One play perfectly illustrated why LSU football was so good in 2019

There was something incredibly special about LSU football’s 2019 team.

LSU football’s dominance in 2019 wasn’t a fluke.

It was the direct result of a team brimming with confidence and professionalism.

Everyone on the Tigers’ roster had a job. And everyone did their job….and then some.

As a result, LSU — specifically the offense — ran as smooth as a Fortune 500 company.

When something didn’t go right, someone inevitably picked up the slack.

This was illustrated perfectly by a moment in the Tigers’ Peach Bowl win against Oklahoma, which was recounted this week by The Athletic’s Brody Miller.

Just after halftime, LSU was driving down the field in their hurry up offense. A run play was called on fourth-and-two after a screen pass to Justin Jefferson had picked up eight yards.

The only problem?

There wasn’t a running back on the field.

Ja’Marr Chase calmly steps up

Instead of burning a timeout, Burrow called out the play and Chase lined up beside him.

Chase didn’t panic, even though it was the only rushing attempt (so far) during his career at LSU.

“When Burrow called out the play, Chase seemed casual and collected. He just slowly stepped next to Burrow in shotgun like this was routine. In fairness, LSU had run formations with Chase back there earlier in the season, but they’d never run the ball,” wrote Miller.

Chase ran the ball to the left for five yards and easily picked up the first down.

You can see the play at the 7:32 mark of the video below.

The 2019 LSU offense might be the closest thing we ever see to an actual NFL offense at the collegiate level. The way Burrow, Chase, Jefferson and the rest of the offense approached their jobs was more like seasoned NFL veterans, not college aged kids.

And nothing encapsulates that more than an almost botched play that turned into a first down in one of the biggest games of the season.