Offense owns LSU scrimmage

Published 6:00 pm Sunday, August 13, 2017

LSU’s offense, although still waiting to get the full line healthy up front, dominated the Tigers’ second major scrimmage of the preseason Saturday, head coach Ed Orgeron said.

Running back Derrius Guice set the tone by going 60 yards for a touchdown run on the scrimmage’s first play.

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“They came with a dominant physical mind-set,” Orgeron said. “It was a fantastic preseason Game 2.”

The line was still missing Will Clapp, who will play either center or right guard, and Orgeron said it struggled with pass protection but was excellent with the running game.

Guice finished with 102 yards in nine carries, while Darrel Williams had 76 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns and Nick Brossette had 54 yards on 13 carries.

“There’s a loaded backfield back there, man,” Orgeron said. “Nick has shown us today he’s a running back that, if we called his name at LSU, I’ve got no problem putting him in the game. He’s going to do a great job for us.”

Freshman running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who drew rave reviews in early work, didn’t practice this week after being shaken up in last week’s scrimmage.

But several freshmen continued to catch Orgeron’s eye, most notably safety Grant Delpit and cornerback Kary Vincent.

He said both are “considered starters in our mind,” as LSU traditionally plays a lot of defensive backs. Vincent also has a chance to play at the nickel back spot when the Tigers go with five in the secondary.

In the quarterback race, Orgeron said returning starter Danny Etling was still the clear No. 1, although it appeared that incoming freshman Myles Brennan had the better statistical day.

Orgeron said those two got the majority of the snaps in the 100-play scrimmage.

Etling threw two interceptions — one of which was returned 60 yards for a touchdown by Delpit — while completing 8 of 18 passes for 114 yards.

Brennan, who ran some plays with the No. 1 offense, was 4 of 8 for 107 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown to freshman Mannie Netherly.

D.J. Chark, the Tigers’ lone returner with appreciable experience, led the receivers with three catches for 52 yards.

Orgeron said have joined Russell Gage and Derrick Dillon have joined Chark in separating themselves from a crowded field trying to add depth to the position.

Dillon had two receptions for 52 yards.

Freshman JaCoby Stevens, who’s in the process of moving from safety to wide receiver, had two catches for 37 yards.

Defensively, Rashard Lawrence, Orgeron said, had six tackles, including one for a loss.

Freshman defensive end Glenn Logan made four tackles, including a sack and another tackle for a loss while forcing a fumble.