To be honest, if you would have told anyone that LSU will be the No. 7 team in the country, beat top 10 teams Ole Miss and Alabama and control its destiny to go to Atlanta for the SEC championship, they would have blessed your heart.
LSU has shocked a lot of people around the country with how it has played this year. A lot of pundits thought that this was a rebuilding year for LSU as the Tigers only had 39 scholarship players on the roster when they played at the Texas Bowl in January. LSU needed stability, and it got that with Brian Kelly who has won games at every level. But even with Kelly, everyone still thought that LSU will struggle mightily this year.
Even after the brutal losses to Florida State and Tennessee, nobody thought that LSU would recover after either of those two losses.
After Florida State, the Tigers responded with two huge victories against Mississippi State and Auburn. After an abysmal showing against Tennessee that left LSU fans with frustration and anguish, LSU won three straight games, which included wins over Florida, then undefeated Ole Miss and defending SEC champions Alabama in a thrilling overtime victory.
To be honest with you, it would be much easier to solve the theory of relativity than to explain how fast LSU was able to regain their status as an elite program. However, there are some theories on how and why LSU was able to rebuild quickly.
First, let’s start with the offensive line. The offensive line has been LSU’s weakest position group for the last four years alas 2019. LSU also lost three starters from the 2021 team and Kelly desperately hit the transfer portal, landing Miles Frazier and Tre’mond Shorts.
Who would’ve thought that LSU would have Will Campbell and Emery Jones, who are both true freshmen, starting at left and right tackle? Not only are they starting, but they are also one of the best offensive tackle combos in the country.
LSU center Charles Turner is one of the most improved players on this team as he had a hard time trying to find his way into the lineup last year and earlier this year. However, he has had a solid year playing as the center for LSU.
Along with guards Garret Dellinger and Anthony Bradford, LSU’s whole offensive line has been solid this year, whether it’s through pass blocking or making holes for LSU’s running backs.
Last year, LSU only ran the ball for 114.5 rushing yards per game. The only two teams where LSU ran the ball for more than 150 yards was against Florida and Kansas State in the Texas Bowl. This year, LSU has averaged 183.4 rushing yards a game. Another area that has been responsible for LSU’s rise has been the passing game. As the season began, LSU really struggled out the gate with the passing game. LSU was trying to learn a new passing system. Not only did the Tigers have a new offensive coaching staff, but they had to learn a new system with a brand new quarterback as well.
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels transferred in the spring from Arizona State and had to learn a new playbook as well as learn more about his new teammates. He also had to work on his mechanics and footwork, which was a topic that was often discussed by Kelly and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock.
Against Florida State, Mississippi State and Auburn Daniels averaged 166.3 passing yards per game, completed just 57.7% of his passes and had a passing efficiency rating of 114.4. He only threw for three touchdown passes. He also threw for a season low against Auburn, where he only threw for 80 yards and no touchdowns with a completion percentage of 40%. In those games, LSU won two of those because of the defense and Daniels’ running ability rather than his passing ability.
However, since the Tennessee game, Daniels has thrown for 240.5 yards per game, along with a completion percentage of 70.7% and a passing efficiency rating of 151.5. He has also thrown for eight touchdowns and only one interception.
Daniels’ best overall performance came against Florida, where he threw for 349 yards and three touchdowns. Daniels also ran in for three scores.
Even though it doesn’t look like it on the stat sheet, Daniels outplayed the reigning Heisman winner Bryce Young in the upset victory over Alabama. Even though Young had more yards, Daniels had a higher completion percentage and quarterback rating. Daniels also had more passing touchdowns and didn’t commit a single turnover while Young threw an interception in the redzone on Alabama’s opening possession.
Daniels submitted himself into legendary status when he scored on a 25-yard touchdown run to set up the game-winning two conversion, which was thrown to freshman tight end Mason Taylor to win the game 32-31.
The wide receivers also stepped up big as the season went on. The wide receivers were the most disappointing position group of the season before the month of October.
They not only struggled to get production outside of Malik Nabers, but they struggled mightily with dropped passes, something that carried over from last year. All-American Kayshon Boutte was the most disappointing of the wide receivers as this was supposed to be his money before entering the NFL Draft.
However, since the Tennessee game, the wide receivers have been reliable on screens, short passes, jump balls and the deep bombs thrown the field. Taylor also has been huge as well as he had three catches for 44 yards and a touchdown in the upset against then No.7 Ole Miss. Taylor would again have a big game against Alabama as he had three catches on 36 with a touchdown and also caught the game-winning two-point conversion in overtime.
Finally, probably the most significant reason why LSU has rebuilt so fast is a simple answer, coaching. When Kelly was hired in late November of 2021, LSU athletic director Scott Woodward and LSU fans finally found the man who could bring structure back to LSU since Nick Saban coached for the Tigers.
Kelly and his staff made the players buy into the process and it has paid off in a big way. The players have seen to play with more discipline and energy than they have the last two years. They have really come together as a team. It has also been refreshing for a lot of LSU fans to see that the Tigers are more physical and have better preparation on game day, something Orgeron’s teams have lacked the past two years.
Denbrock has done an excellent job of calling plays. Even though he had a shaky start to the season, Denbrock has had a diverse playbook that centers around Daniels’ skillset as a quarterback that has made defenses honest. From calling read options to shovel passes to Boutte, it has been refreshing to see diversity in the play calling after last season.
Defensive coordinator Matt House arguably has been the best hire Kelly made this offseason. No matter how good or how bad the defense is playing, House will always make the right adjustments. If a team is throwing the ball deep with success, he calls for more blitzes on the quarterback. When the team is running the ball with success, he will call different stunts and techniques to make that opponent throw the ball to beat them.
Don’t get it twisted, this is still a rebuilding year. However, LSU has grown up fast. Real fast.
