Young O-line learning on the job
Published 6:00 pm Thursday, September 28, 2017
It’s probably not what LSU fans anxious to see the exciting parts and the creative wizardry promised in Matt Canada’s new offense want to hear.
But following another night of struggles in the offensive line, the first thing the Tigers’ first-year offensive coordinator said to head coach Ed Orgeron Sunday morning was that the Tigers were going to have to simplify things.
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Not to worry.
There’s still plenty yet to come from Canada’s grab bag.
But with the Tigers struggling to block and protect the passer, there will be somewhat of a return to the basics going forward.
“Attention to detail and communication,” veteran Toby Weathersby said of the improvement needed. “Once we get that going, everything will take care of itself.”
Some of LSU’s trouble was offset by a trio of big pass plays that made Syracuse pay for crowding the line of scrimmage. There were touchdown passes of 43 and 87 yards by Danny Etling and a 43-yard blitz-beater toss by backup Myles Brennan that set up another score.
But Orgeron was up front in admitting that, overall, the Tigers had problems with the Syracuse front.
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“Technique, a lot of technique,” he explained. “I thought (Syracuse’s) D-line had some good technique and we didn’t. We didn’t play with great technique.
“We allowed too much penetration. Danny was under duress all night.”
Orgeron stressed that it was impossible to isolate one culprit. It’s been different players making different mistakes on different plays, he said. But in the offensive line it often only takes one to blow up the whole plan.
Canada can draw up all the plays he wants, but as long as it’s football, at some point you have knock somebody down.
“We’ve got to win those blocks,” Orgeron said. “If you start chipping them back to help the left tackle, and you start keeping the tight end in to help the right tackle, then you’ve only got three receivers in the route and you’re limited.”
“So we need to do better jobs on one-on-ones. There were a couple of miscommunications in our protection. But the ones we’re most disappointed in are the techniques and the one-on-ones.”
With a numbers crisis, LSU doesn’t have a lot of options other than to get better with the players they have.
The exception has been at right guard, where the Tigers have tinkered with starting two different true freshmen — Saahdiq Charles and Ed Ingram — while Saturday against Syracuse, sophomore Adrian Magee came in and played virtually the entire second half.
Right guard is also the spot where returning starter Maea Teuhema was scheduled to be before he was suspended indefinitely in early August and later transferred to Southeastern Louisiana.
“I think our guys have done a good job dealing with it and not talking about it,” Orgeron said. “But anytime you have that, it’s a blow to your offense. These guys would be second team right now. He would be starting and they’d be getting very few reps. But they’re in the fire. They’re good players, and I believe in them and they’re going to get better.”
Despite Magee’s extended playing time in the last game, Orgeron said that, for now, the starting job remains Ingram’s.
“We think there are some things that we’re going to get better at with Ed there,” Orgeron said. “We’re going to work on some things with him. It’s not all him now. We just didn’t play well up front.
“He’s a freshman. But we expect all the guys to play better. Obviously he’s going to make some mistakes, and he did. But the rest of the guys did also.
“We think he’s the right guard now, but we’re glad that Adrian can come in and get some reps there.
“He was assignment sound. He got turned a little bit on his technique … but thought his assignments were good. Gave us some stability there, but he had a couple of technical errors.”
LSU offensive lineman Saahdiq Charles (77) and offensive tackle K.J. Malone (63) protect quarterback LSU quarterback Myles Brennan, back left, as Chattanooga defensive lineman D.J. Prather (7) blitzes during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017.
