On LSU’s first drive of the Week 1 game against USC, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier threw the ball nine times, completing seven of those nine attempts.
While the opening drive didn’t end with a score for the Tigers, they looked comfortable. Garrett Nussmeier looked comfortable. And because he looked comfortable, his receivers looked comfortable.
Nussmeier completed 30 passes to 10 different targets. Kyren Lacy was his favorite target and LSU’s biggest threat in its receiving game.
On the opening drive, Lacy caught four of his seven passes on the game. His seven catches on eight targets, including a receiving touchdown, all came in the first half.
However, Lacy’s role was diminished in the second half, as Nussmeier only targeted Lacy twice.
“That’s clearly something Joe [Sloan] and I talked about. He understands that,” head coach Brian Kelly said. “We have to be better about getting our guys the ball.”
Instead, Aaron Anderson was the go-to receiver for LSU in the second half. He caught a 13-yard pass for a touchdown in the third quarter and caught two more passes in the fourth quarter, including a 41-yard catch.
“Aaron Anderson I thought had a breakout game,” Kelly said. “He played with a great deal of confidence. It was nice to see that.”
Last season, Anderson caught 12 passes for 59 yards. In just one game, he already surpassed his total receiving yards from last season.
Tight end Mason Taylor was also a threat in the pass game, catching seven passes for 94 yards and a touchdown.
With LSU’s offense looking sound in its pass game, and having the depth to support it, why wouldn’t the Tigers lean on their pass game?
Well, it sounds like Brian Kelly wants to do just that.
Kelly continued to praise Lacy following the Tigers’ loss and regretted not getting him the ball in the second half.
Lacy wasn’t the only one he praised, or the only one he will want to see more action from. Anderson, whose role already increased in just one game, looks to stay a primary target.
Kelly also hopes to implement Zavion Thomas more in the pass game. On Sunday night, Thomas caught two passes for 23 yards. He was primarily used on kick and punt returns.
“I was proud of Zavion. He gives us a new dimension in kickoff return. He’s dangerous on punt return,” Kelly said. “I thought he did a good job as a receiver, made a big catch for us late in the game.”
But Kelly brought up a receiver that did not get any action in Las Vegas, and a player that hasn’t been in the program all that long: Shelton Sampson.
The former five-star receiver from Catholic High School in Baton Rouge came to LSU with a lot of hype and loads of potential. It just hasn’t been put into motion.
Kelly hopes to finally get Sampson into the pass game, and sees him as too much of a talent to keep leaving off the field.
“He’s got to be able to play for us and we have to get him on the field,” Kelly said. “He’s got to get in our rotation. If we get him in our rotation, it allows us to slide some people around, so he becomes kind of a focal point for us moving forward. He’s important to us and we’ve got to get him going.”
Speaking of players who didn’t appear in Sunday’s loss, Chris Hilton, who is recovering from a bone bruise, may be back in the rotation in the coming weeks. Last season, Hilton caught 13 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite LSU falling short in Las Vegas, Nussmeier and the Tigers’ pass game thrived more than it failed. However, between receivers not being utilized correctly and having to adjust to pass defenses, the negatives outweigh the positives.
But when Nussmeier and his receivers got into a rhythm, the offense rolled smoothly.
And if there’s a lesson the Tigers can take away from their opening loss, it’s to embrace what works and roll with it. When it comes to putting the ball in the air, the Tigers may just have to embrace it.
