based on our summer workouts, that I think can contribute right away. And that’s just to say a few guys.”

McKinley is an understandable choice. A five-star prospect and the top player in Louisiana last cycle, it was a big recruiting win for the staff to flip him from Texas A&M last winter. Reliford could also see some action on a defensive line that lacks depth, and LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr., who was also in Dallas for SEC Media Days, also spoke highly of him.

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LSU receivers versus USC secondary will be a featured attraction in Las Vegas

LSU and USC both have great wide receivers and have well-earned reputations for producing elite pros at the position.

LSU develops wide receivers at an elite level. So does Lincoln Riley. LSU’s passing game and USC’s passing game will both be on display in the Week 1 game every college football fan will want to watch. When LSU has the ball, its receivers will challenge Doug Belk’s USC secondary in a prime-time position-unit clash which could decide this duel. LSU Tigers Wire has more on what Brian Kelly is saying about LSU’s receivers in 2024:

The obvious next-man-up is Kyren Lacy, who enters his fifth season of college football poised to be the top option after turning in a productive 2023 season despite not seeing as many targets as Nabers and Thomas.

“I don’t think you look towards one player,” coach Brian Kelly said Monday at SEC Media Days per On3. “I think when we look at our football team in its totality, there will be a number of players that we’ll count on. Kyren Lacey, he will be certainly a player that we lean on. But I think at the wide receiver position, there is probably six to eight players that will get the opportunity to contribute and make an impact.”

Kelly also mentioned Chris Hilton Jr. as a returning player who could break out, while he’s optimistic about the transfer additions of CJ Daniels, a 1,000-yard receiver at Liberty last season, and Zavion Thomas, who also served as a return specialist at Mississippi State.

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