By RON HIGGINS, Journal Sports
BATON ROUGE – Here are three things LSU head football coach Brian Kelly didn’t do last week during the Tigers’ open date.
He didn’t install the Wishbone formation.
He didn’t ask quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to change from No. 18 back to his old jersey number (No. 13) because it’s the last time he played well.
He didn’t hold open tryouts for a new offensive coordinator.
Even though the 11th-ranked Tigers (4-1, 1-1) have remained in a season-long offensive coma entering Saturday’s 6:45 p.m. SEC home game vs. South Carolina (3-2, 1-2 SEC) – Kelly made no radical changes.
“There’s no `Hey, we’re going to go to split back here or do something crazy’,” Kelly said at his weekly in-season press conference.
“We have to be more efficient in our passing game. We’ve got to hit shots down the field, and then we have to be much more efficient with the run game. So, we’ve been working hard on it. I’m proud of the way our guys really locked in during a bye week. I expect that this offense is going to even get better week after week.”
Well, it’d better because LSU can’t wait any longer to find an offensive spark. After South Carolina, the Tigers play at No. 16 Vanderbilt on Oct. 18, return home to face No. 5 Texas A&M on Oct.25, and after a second open date play at No. 8 Alabama on Nov. 8.
The only good news with the Gamecocks next on the Tigers’ menu is that South Carolina has a statistically worse offense than LSU.
In total offense, the Tigers are 81st nationally (364.2 yards per game) and the Gamecocks are 125th (308.6 ypg). LSU is ranked 117th in rushing offense (104.8 ypg) and South Carolina is 120th (99.8 ypg). Also, the Tigers are 80th in scoring offense (27 ppg) and the Gamecocks are 91st (24.8 ppg).
What’s ironic is the two quarterbacks chosen in July at the league’s media days to the All-SEC preseason first and second teams’ respectively – South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers and LSU’s Nussmeier – have dropped out of the headlines for their sudden inability to make game-changing plays.
Sellers suffered a concussion on Sept. 13 in a 31-7 home loss to Vanderbilt. He returned the next week on Sept. 23 when he threw for 302 yards and two TDs in a 29-20 road loss at Missouri.
Nussmeier, sporting a mystery torso injury that has clearly affected his passing, has been in an early-season death spiral. He’s already thrown three interceptions – all on underthrown deep passes – and is completing just 59 percent in LSU’s two SEC games (Florida, Ole Miss).
Last week, during the open date, Nussmeier was ordered to rest his arm.
“We didn’t do a lot with him last week,” Kelly said. “We wanted to use that as a recovery week for him. He did a lot with VR (LSU’s virtual reality room), stayed involved in everything that we’re doing, run game checks, blitz checks, things of that nature. He’s feeling better and better.”
Here’s Kelly on other subjects:
On the LSU wide receiving rotation
“Last week or two weeks ago, you saw less personnel moving in and out of the game at the wide receiver position. We were setting almost every play for a particular player. And in some instances, that’s good, but sometimes you don’t get the flow of the game.”
On stopping South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers
“Last year, he hurt us running the football. So first and foremost, we have to have a plan in place to stop the quarterback run, and then you have to keep him in the pocket. He operates best when he’s outside the pocket. We’ve got to avoid the big chunk plays that are not scripted. So, (we need) discipline in our pass rush lanes.”
On jump starting LSU’s woeful running game
“Getting the running game going is a relative term for me in terms of efficiency. You don’t want to be one-dimensional, but you want to be able to have some success when you run the football. How do you carry that to where we’re going to bludgeon people up front? That’s not who we are right now, but we need to have a running game that keeps a defense honest that can’t put five guys in the box and cover down with seven others.”
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
No. 11 LSU (4-1, 1-1 SEC) vs. South Carolina (3-2, 1-2 SEC), Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Saturday, 6:45 p.m. (ABC)
Last game for Gamecocks: South Carolina’s defense returned two turnovers for touchdowns within a span of three plays in a 35-13 win over Kentucky on Sept. 27. UK led 10-7 heading into the second quarter when QB Cutter Boley fumbled when he was sacked by USC’s Dylan Stewart. Defensive lineman Jatius Geer scooped the fumble and ran 40 yards for a TD. Two plays later, South Carolina’s Gerard Kilgore scored on a 45-yard interception return.
Series record and last meeting: LSU leads 20-2-1. Last season in Columbia, the Tigers battled back for a 36-33 victory.
South Carolina head coach: Shane Beamer (32-24 in five seasons overall and at South Carolina).
THIS AND THAT
Early betting line: LSU by 8½.
Betting tip: LSU is 8-0 ATS in the last nine games coming off an open date when Alabama isn’t the next opponent.
Number of Louisiana natives on South Carolina roster: 0
Number of South Carolina natives on LSU roster: 0
Number of transfers on South Carolina roster from 4-year schools: 28 players from 25 schools, including 14 players from 9 Power 4 Conference schools.
SOUTH CAROLINA PLAYERS TO WATCH
QB LaNorris Sellers (58 of 87 for 886 passing yards, 4 TDs, 1 interception, 98 yards rushing and 1 TD on 48 carries), RB Rahsul Faison (163 yards rushing and 3 TDs on 41 carries), WR Vandevius Jacobs (18 catches for 323 yards, 2 TDs), DE Dylan Stewart (22 tackles, 7 TFL, 3½ sacks, 5 QB hurries, 2 forced fumbles), DE Bryan Thomas Jr. (19 tackles, 5 TFL, 3 sacks, 7 QB hurries), PK William Joyce (4 of 5 field goals, 16 of 16 extra points), P Mason Love (45.5 ypp, 9 fair catches, 6 inside the 20, 6 50-yard plus punts).
DID YOU KNOW. . .
The last game of Steve Spurrier’s storied 26-year head coaching career was on Oct. 15, 2015 when LSU beat Spurrier’s South Carolina squad 45-24 in a Tiger Stadium day game. It was a contest originally scheduled for Columbia but was moved the week of the game to Baton Rouge because of heavy flooding in the Columbia area. Spurrier publicly announced his immediate resignation two days after losing to the Tigers.
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com