The LSU run attack had really been a one man show with senior Nick Brossette receiving the majority of the carries up until now.
Tonight saw a different story where two backs received equal carries and were the driving force to the offensive success.
In the Tigers’ victory over LA Tech on Sept. 22, the team may have finally unlocked the potential sophomore Clyde Edwards-Helaire could bring as the second back. After rushing for 103 yards total for his career, Edwards-Helaire put up a monster 136 yards rushing on 20 carries, and at times was the driving force of the LSU offense.
Edwards-Helaire racked up 91 yards on the ground and a score in the first half while Brossette added another 44 with two scores.
Through the first quarter and a half of the game, the Tigers were rushing about five yards per carry. But when senior guard Garrett Brumfield went down with an injury, the running attack took a noticeable dip in production for a few drives.
“Everybody knows that every play starts up front with the offensive line,” Edwards-Helaire said. “When Brumfield went down, I thought our guys did a great job of stepping in. We needed to put a drive together, and that’s what we did.”
As the game got closer in the fourth quarter, the team relied heavily on Brossette who was able to score a touchdown to give LSU a breathable lead at 31-21.
“I liked the play of our offensive line,” Coach Ed Orgeron said. “I liked the schemes that we were doing, and we have two pretty good backs.”
Edwards-Helaire and Brossette ran for five touchdowns combined to go along with the 214 yards from scrimmage.
It wasn’t until the waning minutes of the fourth that Edwards-Helaire got his shot. He made the most of it, running for 41 yards in the fourth and a touchdown that slammed the door shut on LA Tech.
“I feel like this was an uplifting game for the offense,” Edwards-Helaire said. “We’ve been trying to mesh with one another and I think it’s starting to pay off.”
