LSU @ Texas Analysis: LSU Offense

[sushihorn 3,233]

Note: This is broken up into 2 parts because of tl;dr and standard surly ADD.

 

Contrary to popular belief, LSU is not a great running team.  They’re not even that good a running team.  They were quite average in 2018 with 4.0 YPC (recall UGa was 6.1 YPC).  Their yards per attempt ranked #91 in the country.  Taking out sacks, they rushed for 4.6 YPC against the standard 3 cupcake schedule and none of their RBs came close to averaging 5 yds per carry (again both of UGa’s were at 6.5 YPC going into the Sugar Bowl).  I suspect many people only saw the LSU-Georgia game and are extrapolating from that season best performance fueled by 4 UGa turnovers.

The design of the offense is very conservative, even more so than Georgia.  LSU tries to protect the ball, control field position and wear down the defense but doesn’t score much.  20 points or less was typical against better defenses unless they got multiple turnovers or big special teams plays.  60/40 is their run-pass ratio with very heavy tendency to run between the tackles.  Their top returning back Edwards-Helaire averaged 4.5 YPC in 2018.  They have some talented youngsters incoming but there’s no way to assess how much impact they might have in game 2 of their career.

Quarterback

As with UGa the play calling tends towards run, run, deep shot with WR screens and hitches thrown in occasionally.  But LSU has a much less accurate passer than Fromm.  Joe Burrow completed 57.8% of his passes for 7.7 YPA.  The main things in his favor are that he’s tough so he’s less likely to get rattled and he’s a pretty good runner.  6.3 YPC (sacks removed) is pretty darn good and higher than Sam’s.  As a runner LSU’s QB is equivalent to Baylor’s Charlie Brewer or ISU’s Brock Purdy. 

As a passer Burrow would be one of the worst quarterbacks in the Big XII.  If you want to see a statistical comparison of Burrow and Sam Ehlinger I did one in January here: 

Burrow protects the ball pretty well with only 5 INTs to go with his 16 TD last season.  Put him in a hole and under pressure and that’s when the mistakes happen so getting a lead and forcing them to play catch up is important.

Edited July 27, 2019 by sushihorn

[sushihorn 3,233]

Receivers

Burrow will have some athletic WRs to throw to; Jefferson at the X position is a tough match up but again like Georgia they don’t have anything equal to what Texas sees weekly in the Big XII at wideout.  That is especially true in terms of reliability and diagnosing the defense.

The receiver corps looks impressive on paper but they are much better athletes than they are pass catchers.  They have more size than Georgia (6’6”, 6’4”, 6’2”, 6’1 and 5’ll” coming back in 2019) but less speed and quickness though still quite good for their size.  They also aren’t great route runners and had a lot of drops last season.  Soph year John Burt is a pretty good comp for much of LSU’s WR unit.  Expect some spectacular catches combined with even more drops and poorly run routes.

Line

The O-Line is enormous but a bit heavy footed.  Projected starters based on the spring game are #68 Charles at LT (305 lbs), #72 Magee LG (335), #79 Cushenberry C (309), #68 Lewis RG (322) and #76 Deculus RT (321).  Charles is solid but Deculus looks particularly vulnerable.  He’s an OG playing out of position and he got burned regularly by speed rushers.  That is really a bad situation against defenses that like to bring pressure from the outside.  He’s going to be lined up against Ossai quite a bit and things could get ugly unless LSU keeps a TE in to help Deculus pass protect.  The Guards are slow but powerful.  They remind me a lot of Vahe – better run blockers than pass protectors but sometimes give up penetration into the backfield.  Watch some games and you’ll see that there is definitely more than a little bit of Fatball™ being played in Baton Rouge.

The O-Line can make crushing run blocks at times but they also give up an inordinate number of negative plays to opposing defenses.  They gave up 35 sacks in 2018, which is big considering the low number of pass attempts.  The sack ratio of almost 9.0% is appallingly high and one will usually terminate a drive.  They also gave up a total of 89 TFLs.  That was a problem for an offense that relies on running the ball and a negative play is usually a drive killer.  The 54 non-sack TFLs represent a loss on almost 10% of LSU’s rush attempts.  There is a good reason their offense is not very efficient.

 

Coaching and Summary

The offensive play calling tends to stick stubbornly with the run even when it’s not appropriate.  LSU will often continue to run into stacked fronts and this can be seen in their bowl game.  They faced one of the worst rushing defenses in the country - #117 UCF.  The Knights loaded the box and played man-free coverage behind it.  That meant 1 more defender than the offense could block.  The result was pretty predictable – 3.1 YPC for LSU and they ran the ball 52 times into a brick wall.  When Burrow threw the ball he did pretty well since the coverage was predictable and he could wait for receivers to come open because the defense was prioritizing stopping the run over pass rushing.  Once the LSU coaches saw this happening they should have thrown the ball until UCF backed out and pulled a player out of the box and into coverage.

Orlando has always schemed well against conventional teams that like to run the ball and he’s great at scheming extra players into the box.  How will LSU respond when they line up in 11 personnel and see a 3-2 front with and NB overhang defender inside shade over the slot and a box safety 7 yds off the ball?  Do they treat that as 5 box defenders or 7?  USC couldn’t solve it and neither could Georgia.  One additional factor is that LSU returns a lot from last year’s quality squad.  But I do not expect LSU’s offense to be a big problem unless Texas turns the ball over or gives up big plays in the kicking game.  If that happens enough times they can play with a lead and grind the defense down eventually.  If not I’ve got them down for 13-17 points.

[Tony Two K 595]

Tiger fans seem convinced that the new WR coach/passing game coordinator, Joe Brady, has converted the LSU offense into an up-tempo, RPO heavy spread, that’s going to sling it around. We shall see.

[Tex Pete 20,136]

Of course they do. They also believe he possesses a magic wand, apparently. 

[sushihorn 3,233]

2 hours ago, Tony Two K said:

Tiger fans seem convinced that the new WR coach/passing game coordinator, Joe Brady, has converted the LSU offense into an up-tempo, RPO heavy spread, that’s going to sling it around. We shall see.

In the spring game LSU was 55% run instead of the 60% they averaged last year.  The only thing that really looked different was they threw to the backs a bit more.

[Tex Long 4,326]

All things considered, it comes down to our being noticeably better on O, not much dropoff on D and possibly better, and we be playing at home,

     versus   

their being in a first-game situation with their reverse-MackBrown-2010 offensive deployment  (unless they have to show the candy against Jawja Southern, which is possible, as that fine school had a similar opening game against another sec-also-ran and were narrowly defeated by five or six touchdowns by the othah tigahs) - the new, improved O is supposedly going to be a lot more like XII spreads than like sec ground-n-pound (but ask Charlie how his new, improved spread looked in South Bend), an LSU D that's probably going to be as good as 2018's D, but... playing on the road.

For me, the likelihood - as of today, 27 July 2019 - is that Texas' O v LSU's D is more in our favor than LSU's O v Texas' D (at least partly because LSU's new O - if they actually execute it - will be the same stuff Texas sees every. fucking. week. in the XII, only not quite as good). Plus LSU not so good away from home. Total: Texas gets a W. 

Subjective followup: LSU claims they got fucked by refs, in Texas, again. 

YMMV.

 

EDIT: You know what I'd really like to see? Let's wear the Storm Troopers and make them wear their ugly-as-fuck Purple Mardi Gras outfits that they almost never wear unless they visit someone who makes them dress that way...

Edited July 27, 2019 by Tex Long

[Kelevra 129]

Lol. C'mon bro. Give it a rest with this BS. So we only use the "paper" when it's convenient I see. Cant just admit we have better receivers and running backs? I get it though.

[TheKid 299]

7 minutes ago, Kelevra said:

Lol. C'mon bro. Give it a rest with this BS. So we only use the "paper" when it's convenient I see. Cant just admit we have better receivers and running backs? I get it though.

Like dude above said, you really think your new offense isn’t something we see in the BIG XII every week? LSU is going to have a hard time moving the ball vs my Horns 

[Kelevra 129]

8 minutes ago, TheKid said:

Like dude above said, you really think your new offense isn’t something we see in the BIG XII every week? LSU is going to have a hard time moving the ball vs my Horns 

TBH, I'm even skeptical of LSU's new spread offense. It's a big unknown.

I'm interested in seeing if Texas' front 7, can stop an LSU run-heavy pro style offense for 4 quarters. But we probably won't see that. 

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

11 hours ago, sushihorn said:

Receivers

That is especially true in terms of reliability and diagnosing the defense.

Line

Charles is solid but Deculus looks particularly vulnerable.  He’s an OG playing out of position and he got burned regularly by speed rushers.  ...Watch some games and you’ll see that there is definitely more than a little bit of Fatball™ being played in Baton Rouge.

Coaching and Summary

The offensive play calling tends to stick stubbornly with the run even when it’s not appropriate.

Orlando has always schemed well against conventional teams that like to run the ball and he’s great at scheming extra players into the box. 

I've isolated what I consider the most salient TL;DR points.

Burrow has been a pretty good talker this offseason regarding what he sees as improvement in LSU's schemes. But the bottom line is, in the type of offense they say they want to run, the WRs have to be as smart as the QB about what exactly they are looking at. I have a very hard time believing they will be efficient at reading what is going on with Texas "Lightning" package, and I'm pretty sure the 3-2-6 is going to be Orlando's base for this game, if not for the whole season.

As for the OL being able to read what is going on, good luck with that. These guys were all recruited to run an SEC "beat the guy in front of you" offense. The Texas defense is all about moving across the face of the lineman. Lateral agility is prized above straight ahead speed, but the straight ahead speed is pretty good, too. I just don't think LSU has faced anybody who approaches things that same way, and I for damned sure know they won't face anybody who does things that way before they come to Austin. They'll be bringing a new scheme in with no beta testing period at all.

As for coaching... let's face it. Every bit of smarts LSU has on staff coaches defense. They are not even remotely close on offense.

[Ok. Caol Hook Em! 56]

18 minutes ago, Kelevra said:

I'm interested in seeing if Texas' front 7, can stop an LSU run-heavy pro style offense for 4 quarters. But we probably won't see that. 

Jawja thought they wanted to see the same thing too. 

[sushihorn 3,233]

1 minute ago, Ok. Caol Hook Em! said:

Jawja thought they wanted to see the same thing too. 

UCF showed that even a below average defense could stop LSU's running game if they committed to it - 3.1 YPC.

Even with 4 non-P5 teams on the schedule, Tigah averaged barely 4 YPC on the season.  Not scary at all.

[TheKid 299]

28 minutes ago, Kelevra said:

TBH, I'm even skeptical of LSU's new spread offense. It's a big unknown.

I'm interested in seeing if Texas' front 7, can stop an LSU run-heavy pro style offense for 4 quarters. But we probably won't see that. 

Georgia couldn’t run the ball on us and their offensive line is bigger and overall better than LSU’s so I don’t see LSU running the ball on us 

[Kelevra 129]

8 minutes ago, TheKid said:

Georgia couldn’t run the ball on us and their offensive line is bigger and overall better than LSU’s so I don’t see LSU running the ball on us 

Stop comparing LSU to UGA. Did you see what LSU did to UGA last year? 

And yes, I saw Texas dominate UGA and win by 7.

[DaggerHorns 3,057]

1 hour ago, Kelevra said:

Lol. C'mon bro. Give it a rest with this BS. So we only use the "paper" when it's convenient I see. Cant just admit we have better receivers and running backs? I get it though.

Ok, let’s see who has had better careers.

Collin Johnson > Justin Jefferson

Keontay Ingram > Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Keontay is young too.

That shit you’re smoking from Louisiana is good.

[Kyrie Eleison 9,312]

Ok, let’s see who has had better careers.
Collin Johnson > Justin Jefferson
Keontay Ingram > Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Keontay is young too.
That shit you’re smoking from Louisiana is good.

how about we take Johnson vs Marshall/Chase...take your pick there...and Keontay vs John Emery, who is also young. as an added bonus, throw in Whittington vs Davis-Price?

two can play that game...

bag on Burrow all you want, but it was a certain coach named Tom Herman who saw something in him and recruited him to OSU.

y’all in for a real fight...we’re not dogs and we won’t lay down.

[TheKid 299]

2 hours ago, Kelevra said:

Stop comparing LSU to UGA. Did you see what LSU did to UGA last year? 

And yes, I saw Texas dominate UGA and win by 7.

LSU won because of turnovers and a bad game overall from overrated ass Fromm. Texas dominated Georgia the whole game and gave up 14 points playing prevent defense 

[Magus Ossis 2,773]

LSU is going to be talented and dangerous. They have all the pieces on D needed to turn a game ugly. That said, their O, as noted above, lacks the brain trust or track record to suggest they are well equipped to keep up with a top 10 opponent if the D isn’t serving some turnovers. UGA turned it over twice to Texas and 4 times to LSU last year, taking none in return. Texas turned the ball over 3 times to Maryland and only 8 times since. Recent performance suggests that neither team is likely to give a lot away in that department. If the turnovers are few, as I suspect, and if I’m looking for a team that is more likely to manufacture some offense in the face of good D, Texas looks like the one. I think this game comes down to whether we see Maryland Sam or most-of-2018 Sam. The former means LSU wins, while the latter forces the Tigers to earn points, points too few in the end to get it done.

[Helobious 9,477]

1 hour ago, Kyrie Eleison said:

 

how about we take Johnson vs Marshall/Chase...take your pick there...

 

Ok, I pick Johnson. By a lot.

[DaggerHorns 3,057]

1 hour ago, Kyrie Eleison said:

 

how about we take Johnson vs Marshall/Chase...take your pick there...and Keontay vs John Emery, who is also young. as an added bonus, throw in Whittington vs Davis-Price?

two can play that game...

bag on Burrow all you want, but it was a certain coach named Tom Herman who saw something in him and recruited him to OSU.

y’all in for a real fight...we’re not dogs and we won’t lay down.

 

Thank you for introducing Whittington. He too is also better.

On the offensive side of the ball, the fastest guy on the field will be Jake Smith.

We’re going to run through you like spicy gumbo served at a retirement home.

Burrow can go bleaux a crawfish.

[Kyrie Eleison 9,312]

ok...cool.

[DaggerHorns 3,057]

9 minutes ago, Kyrie Eleison said:

ok...cool.

You forgot the “hook ‘em” at the end of your post.

[sushihorn 3,233]

The results of LSU's spring game highlighted some of the issues I've mentioned.  Sacks were a huge one and rushing average was the other.  The two teams ran for 2.8 YPC and 1.7 YPC.  Neither one is good.  But that's pretty much what you'd expect against a good defense after last season's actual performance.  LSU's top 2 QBs combined for 49 pass attempts and were sacked TEN TIMES in the process.  Obviously the inability to stop penetration and to pass protect from last season are still very much a live issue.

If Coach O is fielding a different team in 2019 it sure didn't show up in their spring game.

[ASDFASDF 266]

4 minutes ago, sushihorn said:

If Coach O is fielding a different team in 2019 it sure didn't show up in their spring game.

I agree with most of your analysis, but this isn't an argument I'm willing to make. Just look at our own spring game. Spring games don't really count for shit. 

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

10 minutes ago, sushihorn said:

The results of LSU's spring game highlighted some of the issues I've mentioned.  Sacks were a huge one and rushing average was the other.  The two teams ran for 2.8 YPC and 1.7 YPC.  Neither one is good.  But that's pretty much what you'd expect against a good defense after last season's actual performance.  LSU's top 2 QBs combined for 49 pass attempts and were sacked TEN TIMES in the process.  Obviously the inability to stop penetration and to pass protect from last season are still very much a live issue.

If Coach O is fielding a different team in 2019 it sure didn't show up in their spring game.

Actually, I'd argue that they've got a tougher row to hoe in regards to pass pro this year simply because the requirements are going to be radically different. With an RPO scheme, if things go well, you are mostly trying to steer the DL or LB and clog the lanes behind them so that there is either a cutback lane for a RB, a clear alley for QB (power look, zone, either way, the idea is the same -- clear some space), or else occupy the lineman just long enough for the pass to get off, then release and find somebody to crack back on, if necessary.

With the schemes LSU was running previously, run blocking and pass blocking were two distinctly different activities. You are either run blocking by crashing into the guy in front of you, or running to the guy behind him and crashing into him; or, you are pass blocking by dancing in a pragmatic retreat, trying to maintain a pocket for long enough for a route to come open.

Now, even RPO heavy teams will do both of those things on occasion, but not on every down, and certainly not at high tempo. The first style emphasizes athletic linemen who think and move quickly; the second emphasizes big and strong linemen, who do exactly what they are told, and maintain a high degree of potential energy translated as momentum -- in other words, fatball.

When a fatball team tries to play RPO, the results are more often than not kind of comical.

[Rickylovesweed 14,154]

Yeah, the biggest question for LSU next year is their OL/run game. 

They have some decent RBs but not the type studs they've had in years past. Their OL was terrible last year but maybe they see some improvement as most of those guys return. LSU probably lost their best blocker from last year (TE Moreau was drafted in the 4th round). Moreau saved them from being a dumpster fire last year and he's gone. 

 

 

Edited July 28, 2019 by Rickylovesweed

[Rickylovesweed 14,154]

Not sure where Moreau finished in '19 but losing him is significant. https://www.andthevalleyshook.com/2018/2/3/16960296/2018-lsu-football-foster-moreau-pro-football-focus-grade

“His 81.4 run blocking grade was number one among all FBS tight ends last season,” Liskiewitz said.

By the numbers, Moreau has proven himself to be arguably LSU’s most steady and reliable offensive target.

“His 476 run blocks was number three in the country. The number one guy was from Air Force, which runs almost exclusively option plays, so this speaks to Moreau’s consistency and dependability.”

[Fondren & Main 6,658]

It comes down to Coach Mensa versus Coach Wildboys.  I like our chances.

[Kyrie Eleison 9,312]

The results of LSU's spring game highlighted some of the issues I've mentioned.  Sacks were a huge one and rushing average was the other.  The two teams ran for 2.8 YPC and 1.7 YPC.  Neither one is good.  But that's pretty much what you'd expect against a good defense after last season's actual performance.  LSU's top 2 QBs combined for 49 pass attempts and were sacked TEN TIMES in the process.  Obviously the inability to stop penetration and to pass protect from last season are still very much a live issue.
If Coach O is fielding a different team in 2019 it sure didn't show up in their spring game.

you mentioned in the other thread that you couldn’t find the entire LSU spring game. out of curiosity, did you manage to find the whole thing or are you relying on the condensed version?

[sushihorn 3,233]

1 hour ago, Kyrie Eleison said:

you mentioned in the other thread that you couldn’t find the entire LSU spring game. out of curiosity, did you manage to find the whole thing or are you relying on the condensed version?

I had to settle for highlights that covered about a third of the plays in aggregate.  The box score from the LSU website tells more of a story.  The video just tells you if the statistical conclusions make sense or not.

[Kyrie Eleison 9,312]

I had to settle for highlights that covered about a third of the plays in aggregate.  The box score from the LSU website tells more of a story.  The video just tells you if the statistical conclusions make sense or not.

kind of like Ehlinger’s stats and the the highlights of the UT offense’s performance in y’all’s spring game?

[sushihorn 3,233]

13 minutes ago, Kyrie Eleison said:

 

kind of like Ehlinger’s stats and the the highlights of the UT offense’s performance in y’all’s spring game?

In a back asswards way yes.  Both spring games told me little in and of themselves.  So in both cases I expect much the same as last season.

[Rickylovesweed 14,154]

1 hour ago, Kyrie Eleison said:

 

kind of like Ehlinger’s stats and the the highlights of the UT offense’s performance in y’all’s spring game?

 

They were playing in tornado level winds. Different variables in play. 

 

Edited July 28, 2019 by Rickylovesweed

[Hank_Hill 18,457]

Can't even be mad that an LSU idiot (not Kyrie) is creeping out of the woodwork, just means football season is right around the corner.

[GotThatFire 166]

Spring game smack? Are you an aggy now?

[Nivek 16,807]

Spring game smack? Are you an aggy now?

Swamp aggy

[totallynotabuttpirate 5,341]

20 hours ago, Kyrie Eleison said:

 

how about we take Johnson vs Marshall/Chase...take your pick there...and Keontay vs John Emery, who is also young. as an added bonus, throw in Whittington vs Davis-Price?

two can play that game...

bag on Burrow all you want, but it was a certain coach named Tom Herman who saw something in him and recruited him to OSU.

y’all in for a real fight...we’re not dogs and we won’t lay down.

 

Cmon, no one is saying that LSU will lay down. Your idiot coach will keep screaming unintelligible shit all game. 

[sushihorn 3,233]

22 hours ago, Walden Ponderer said:

Actually, I'd argue that they've got a tougher row to hoe in regards to pass pro this year simply because the requirements are going to be radically different. With an RPO scheme, if things go well, you are mostly trying to steer the DL or LB and clog the lanes behind them so that there is either a cutback lane for a RB, a clear alley for QB (power look, zone, either way, the idea is the same -- clear some space), or else occupy the lineman just long enough for the pass to get off, then release and find somebody to crack back on, if necessary.

With the schemes LSU was running previously, run blocking and pass blocking were two distinctly different activities. You are either run blocking by crashing into the guy in front of you, or running to the guy behind him and crashing into him; or, you are pass blocking by dancing in a pragmatic retreat, trying to maintain a pocket for long enough for a route to come open.

Now, even RPO heavy teams will do both of those things on occasion, but not on every down, and certainly not at high tempo. The first style emphasizes athletic linemen who think and move quickly; the second emphasizes big and strong linemen, who do exactly what they are told, and maintain a high degree of potential energy translated as momentum -- in other words, fatball.

When a fatball team tries to play RPO, the results are more often than not kind of comical.

If they can get the ball out of the QB's hands quickly on the RPO the offense can create and advantage for themselves.  Run blocking other than on obvious passing downs simplifies execution for the OL also.  The obvious issue comes when the defense is able to either muddle the read, fool the QB outright or cover the pass option when it looks open pre-snap.  That leaves the QB holding the ball behind the LOS and magnifies the problems that an offense faces when the D is able to diagnose the play action fake.

The OL don't know if the QB is going to throw or run so they can't release downfield.  They'll have a harder time switching to pass blocking than if it was a called play action pass since they are actually run blocking not simulating.  Finally the QB doesn't have a set number of steps and spot that he's dropping to so the tackles can't just try to ride a speed rusher past the pocket.  For an O-Line that already has trouble stopping defensive penetration, that is likely to be a bad look.

[sushihorn 3,233]

LIke an idiot, I missed a couple of paragraphs while C&P my wall of text to Surly.

 

The running scheme is very basic.  LSU uses over 90% zone and the large majority is inside zone.  They mix in occasional gap blocking in the form of power and counter but that is very much the exception.  The workhorse backs last year (Brossette and Edwards-Hilaire) averaged 4.4 YPC.  The QB was a small but important part of the running game with 17% of the carries and both the longest run and highest average (adjusted for sacks) of the significant ball carriers.

LSU doesn't seem to go in for a lot of trickery, in keeping with their overall theme of keeping things basic on offense.  There was exactly ONE pass thrown by a non-QB last season.  The WRs carried the ball a little more than once per game.  The RBs collectively caught 2 passer per game - about half the rate of the Texas offense.  That's unlikely to go up much since they are replacing a senior starter RB with a pair of true freshmen.

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

31 minutes ago, sushihorn said:

The RBs collectively caught 2 passer per game - about half the rate of the Texas offense.  That's unlikely to go up much since they are replacing a senior starter RB with a pair of true freshmen.

I'd say it's also unlikely to go up since it looks like they're going to be emphasizing the quick passing game rather than the kind of dropback game that creates a lot of check-down opportunities. 

[Machinator 32,097]

From The Athletic:

(Brody Miller) United Front: What to expect from LSU’s offensive line in 2019

Moments after the 2019 Fiesta Bowl, after LSU defeated UCF, 40-32, after it put up 555 yards and 6.5 yards per play in one of its best offensive games of the year, offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger ran into Knights defensive coordinator Randy Shannon.

“I thought you’d blitz more,” Ensminger said.

“I thought you’d max protect more,” Shannon countered.

After a year of pass protection woes, max protections and making do with one of the least effective offensive lines in the SEC, LSU changed course in the Fiesta Bowl. It sent out running backs for passes. It blocked with just its five offensive linemen. It got the ball out of quarterback Joe Burrow’s hands quicker and, in turn, put less pressure on the protection with no help.

What happened? Burrow got hit less often.

A few weeks later, LSU took that lesson and doubled down on it. It committed its offensive philosophies to it. It hired Saints assistant Joe Brady as passing game coordinator, and it is building its third new offensive scheme in as many years with run-pass options, spread passing principles and quick decisions.

But the least-discussed impact of what Brady might be bringing is the effect on the offensive line, the group that remains the largest question mark on an LSU team with College Football Playoff aspirations.

See, this group struggled in 2018. It was No. 96 in the country in Opportunity Rate (a measure of how often a run play gains the expected yardage on a given down). It was No. 91 in Stuff Rate (how often a run gets stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage). It was No. 101 in Sack Rate. It was 12th in the SEC in yards before contact per rush (1.63), according to Sports Info Solutions. Burrow was pressured on 27.5 percent of dropbacks, sixth-worst in the SEC.

And the reasons for this are plentiful. Injuries forced the Tigers to start a different lineup combination in each of the first six games. There were communication issues. There were inexperience issues. Some players just flat out didn’t play well.

LSU started changing the offense to adjust to this, often going with five-, six-, seven- and even eight-man protections to try and keep opposing pass rushes at bay. That, some will argue, created more of a problem. It meant just two or three receivers were going out for passes, and some of those pass designs weren’t the most creative. It often led to Burrow struggling to find open targets, which sometimes meant even more sacks.

That right there is what Brady would like to change.

“Statistically, it’ll show when you’re in five-man protections you’ll give up fewer sacks,” Brady said in June. “A lot of people think that when you’re getting a lot of pressure you need to bring the box in and get in max protection, seven-man protections. But when you actually go five-man protections, and you can get the ball out fast, it limits what the defense can do.”

Brady’s not a believer in keeping running backs in to block. He subscribes to the school of forcing the defense to defend 11 men, joking running backs are “not signed to play at LSU because they’re dynamic blockers.” The same goes for tight end, where LSU plans to start converted 6-foot-7 receiver Stephen Sullivan to give Burrow a versatile and vertical passing threat.

So, before any discussion of whether or not the LSU offensive line will actually improve, start with how the pressure on the offensive line itself might change.

As for the actual line and the players on it, the Tigers bring back 88.9 percent of their scholarship offensive line snaps and seven players who started a game in 2018. LSU only loses one full-time starter — Garrett Brumfield — and he dealt with injuries and struggles of his own.

The interior line, for the most part, seems stable. Center Lloyd Cushenberry and right guard Damien Lewis were LSU’s best offensive linemen last year, and both were named to preseason All-SEC teams this summer. The left guard spot is up in the air, but there is depth it didn’t have last year. Sophomore Chasen Hines showed great upside as an 18-year-old freshman, and he could be the favorite if healthy from offseason knee surgery. Even if it’s not him, LSU has top-50 prospect Kardell Thomas, senior Adrian Magee and another four-star freshman in Anthony Bradford. It likes its options there.

Offensive tackle, on the other hand, was the biggest problem. Saahdiq Charles had an impressive freshman season in 2017 before taking a step back in 2018. In the months following the season, more word has come out about what may have caused that.

Charles had offseason shoulder surgery after his freshman year. He was able to return for 2018, but LSU strength coach Tommy Moffitt said he wasn’t able to complete a majority of the team’s weight-lifting activities. He wasn’t able to actually develop, Moffitt said, and he doesn’t think he returned to 100 percent until this January. Ever since, people like Moffitt, Cushenberry and Ed Orgeron consistently call him one of the biggest stars of the offseason.

“Because of the injuries, we kind of forgot how much of a freak he really is,” Cushenberry said at SEC Media Days. “He’s getting back to the old Saahdiq, and I think he’s gonna have a great year.”

As for right tackle, nothing LSU tried there worked. Magee had a hard time, got injured and Badara Traore came in. Traore got beat time and time again by FCS school Southeastern Louisiana. Then, LSU went with Austin Deculus, who was the most stable but still the greatest weakness on the LSU offensive line. “He took a lot of heat last year,” Burrow admitted about Deculus, with news stories and social media critics constantly calling Deculus out.

Sophomore Ed Ingram missed all of 2018 after being charged with two counts of sexual assault, and his next court date was delayed until Sept. 13, meaning he’d miss the first three games at the very least. He would have been a candidate at right tackle. Now, it looks like another competition between Deculus and Traore, plus freshman Anthony Bradford will get a chance there. LSU could also look at two high-upside redshirt freshmen in Cameron Wire and Dare Rosenthal could receive looks.

Then there’s the experience portion of the conversation. LSU returns 76 starts this year, the 43rd most in the country. One would think an LSU offensive line with so many snaps returning would, by default, improve and grow in 2019. But history says that’s not always the case.

If you look at the teams with the five most returning offensive line starts heading into last season —  Wisconsin, Boston College, Wake Forest, Florida International and Indiana —  two of the five got worse in most offensive line metrics that we mentioned earlier in this story (Opportunity Rate, Stuff Rate and Sack Rate). Wisconsin was probably the best run-blocking team in the country in 2018, but was ranked in the 100s in most pass-blocking categories. Wake Forest did improve in some blocking stats, but the offense as a whole dropped from No. 21 to No. 48 in S&P+. Boston College went from top-50 in nearly every category to one of the worst in the ACC.

The same inconsistency was displayed by other Power-5 teams last season with similar returning starts as LSU in 2019. Cal, Arkansas, Mississippi State, NC State and USC all returned 76-78 starts on the offensive line in 2018. Like the previous examples, most took considerable steps back last season.

Obviously, there are many factors that go into an offense’s ability to produce like USC having to replace star quarterback Sam Darnold and Arkansas implementing a major system change, but the overall point here is that returning starts doesn’t always necessarily lead to clear improvement.

None of this is to say LSU’s offensive line won’t improve in 2019. By default, it should improve in pass protection, and there were plenty of positives like LSU being No. 23 in Power Success Rate, meaning LSU converted on a high percentage of its third- and fourth-down runs (78.3 percent). Mix in freshman additions like Thomas, Bradford, Thomas Perry and Charles Turner, plus the changes in the offense with Brady, and there’s room for some optimism. Charles might take a leap now that he’s healthy. Left guard might be an upgrade over Brumfield. Cushenberry and Lewis could continue to improve.

This is all just to say that the successes or failures of an offensive line are complicated. Some of it is the offense, some is the playcalling, some is the quarterback, some is the personnel, some is continuity and most of it is a mesh of all the above.

Offensive line coach James Cregg was asked about this very thing at the Fiesta Bowl last winter. His belief bodes well for LSU.

“O-line is all about continuity,” Cregg said, “having the guys play next to each other and build that trust.”

Now we’ll see just how much trust this group is able to build.

[GoldAppleCorps 617]

You just cannot scheme around a bad OL. You still have to run plays and hope for the best, so you can try to limit the damage, but the OL is like an engine block. All the flashy, high powered toys just don't work at all if the block is bad.

Texas fans can relate fully to the above description of the LSU OL. Suspect talent. Injuries to that talent. No continuity and constant replacements. Even when some talent is trained up, there's always a hole that the opposition targets ruthlessly. We spent many games hoping to get close enough for a FG at the end of a 19-17 game where the defense had gutted it out, but the offense wore a hole in the middle of the field.

Texas is replacing several OL members. However, this is the first time that I can actually verbalize a real plan for rotations and combinations without including "he was pretty good last year in high school, so I think he'll be OK".

Spring practice and summer workouts are there for a reason. It sounds like LSU had plenty to work on. Perhaps they found something. However, switching from power ISO with a bad line to quick strike with a bad line just means you're punting faster.

[Magus Ossis 2,773]

2 minutes ago, GoldAppleCorps said:

You just cannot scheme around a bad OL. You still have to run plays and hope for the best, so you can try to limit the damage, but the OL is like an engine block. All the flashy, high powered toys just don't work at all if the block is bad.

Texas fans can relate fully to the above description of the LSU OL. Suspect talent. Injuries to that talent. No continuity and constant replacements. Even when some talent is trained up, there's always a hole that the opposition targets ruthlessly. We spent many games hoping to get close enough for a FG at the end of a 19-17 game where the defense had gutted it out, but the offense wore a hole in the middle of the field.

Texas is replacing several OL members. However, this is the first time that I can actually verbalize a real plan for rotations and combinations without including "he was pretty good last year in high school, so I think he'll be OK".

Spring practice and summer workouts are there for a reason. It sounds like LSU had plenty to work on. Perhaps they found something. However, switching from power ISO with a bad line to quick strike with a bad line just means you're punting faster.

Hopefully prescient. Better still would be quick strike leading to jumped receiver screens and pick 6s.

[Hagbard Celine 10,734]

1 hour ago, GoldAppleCorps said:

You just cannot scheme around a bad OL. You still have to run plays and hope for the best, so you can try to limit the damage, but the OL is like an engine block. All the flashy, high powered toys just don't work at all if the block is bad.

Texas fans can relate fully to the above description of the LSU OL. Suspect talent. Injuries to that talent. No continuity and constant replacements. Even when some talent is trained up, there's always a hole that the opposition targets ruthlessly. We spent many games hoping to get close enough for a FG at the end of a 19-17 game where the defense had gutted it out, but the offense wore a hole in the middle of the field.

Texas is replacing several OL members. However, this is the first time that I can actually verbalize a real plan for rotations and combinations without including "he was pretty good last year in high school, so I think he'll be OK".

Spring practice and summer workouts are there for a reason. It sounds like LSU had plenty to work on. Perhaps they found something. However, switching from power ISO with a bad line to quick strike with a bad line just means you're punting faster.

LSU is not anywhere close to the OL situation Mack left behind.  Nowhere close.  Your points are taken, but LSU are not going to crater like we did in South Bend.

[sushihorn 3,233]

22 hours ago, GoldAppleCorps said:

You just cannot scheme around a bad OL. You still have to run plays and hope for the best, so you can try to limit the damage, but the OL is like an engine block. All the flashy, high powered toys just don't work at all if the block is bad.

Texas fans can relate fully to the above description of the LSU OL. Suspect talent. Injuries to that talent. No continuity and constant replacements. Even when some talent is trained up, there's always a hole that the opposition targets ruthlessly. We spent many games hoping to get close enough for a FG at the end of a 19-17 game where the defense had gutted it out, but the offense wore a hole in the middle of the field.

Texas is replacing several OL members. However, this is the first time that I can actually verbalize a real plan for rotations and combinations without including "he was pretty good last year in high school, so I think he'll be OK".

Spring practice and summer workouts are there for a reason. It sounds like LSU had plenty to work on. Perhaps they found something. However, switching from power ISO with a bad line to quick strike with a bad line just means you're punting faster.

LSU has an OL problem but I wouldn't characterize the line as bad per se.  They are good run blockers in a straight zone scheme most of the time.  But they are recruited for their ability to overpower the man in front of them, not their mobility.  They have issues preventing penetration, locating smaller defenders in space and pass protecting - especially against speed rushers off the edge.  So they are good at their primary job but have some liabilities in other areas that can cause problems at times.

[sushihorn 3,233]

LSU's very large WR Stephen Sullivan has been moved to TE.  This seems like mostly semantics since their OC is talking about flexing him out so Sullivan may still be a slot receiver functionally speaking.  They have to replace a lot of production that Moreau gave them last year.  Technically speaking this may help but doesn't create the same scheme issues.

[Kyrie Eleison 9,312]

LSU's very large WR Stephen Sullivan has been moved to TE.  This seems like mostly semantics since their OC is talking about flexing him out so Sullivan may still be a slot receiver functionally speaking.  They have to replace a lot of production that Moreau gave them last year.  Technically speaking this may help but doesn't create the same scheme issues.

a “lot of production”...

22 rec for ~270 yds for the season is less that 2 catches for a 20-something yds per game. around half of that came against Rice and SE Louisiana.

if you’d stop casting this shit under false pretenses and superlatives i’d be happy to engage you.

Foster was never a threat nor an integral part of the offense. he was there to block and seal the edge.

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

Hmmm.... well, let's hear what Ed O. has to say about it:

Never mind. Let's listen to some industrial noises instead.

 

[sushihorn 3,233]

On 8/2/2019 at 6:35 PM, Kyrie Eleison said:

 

a “lot of production”...

22 rec for ~270 yds for the season is less that 2 catches for a 20-something yds per game. around half of that came against Rice and SE Louisiana.

if you’d stop casting this shit under false pretenses and superlatives i’d be happy to engage you.

Foster was never a threat nor an integral part of the offense. he was there to block and seal the edge.
 

I enjoy your quibbling at the margin.  That tells me I've gotten the big picture right so you need to find small things to argue about.  You're already engaging and it's only to nitpick.  At no point did I use anything even resembling a superlative to describe Moreau's importance to the team.  "A lot of production" isn't a superlative just FYI but I believe he was the only TE to even log a reception. 

Moreau was in a group of guys behind Jefferson with 22-23 catches.  He had few drops and was effective on offense - keeping them ahead of the chains when utilized.  The former is a pretty big deal on a team with a lot of drops from the WR position.  Sullivan will be more of a downfield threat but less reliable and certainly not an in-line blocker. 

[fellside 1,076]

None of their running backs who received significant snaps averaged 5 yards a carry.  Keontay Ingram had more yards and a better ypc than any returning LSU RB.

Their best returning receiver would have been 3rd on Texas' roster last year.  He had two 100 yard games.  Everyone else on the roster would have been 4th or worse in receptions and yards for Texas.

Ehlinger had more completions, yards, touchdowns, rushing yards, higher completion percentage, and better interception percentage than Joe Burrow.

Now I see that article explaining how the reason LSU finally changed their scheme was due to their offensive line's inability to protect the QB.

I keep hearing that LSU has a talent advantage at every position.  Clearly they don't have anything close to Texas' returning offensive production.  Then one considers that Texas has the advantage of entering the third season with the same quarterback running the same system, assisted by coaches who have more than a decade of experience running that specific system.  LSU on the other hand is entering its first season running a system implemented by a coordinator and a receivers coach with zero years experience running that specific system.  That's not even mentioning that the inexperienced defense they will be facing will be more familiar with the spread concept LSU is running than the very LSU players attempting to execute it.