Wildcats dominate line of scrimmage, roll past Nicholls in season opener
September 1, 2019
Magical World of Math
September 1, 2019
It’s only one game.
And it was a cupcake game, at that.
But man, the LSU football team looks drastically different than it has before.
And I think we can all agree that it looks different in a good way.
The Tigers smashed and burned Georgia Southern on Saturday night, racking up 472 yards, and 22 first downs in a 55-3. win.
But the style and look of the yardage was different than LSU teams of the past.
It was all through the air.
The Tigers passed for 350 yards in the air on Saturday and the route tree the team used looked so much different than it has in the past.
Under Les Miles and early-era Ed Orgeron, LSU’s passing game was inefficient because, quite frankly, they were attempting inefficient passes.
There were too many deep shots down the field, not enough quick hitting routes and the use of running backs and tight ends in the route tree were non-existent because they were tucked in to block so that receivers could work 30-40 yards up the field.
It didn’t work, LSU fans knew it, opponents knew it, and ultimately, Coach Ed Orgeron knew it, too.
So he fixed it.
This offseason, the Tigers hired Joe Brady from the New Orleans Saints. Brady was an offensive assistant with the Black and Gold and his job was simple — to modernize the LSU passing game.
And the end result is oh, so pretty.
The Tigers looked the part of a national contender on Saturday night.
Starting quarterback Joe Burrow was precise and on point, completing 23-of-27 passes with 5 touchdowns. LSU completed passes to 14 different receivers and the Tigers showed a version of themselves that fans have long fantasized about, but no one ever thought would be real.
Most of the throws were quick hitters — short, simple routes that get the team’s athletes into space.
It looked different, it felt different and the results were different. LSU scored 40+ points in the first half and could have picked just about any number it wanted to reach — only getting 55 points because they pulled back and called off the dogs.
There’s still work to be done.
LSU has a huge challenge on Saturday at Texas and the meat of the SEC schedule will be tough.
It always is.
But after years of being buried in the middle of a long tunnel, it’s quite nice to finally be close to the light at the other side.
LSU looked great on Saturday offensively and that’s scary for opponents.
Because their defense is also as nasty as ever.
But we’ll save that for another column on another day.
