5 LSU players who would have benefitted the most in a modern offense

Here are five players whose talents could have been better utilized at LSU just a few years later.

For years, LSU fans were stuck watching a dreary and outdated offense. It’s what eventually led to [autotag]Les Miles[/autotag]’ firing at LSU as the Tigers fell behind on the offensive side of the ball.

Miles just wanted to turn around and hand it off. There wasn’t much creativity, either. When the Tigers did have successful passing attacks under Miles, like in 2013, it was a scheme that relied on talented receivers winning their routes.

When it worked, it worked. There were times LSU was able to overpower teams and run the ball at will.

When it was paired with an elite defense and fantastic starting field position, it was fine too. LSU didn’t have a prolific passing attack in 2011 and Miles’ group still managed to win the SEC.

But the sport caught up with them, and it got tiring. LSU had too much talent to be doing that on offense and it wasn’t going to work in the SEC.

We know the story. Miles was fired, [autotag]Ed Orgeron[/autotag] was hired and he brought a modern offense to LSU. Plenty of players in the Miles era could have benefitted from a similar attack.

Here are five players that would have had more success had they arrived at LSU just a little later.

LSU’s best wins vs. South Carolina: 2015

The No. 7 LSU Tigers hosted the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2015 and won 45-24 for their 10th straight win in the series.

LSU and South Carolina met for the 21st time in program history in 2015.

The Tigers were No. 7 in the country with a 4-0 record entering the game. The Gamecocks entered with a 2-3 record, and an 0-3 record in the SEC.

Tigers quarterback Brandon Harris played a stellar game under center, going 18-of-28 for 228 yards and two touchdowns.

Derrius Guice carried the ball 16 times for 161 yards and a touchdown. Travin Dural led the Tigers in receptions with four catches for 109 yards and one touchdown.

[lawrence-related id=11829]

For South Carolina, Perry Orth went 14-of-28 for 200 passing yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The Gamecocks recorded just 283 yards of total offense. LSU had 624 yards on offense and 29 first downs.

LSU led 17-10 at the half, but quickly scored twice in the third quarter to take a commanding 31-10 lead. South Carolina then scored with 5:02 left in the quarter on a 36-yard pass from Orth to wide receiver Jerell Adams to trim the deficit to 31-17.

Tigers running back Darrel Williams scored on a one-yard run to put the Tigers up 38-17 before the Gamecocks cut the lead to 38-24 just before the end of the quarter.

LSU scored the final touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter on a four-yard run by Guice to seal the 45-24 win with 13:15 left in the game.

[lawrence-related id=11821]

The Tigers also controlled the time of possession as they held the ball for 39:53. South Carolina had the ball for 20:07 in the game.

The LSU defense forced one South Carolina turnover in the game, and only allowed 24 points.

LSU would go on to defeat the Gamecocks 45-24 and move to 5-0 for the 2015 season.

This meeting marked the 10th straight win for LSU against South Carolina in the series.

[vertical-gallery id=11716]

Saints report Antonio Brown, Tommylee Lewis among six free agent tryouts

The New Orleans Saints worked out six free agent wide receivers including Antonio Brown, Tommylee Lewis, and Maurice Harris on Friday.

[jwplayer bxIdhpR7-ThvAeFxT]

Antonio Brown may have been the most noteworthy free agent wide receiver to try out for the New Orleans Saints on Friday, but he wasn’t alone. Brown was one of six receivers the Saints put through a workout at the team practice facility, including two familiar names in Travin Dural and Tommylee Lewis.

The full list of tryout players comes from what the Saints reported on the official NFL transactions wire:

  • Antonio Brown
  • Reggie Begelton
  • Travin Dural
  • Maurice Harris
  • Tommylee Lewis
  • Tim White

Dural hung around the Saints practice squad for a few years, after initially signing with the team as an undrafted free agent out of LSU. Lewis had a more prominent role on special teams as a punt and kick returner, though he struggled to carve out a role on offense. The less said of his involvement in last year’s NFC championship game debacle the better.

Lewis was selected early in the inaugural XFL Draft by the Dallas Renegades, so he clearly has options if this Saints tryout doesn’t bare any fruit. There’s worse ways to continue playing professionally than in a Bob Stoops-designed offense with Landry Jones lobbing the ball deep downfield as often as he’ll be allowed.

An interesting addition to the free agent pool was Begelton; he was the engine fueling the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders offense in 2019, having caught 102 passes for 1,444 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He certainly has some ability.

For now, the Saints haven’t signed Lewis, Begelton, Brown, or anyone else who attended Friday’s workout.

[vertical-gallery id=25612]