LSU Football will play their first home game in 2023 tonight vs. Grambling State. We need to see three things from the Bayou Bengals after kick-off.
Last week, LSU Football met their highest preseason expectations since the Les Miles era with a performance that fans are still coping with. Indeed, the Tigers’ Week 1 performance was beyond disappointing. ‘Aorta-smashing’ is the more appropriate term to describe what the game vs. Florida State felt like.
Nevertheless, as luck (or the schedule) would have it, LSU Football c an reset against an inferior opponent in Grambling State.
Referring to Grambling as an inferior opponent feels wrong, considering their lineage and prominence during the Eddie Robinson era. However, the Tigers from Northern Louisiana are inferior to the Tigers from Baton Rouge in talent and resources.
Despite the inequity, the onus is on LSU to do what Power Five teams are expected to do against lower-level opponents: take them to the proverbial woodshed. However, after Week 1, I’m one of many fans living in a state of paranoia. What if the LSU Tigers aren’t as good as we thought? What if the 2022 season resulted from luck and a roster that overachieved without the pressure of expectations?
Either way, I need LSU Football to do a few things on Saturday night in Death Valley that will put my mind at ease.
We need to see a difference from the LSU Football offense
Many LSU Football fans don’t have a problem with the offense outside of wide receiver drops from a week ago. Moreover, the LSU vs. Florida State box score looks great to those who did not watch the game or suffer from short-term memory loss.
Our problem is that the LSU Football offense looked the same as it did a year ago. Such includes a lack of explosive plays, no consistency at running back, and an over-reliance on Jayden Daniels to sustain drives with his legs.
Indeed, all of the above is why the Tigers were abysmal on fourth down and in the red zone last Sunday.
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock committed to getting the ball in playmakers’ hands in open space this season. Brian Kelly urged Daniels to be more aggressive with his throws. We also heard much about Daniels’ increased comfort and confidence in making reads and seeking downfield targets this offseason.
Thus far, all the talk was just that, talk.
LSU Football must take advantage of an inferior opponent on defense in Week 2. Force Daniels to lead the offense without taking off and running. Also, challenge receivers to get separation and hold onto the ball. Lastly, we must see the Tigers feed running backs enough to figure out which one deserves the majority of snaps in bigger games.
LSU Football must put Harold Perkins in the right position
The plan to put Harold Perkins at inside linebacker looked great on paper. Perkins excelled from the edge in 2022, but moving him inside enables more action. Teams will have a tough time avoiding Perkins if he’s lined up between the hashes. The sophomore defender will also be able to rush the quarterback through multiple gaps.
Wrong.
Hindsight is 20/20, and LSU Football moving Harold Perkins to inside linebacker was a poor decision. I know the sample size is small, but I’ve seen enough.
Perkins did none of what we expected him to from the inside linebacker position. The Week 1 numbers are out there, and they show that LSU’s best defender dropped into coverage more times than not. Obviously, the scheme was a bust because Jordan Travis carved up the Tigers’ defense in the second half of last week’s clash in Orlando.
LSU’s secondary is their Achilles’ heel; thus, dropping athletes like Perkins into coverage seems like a good idea. However, a superior pass rush is the best remedy for a weak passing defense. In other words, the Tigers must make the quarterback throw the ball before he wants to.
We must also remember that Perkins’ football career is incredibly young, and he has a lot to learn with defensive scheming and coverage responsibilities. The learning curve is steep, and Perkins would not master the inside linebacker position in one offseason.
Ultimately, we need to see LSU Football move Perkins back to a spot that allows him to chase the quarterback. By the sounds of it, we’ll get more of Perkins at the JACK linebacker spot against Grambling State.
LSU Football must adjust as the game is played
Ask any Notre Dame fan what drove them up the wall about Brian Kelly, and they’ll tell you about his refusal to adjust during the game. Actually, Kelly doesn’t like to change much at all. LSU Football fans got a taste of that last week when the Tigers completely fell apart in the second half against Florida State.
There’s no question that FSU’s Mike Norvell outcoached Kelly. Indeed, Norvell’s Seminoles adjusted as the game rolled on, and the Tigers did not. X’s and Noles did an excellent job summarizing the changes Florida State made during their Week 1 contest with the Tigers.
As for LSU, a simple example of the failure to adjust is Harold Perkins’ positioning. It was obvious that the Tigers needed more pressure on Jordan Travis in the second half. However, LSU put Perkins more into coverage instead of rushing him to the edge.
Kelly strikes me as the old-school coach who is a tad too arrogant for his own good. As such, the refusal to deviate from a game plan despite the scoreboard is the head coach’s problem. This week, we must see LSU Football flex their approach on offensive and defense, given what Grambling State is doing.
An inferior opponent will not be the best gauge of LSU’s ability to flex in-game. However, tonight is an excellent opportunity to adjust offensive and defensive approaches and personnel with future matchups in mind.