When LSU senior quarterback Joe Burrow said he thought the Tigers offense could score 40, 50 or even 60 points a game, fans and critics alike simultaneously giggled at the thought of LSU putting up numbers anywhere close to that.
“I think we’re going to be really explosive,” Burrow said. “I think the old narrative is going to go away that you guys like writing about. I think it’s going to be really good for us.”
The Tigers put on an offensive clinic in their home opener against Georgia Southern, scoring 42 points — 35 of which came courtesy of Burrow’s arm — in the first half.
LSU finished the game with 55 points, but it could’ve been much more had the Tigers kept their foot on the gas pedal in the second half. Nonetheless, the dominating performance by Burrow and the entire offensive seemed to validate everything coming from LSU’s locker room this off-season.
They followed up with 45 points against top-10 opponent Texas in Austin, and then 65 points against Northwestern State.
Through three games, the Tigers averaged 55 points per game, good for fourth in the country.
Gone are the days of the toss dive and two receivers running routes off play-action while running backs and tight ends stayed in to block. The Tigers have athletes at each skill position, and plan on using all of them.
Sophomore wide receiver Terrace Marshall had a total of just 12 catches in the 2018 season. In the opener alone, the sophomore had four catches for 31 yards and scored the first three touchdowns of his career. Marshall was injured in Saturday’s win against Vanderbilt and underwent surgery Sunday to repair a stress fracture.
Junior wide receiver Justin Jefferson leads LSU with 21 catches for 392 yards and five touchdown he lead the Tigers in all receiving categories a year ago.
But it doesn’t stop there. Fourteen different players caught passes against Georgia Southern, which in part may have been due to the nature of the game, but as a whole is the product of the Tigers’ depth at receiver and running back.
After their first four games, the Tigers will have multiple opportunities to pour on the points this season.
Three of LSU’s remaining eight games are against teams that finished 47th or worse in points allowed in 2018, and while Utah State was ranked 32nd, they only faced two ranked opponents in 2018.
Here’s a look at how some of the top LSU offenses finished in the points per game category:
2006-07: 9th
2007-08: 11th
2003-04: 19th
2013-14: 23rd
2001-02: 29th
1997-98: 29th
A key statistic for offensive success is the total number of plays run. LSU coach Ed Orgeron mentioned before the season opener just how many plays he wanted to see the offense run.
“We’d like to have about 75, 80 plays a game,” Orgeron said. “That would be pretty good for us… We’re speeding it up a little bit. I don’t want ‘em to go too fast.
We’ve got to give the defense a chance to rest.”
Through three games, LSU has averaged 69 plays per game, a little under Orgeron’s estimate, but the low number of plays is more of a byproduct of LSU scoring quickly on drives than anything else.