Brian Kelly didn’t get to take pleasure in No. 3 LSU’s 20-10 win over Florida so long as he may need hoped Saturday night time.
The primary query of his postgame press convention dragged him again all the way down to Earth. As a result of it wasn’t about his protection’s stellar five-interception efficiency. As a substitute, the primary query was about LSU’s (3-0) ongoing offensive struggles early this season.
Kelly didn’t respect the angle, inflicting a scene. He referred to as LSU’s media pool spoiled and identified the reason why the offense hasn’t been some big drawback.
To be truthful, perhaps that shouldn’t have been the primary query.
That’s one you sneak in close to the tip otherwise you save for the subsequent availability early the next week.
And to be truthful, Kelly started his Monday press convention with an apology to Michael Cauble, the TV reporter who requested the query.
However neither of these issues make it an incorrect query.
LSU is perhaps garnering buzz as an actual contender within the Southeastern Convention early this season, however there’s an plain problem that have to be addressed.
The revamped protection beneath second-year coordinator Blake Baker seems to be unimaginable. The offense, anticipated to be an asset this season, seems to be decidedly pedestrian.
Though LSU is one among simply 9 top-25 groups that has performed a number of Energy 4 opponents via Week 3, the protection’s six interceptions are tied for second-most nationally whereas the Tigers rank tenth in yards per rush allowed (2.27) and eleventh in scoring protection (9.0 factors per sport).
Groups have reached the tip zone simply 3 times and scored three touchdowns in as many video games towards LSU’s protection. Clemson and Florida had been each anticipated to have high-powered offenses coming into the season, however each had been held to 10 factors by the Tigers.
It’s nonetheless early however LSU’s protection seems to be national-title good. The offense, however, nonetheless hasn’t kicked into gear.
Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier entered his second season with Heisman buzz and a boosted receiver room with three switch additions. He’s averaging 229.7 yards per sport, almost 100 yards down from final 12 months’s 311.7 ypg, early this season with three touchdowns to 2 interceptions.
Kelly stated Monday Nussmeier is enjoying via a torso harm, which might clarify a few of these struggles. But it surely doesn’t clarify the true drawback: LSU’s lack of a run sport.
The Tigers enter this week’s sport vs. Southeastern Louisiana a hundred and fifteenth out of 136 FBS groups with 332 speeding yards. Solely 9 groups have much less speeding TDs than their two.
It’s not an enormous crimson flag that LSU struggled to run the ball successfully towards Clemson and Florida, two stout and proficient defensive fronts. But it surely positive seems to be like a significant drawback that the group managed simply 128 yards on 34 carries (3.76 per rush) towards Louisiana Tech.
For those who can’t run the ball towards Louisiana Tech, it’s arduous for me to think about you’ll be capable of run the ball towards SEC defenses.
We’ll discover out quickly sufficient if the Tigers can. Seven of their last eight video games are towards SEC competitors, together with 5 video games towards groups presently ranked within the high 20.
It’s arduous to think about the Tigers surviving that and making their first School Soccer Playoff look since 2019 if they’ll’t get the run sport, and the offense as an entire, going.
