By Hunt Palmer
Teams win on the backs of their strengths more often than not.
Balance is important and fortifying weaknesses is a priority, but to win at the highest level, the best aspects of a team have to show up.
That hasn’t happened for the LSU offense through a month of action. Head coach Brian Kelly is aware of that, and job No. 1 for his offense during the open date is getting it right
“I think, first and foremost, the details of the passing game have to be better,” Kelly said. “And that is from a coaching standpoint and a playing standpoint. We just need to be better there.”
What about the running game?!
The struggled on the ground have been well documented. LSU is the second worst ground team in the SEC and couldn’t crack the 60 yard mark last weekend in Oxford against the league’s worst run defense.
That’s a massive concern, but it’s never going to be the 2025 team’s identity. That’s going to be the right arm of the quarterback who threw for 4,000 yards last year and helped LSU convert 49 percent of its third downs a season ago which was best in the SEC.
“Everybody wants to talk about the running game, and I get it, but we also have to accentuate the positives of this team,” Kelly said. “That’s our skill players and our quarterback. So, the problem more so than anything for us is that we have not been elite in the passing game, and that’s been a huge focus this week.”
The Tigers ran 10th in the SEC in passing plays for 20-plus yards, 13th in yards per attempt, 10th in passing touchdowns and 10th on third down conversions.
Every team has weaknesses. Those are to be worked on. But when your strength buckles, too, you have nothing to lean on.
Right now, LSU can’t lean on its passing game either.
It’s vital that LSU improves on the ground. Kelly knows that, as well. Ranking 121st in the country rushing the ball is unacceptable. Last year LSU ranked 107th but did find some room to run at South Carolina and at Arkansas, arguably two of the better games the Tigers played a season ago.
Work is being done there.
“It doesn’t mean that we’re not working on getting better at the running game,” Kelly said. “We’re working diligently there. But my point being our passing game needs to be much more explosive than it has been up to this point.”
The likelihood LSU becomes a well-oiled machine on the ground is closer to none than slim. The likelihood a 4,000-yard passer improves while surrounded by his leading receiver from a season ago, a top ten all-time Kentucky receiver, Oklahoma’s freshman touchdown record holder, a 6-foot-7 nightmare tight end matchup and the same offensive coordinator he worked with last year feels much more doable.
Skip Bertman’s late-90s title teams didn’t lean on the hit-and-run when they got to Omaha. Joe, Jets and Ja’Marr didn’t turn to ball control to keep things away from Tua Tagovailoa or Trevor Lawrence.
This LSU team doesn’t need to be mentioned with those, but the theme is to do what you do best.
For these Tigers, it’s throwing the ball, and they haven’t found that rhythm.
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