Tag: Steve Ensminger

How LSU fared in previous matchups vs. USC

Here’s how LSU fared in its previous matchups with USC.

LSU will kick off its season against USC on Sunday night. It’s the fifth-straight year LSU’s opened with a power conference opponent. It’s LSU’s third year in a row getting the Sunday night spotlight. The first two didn’t go well with LSU dropping season openers to Florida State in 2022 and 2023.

The Tigers will hope for a different outcome this year as they face a ranked USC team. As weird as it sounds, this is an SEC vs. Big Ten matchup with the Trojans shifting conferences.

The two programs have met just twice, meeting in 1979 and 1984. This game will serve as a rubber match with the series split at 1-1.

Las Vegas is playing host, making this another neutral site game.

LSU and USC are in similar spots. Both head coaches are feeling a little pressure to get their squad to the 12-team playoff. Both are trying to replace Heisman-winning QBs while counting on a new defensive coordinator to fix major issues on that side of the ball.

Here’s how the previous meetings between the schools went.

1979

The No. 1 ranked USC Trojans took a trip to Tiger Stadium in September of 1979. LSU was ranked as well, but USC was a double-digit favorite.

LSU was quarterbacked by [autotag]Steve Ensminger[/autotag] and held a 12-3 lead in the fourth quarter.

The lead didn’t hold. Two late touchdowns put USC up 17-12. LSU had a chance to jump back in front, but the USC defense came up with a needed stop.

It was LSU’s first loss in what would go on to be a disappointing year. The Tigers finished 7-5, which included dropping games to Florida State, Tulane and Georgia.

1984

Five years later, LSU met USC again. This time, it was in Los Angeles and the USC sat No. 15 in the country. LSU was unranked and entered the game 2-0-1.

LSU ran the ball 51 times for 150 yards. Those efficiency numbers wouldn’t be good today, but it was enough to get the job done back then.

On defense, LSU stifled USC and recovered two fumbles. LSU left LA with a 23-3 win.

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Three reasons why changes need to be made at the top for LSU

Is it time for a change?

The Ed Orgeron era seems to be coming out of its heyday.

After LSU lost to Auburn in Death Valley for the first time since 1999, fans are a little frustrated with the sixth-year head coach. LSU is barely sitting above .500 after their 15-0 national championship season back in 2019, and the train seems to be continuously slowing down.

There has been obvious regression on both sides of the ball, and little effort seems to have been made to change things around Baton Rouge. LSU can’t afford another breakeven season.

Unfortunately, the Tigers are staring a very tough schedule in the face. Their next five opponents are a combined 20-5. The road ahead looks grim for LSU if they can’t get things together.

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Here are three reasons why changes should be made in Baton Rouge.

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Top three replacement options for LSU offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger

The LSU Tigers rewrote record books on offense in 2019 behind Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow at quarterback. 

The LSU Tigers rewrote record books on offense in 2019 behind Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow at quarterback.

One year later, LSU is looking for a new offensive coordinator.

There were many reasons why LSU struggled on offense at times in 2020.

First, there was quarterback Myles Brennan. Brennan was solid early in the season but still learning on the job with several young weapons outside of wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr.

When Brennan got hurt, LSU had to rely on a pair of freshmen in TJ Finley and Max Johnson. Finley had two solid starts and struggled in his other outings.

Meanwhile, Johnson won both of his starts to end the season, including an upset at Florida.

There were injuries and opt-outs, such as All-American wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Marshall late in the season. The Tigers featured several new starters on the offensive line this fall, and there were growing pains.

The running game was never consistent, hindering the quarterback play.

After the season, it was announced offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger would retire from on-field coaching and take a role as an offensive analyst.

Ensminger spent the last three seasons as LSU’s offensive coordinator, and the Tigers averaged 37.4 points per game and over 474 total yards per game during his tenure.

Orgeron’s next hire is critical. He cannot afford a mistake as he made with Pelini and Scott Linehan last year.

Expect LSU’s next offensive coordinator to have coordinator experience and success with some version of the spread offense. The new coach must have strong recruiting ties, too.

Here are three candidates to watch for in LSU’s search for its next offensive coordinator.

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Steve Ensminger not expected to be LSU OC next year

Steve Ensminger likely won’t be LSU’s offensive coordinator next year.

There was significant turnover after LSU’s national championship win after the 2019 season, and there’s plenty of moving and shaking following this season as well.

Defensive coordinator Bo Pelini and LSU went their separate ways on Monday after the Tigers had an up-and-down season on defense, among the worst in the SEC in more than one category.

Now, offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger is not expected to return to his position, either, as originally reported by The Advocate’s Brooks Kubena.

Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger follow up on the report, tweeting that Ensminger could be done on the field, but could move to another position within LSU’s staff.

Ensminger has built up a solid reputation at LSU, perhaps most well-known for his hand in 2019’s unstoppable offense, led by quarterback Joe Burrow.

In that season, Burrow took home the Heisman Trophy, set single-season NCAA records for passing touchdowns (60), total touchdowns (64) to accompany single-season SEC records for passing yards (5,671), completions (402), completion percentage (76.3) and total offense (6,039).

 

Report: Former Lions OC Scott Linehan connected to opening at LSU

The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman is reporting that former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan is taking a position at LSU as their passing game coordinator.

The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman is reporting that former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan is taking a position at LSU as their passing game coordinator.

Linehan was with the Lions under coach Jim Schwartz from 2009 through the 2013 seasons and was quarterback Matthew Stafford’s first offensive coordinator as a professional.

Linehan organized his vertical offense to rely on Stafford’s big arm but he also heavily leaned on future Hall-of-Famer (maybe as soon as the next cycle) Calvin Johnson.

In their third season together (and finally healthy) Linehan orchestrated Stafford’s only 5,000-yard passing season in 2011, while Johnson’s career year came the following season in 2012 when he caught 122 passes for 1964-yards receiving.

Linehan will take over at the defending National Champion LSU Tigers for Joe Brady who accepted an offensive coordinator position with the Carolina Panthers.

Last season, Brady and Steve Ensminger — LSU’s offensive coordinator — made a formidable duo designing and calling plays for the Tigers, producing one of the best offenses in college football.

ESPN’s TV crew stunned Joe Burrow with news about death of LSU assistant’s daughter-in-law

A brutal moment, caught live.

LSU Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow learned on live TV that his offensive coordinator, Steve Ensminger, lost his daughter-in-law in a plane crash on Saturday.

Just hours before the team’s win over the Oklahoma Sooners in the college football semifinal, Ensminger got a phone call to inform him of the passing of Carley McCord, a 30-year-old TV journalist and the wife of Steve Ensminger Jr. She was traveling to Louisiana for LSU’s game against the Sooners.

It seems, however, the coach did not address the tragedy with the team, because ESPN reporter Dari Nowkhah appeared to break the news to Burrow about the tragic loss after the game. Burrow was stunned.

When the TV crew realized their mistake, they immediately apologized and called an end to the interview to give Burrow space to process the news and find his offensive coordinator. It was clearly a difficult moment for the 23-year-old quarterback.

The ESPN reporter, Nowkhah, issued an apology on Twitter.

“I obviously feel horrible to have been the one to have broken the news of Carley McCord’s passing to Joe. … We shouldn’t have assumed he was aware, and that’s on us,” Nowkhah wrote.

Here’s hoping the Ensminger and McCord families are doing OK in a difficult time.

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