LSU’s no-huddle offense promises enough plays for all
Published 6:00 pm Thursday, August 29, 2019
Maybe it was a slip of that Cajun tongue. Perhaps he was just having a little fun in the dog days of August.
But the other day in practice, LSU head coach Ed Orgeron instinctively yelled out for his team to “Huddle up!”
The players looked back with puzzled expressions, maybe confused.
Trending
“They don’t know what that is anymore,” Orgeron laughed. “Yeah, we’re going to be no-huddle.”
And maybe that’s all you need as proof that, for better or worse, win or lose, LSU’s offense is going to be quite different this season.
The lack of a huddle suggests that it won’t be just the X-and-O junkies noticing the differences. There’s no turning back now. It’s not just cosmetic touches.
The long-rumored sleek new modern offense, kept under tight lock and key for the last nine months, will go on public display Saturday in the season opener against Georgia Southern.
Don’t look for a huddle. The new beer concession might not do a brisk business between plays. Blink and you may miss something.
“Yeah, our tempo will be fast,” Orgeron said. “We will slow it down if we need to slow it, but we want to go fast, especially in certain situations.”
Trending
Orgeron is as excited as the average fan to see it — and he knows what to expect.
“Be interested to see how we do,” he said. “I think we’ll do very well.”
He brought in run-pass-option guru Joe Brady from the NFL’s New Orleans Saints to add that speciality.
He says it fits quarterback Joe Burrow’s mental and physical skill set perfectly. It’s a rare luxury for the Tigers to enter a season set at the all-important position.
“I do believe we’re going to be great because of our quarterback,” Orgeron said. “Our quarterback can handle most situations. I think he’s a game-changer.”
Burrow even had a lot of input on what worked and what didn’t during the new offense’s testing phase, Orgeron said.
So after a lot of trial and error in recent years, Orgeron says he is convinced that this is the offense he’s always wanted — allegedly an offense that can take advantage of LSU’s traditional surplus of skill players without sacrificing the physical play the Tigers are known for.
“Our guys are excited about it,” Orgeron said. “I know offensively they’ve been working very hard. We’re looking forward to putting this spread offense on the field.”
Maybe that’s the key word, spread.
Orgeron says that, huddle or not, the Tigers can slow it down if need be. There’s also a misconception out there that “wide-open offense” means throwing it every down — Orgeron wants a 50-50 run-pass balance.
But how they get to that balance should be vastly different. Don’t look for many bunch formations.
“We are strictly spread — first time LSU has been strictly spread,” he said. “We have the talent to be a spread offense. We can go five receivers at any time, four receivers. We’re mainly going one tight end, three receivers, one back. (Offensive coordinator Steve) Ensminger has a tremendous plan.
“I want to see speed; we’ll give the receivers the ball in space, let them make plays. But we want to be 50-50 with the run game. We still want to be physical. We want to control the clock.”
Not to worry. There will be plenty for running backs to do in the spread, even if they do it a little differently.
There better be. Orgeron has five running backs listed on the depth chart.
“Get a lot of people out there,” he said. “Throwing our backs the ball out of the backfield (and) still run the ball.”
Veteran Clyde Edwards-Helaire is the starter, but Lanard Fournette should see increased playing time — he was used mostly last as a specialty back catching passes last year, which is now a staple of the offense. Edwards-Helaire was also more suited in space than strictly off tackle.
“It will be running back by committee,” Orgeron said.
Redshirt freshman Chris Curry is expected an expanded role and incoming freshmen John Emery and Tyron Davis-Price have had their moments.
Emery is more of an elusive back, David-Price more power-oriented.
“They’re different,” Orgeron said. “Emery can make you miss. He has tremendous feet, tremendous vision. He needs to get a little bit stronger in the weight room. Get more comfortable in the offense.
“But there were a lot of times in practice where he broke outside, we didn’t catch him. He had some explosive runs, very explosive runs.”
LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire makes a long kickoff return against Central Florida during the first half of the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1 in Glendale, Ariz . Edwards-Helaire is one of several backs LSU will use.
