LSU football doesn’t plan on 2019 being the peak of the program

LSU football’s 2019 season was one of the best we’ve ever seen, but the Tigers aren’t happy.

It’s hard to imagine a program having a better season than LSU football had in 2019.

The Tigers led the nation in scoring by averaging 48.4 points per game. Joe Burrow passed for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns.

LSU had two wide receivers (Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson) with over 1,500 receiving yards.

Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire rushed for 1,414 yards and caught 55 passes for 453 yards.

And the No. 3 wide receiver on the team, Terrace Marshall Jr, caught 13 touchdowns (which would’ve led every other program in the SEC except Alabama, who was led by DeVonta Smith with 14).

LSU’s 2019 season was essentially perfect. There’s almost nothing to nitpick about it.

Yet, the Tigers’ coaching staff isn’t satisfied. They want to be even better in 2020 and beyond.

LSU offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger recently told WAFB’s Jacques Doucet that people might think he’s crazy, but he believes the challenge for the team is to be better and break more records.

Ensminger said that new passing game coordinator Scott Linehan, who replaced Joe Brady (now the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator), is going to be a positive impact on the Tigers’ offense in 2020.

The base of the offense created by Ensminger and Brady will remain in tact. But Ensminger is hoping to improve on the existing offense by using elements that Linehan will bring from his time as an offensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys.

It would be incredibly easy for Ensminger and LSU to roll with the exact same offense as 2019. But they’re smart enough to realize that the top programs in the country are likely spending much of their quarantine time studying the Tigers’ historic offense. Not only so teams can stop LSU, but also so they can add some of those same plays to their respective playbooks.

The Tigers, however, are committed to constantly evolving. It’s a testament to Ed Orgeron’s approach as a head coach (which has evolved quite a bit). And also to Ensminger’s impact as an offensive coordinator.

Joe Brady might have revolutionized LSU’s offense. But it was still Ensminger’s show. I think folks forget that sometimes.

Sure, Brady deserves a lot of credit for helping LSU’s offense become a force. But Ensminger was still the one in the captain’s chair.

I’m not sure if the Tigers will ever replicate their record breaking 2019 season, but it’s obvious they’re going to do everything they can to not only match it, but to somehow improve on it.