As LSU football gets ready to take the field against USC in week one, it’s trying to avoid losing five straight season openers.
To prevent another loss, there are three responsibilities that the Tigers will have to focus on to start the season 1-0.
Get off the field
Last season, the Tiger’s defense was one of the worst in recent history. A key contributing factor was not getting off the field on third down and forcing punts.
LSU ranked No. 120 last year for its opponent’s third-down conversion percentage at 46.30%. The defense also ranked No. 111 for opponent third down conversions per game, as they gave up around six third-down conversions to the opposing team.
However, the past is behind them. The Tigers brought in a brand-new defensive staff, including former Missouri defensive coordinator Blake Baker.
A change had to be made with their defensive unit after what happened last season. A scheme with more aggressive play calling that puts players in the right spot will not only help the team succeed but the players as well.
With two talented offenses, consisting of numerous playmakers, this game is expected to be high-scoring. Defensive stops could be rare in this game, so when the opportunity presents itself to get off the field on third down, the Tigers must take advantage if they want to change the narrative from last season.
Don’t lean away from the run
The Tigers’ running game has not been very impactful these past couple of seasons. Except for former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, who accumulated over 2000 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns during his two seasons with the Tigers, a running back has not had a season over 700 yards since Tyrion Davis-Price in 2021.
The leading rusher at running back last season, Logan Diggs, transferred to Ole Miss during the offseason, and now the running back room consists of Josh Williams, Kaleb Jackson, John Emery and Caden Durham.
Williams has shown the most consistency out of the backfield and will most likely be the starter as he enters his sixth season with the Tigers.
Jackson has shown great potential with the few touches he got last season. The mix of speed and power has caught the eyes of many who are wondering what he’ll do this season.
Emery is coming back for his fifth year after suffering an ACL injury toward the end of last season, and Durham is a true freshman with tremendous speed.
On top of that, this will be Nussmeier’s first season as the starting quarterback. He will have numerous receiving options, such as Kyren Lacy, Mason Taylor and CJ Daniels, but to take some stress off of him, they will still need to find a balance between their passing offense and their rushing offense.
The Tigers will need to lean on one of these backs to ease Nussmeier into the game and allow the offense to not become predictable and stagnant.
That’s especially true now that Daniels is gone and that extra pair of legs the Tigers had the past two seasons is no longer here.
The offense has switched drastically for LSU over the years, becoming a more pass-dominant offense with great quarterbacks leading the way, such as Daniels and Joe Burrow.
The scheme stays the same when it comes to Garrett Nussmeier. He presents exceptional arm talent and can make many throws that not many other quarterbacks can make. However, sometimes that can get him in trouble taking risky shots down the field.
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Take care of the football
In the last four-season openers, LSU has turned the ball over a total of seven times, including two turnovers in three out of the four games.
Last year against Florida State, it was an early muffed punt by Aaron Anderson in the first quarter that gave the Seminoles the ball in LSU territory. However, the Seminoles didn’t score on the following drive.
Later in the third quarter, Daniels threw an interception as LSU was trailing 17-24 and marching down the field.
The Tigers gave the ball away twice and wasted two opportunities to put points on the board. All four previous opening matchups could’ve ended differently if the Tigers simply took care of the football, whether it was on special teams or offense.
USC has a creative offense that can put up points even with the loss of key players like Caleb Williams, Brendan Rice and Tahj Washington. With one of the most electric players in the country Zachariah Branch on their team, LSU can’t give the Trojans extra possessions in this game.
In the few games that Nussmeier has played in his career, he has already thrown seven interceptions. While Nussmeier does possess extraordinary arm talent, he is going to need to be careful with the ball and with his decision-making to lead the Tigers to a win.
