If Saturday’s scrimmage inside Tiger Stadium was any indication, the LSU football team might not be considered a defensive team by next fall.
The offense piled up 287 rushing yards and 278 passing yards, while junior quarterback Zach Mettenberger completed 16-of-25 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns, according to a news release. The scrimmage was closed to media and fans.
“I like to see that level of balance,” said LSU coach Les Miles, who provided the statistics following the scrimmage. “Offensively, we were crisp and physical to run the ball very effectively.”
Junior running back Spencer Ware carried the ball 12 times for 90 yards, while sophomore Kenny Hilliard and junior Alfred Blue combined for 127 more against a “nicked” LSU defensive line.
Sophomore receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry were Mettenberger’s prime targets through the air, as Beckham caught five passes for 50 yards and Landry earned the same yardage total on three receptions.
“We are competing in the passing game very, very well,” Miles said after the approximately 100-play scrimmage. “Mettenberger is a leader there. I think he enjoys his role.”
Senior tight end Chase Clement added a “nice grab” for a short-yardage touchdown reception.
Despite the offensive fireworks, Miles said the unit still had trouble moving the chains.
The defensive line sacked LSU’s quarterbacks six times, which Miles said didn’t count against the rushing yardage total.
Miles also lamented a slew of mental errors that stunted offensive threats.
“We still had a couple of pre-snap penalties that are significant in spring and have to get eliminated,” Miles said. “Veteran guys are doing it, too, which is more frustrating.”
One player who didn’t frustrate Miles was freshman running back Jeremy Hill, who finally joined the team this spring after a year of legal issues surrounding a sexual battery charge.
The 6-foot-1, 230-pound former Redemptorist standout rushed 10 times for 56 yards and impressed the coaching staff and his fellow running backs.
“I can’t imagine we’d think about a redshirt for [Jeremy],” Miles said. “If he loses a little bit of weight, he’s going to be a very talented tailback.”
Miles bemoaned some slight injuries to the defensive front that hindered the unit during the scrimmage.
“We were a little nicked up on the defensive line,” he said. “They weren’t at full strength, so it wasn’t their day.”
Junior cornerback and Heisman finalist Tyrann Mathieu missed the scrimmage as he nursed an ankle injury. Miles said withholding Mathieu from the scrimmage was a “precautionary” measure.
Mathieu was joined on the sidelines by junior receiver Kadron Boone, who suffered a shoulder injury, and two victims of knee injuries, senior center P.J. Lonergan and junior running back Michael Ford.
Miles said Boone and Ford are both out for the rest of the spring. Ford has either worn a green, no-contact jersey at practice or missed practice the entire spring.
“We’re really giving [Ford] most amount of time to get healthy,” Miles said. “We expect him to be fine come next fall. It’s not a ligament [injury] or requires a major operation in any way.”
The sun-soaked scrimmage served as a bare-bones dress rehearsal for the upcoming Spring Game this Saturday.
Miles said the situational focus was on short-yardage, red-zone and third-down scenarios along with “significant” time for special teams, where Miles said early enrollee freshman deep snapper Reid Ferguson has all but earned a starting gig.
“It’s a very important issue,” Miles said of the position. “We have some nice competition there, and [Reid] is earning a place so far.”
 
 
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Contact Chris Abshire at [email protected].