Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
By Hunt Palmer
LSU’s offensive struggles are no secret.
The Tigers rank 12th in the SEC in total offense and 13th in scoring. The ground game has failed to create traction, and the passing game has suffered because of it. LSU’s exceptional defense has propelled the Tigers to wins over Clemson and Florida, but Ole Miss was too much offensively for LSU to overcome by leaning on the defense.
With a week off, LSU went back to the proverbial drawing board offensively.
“It’s just been big in self-scout, watching all our past games, most recently the Ole Miss game,” said junior center Braelin Moore. “We actually sat down with the running backs and tight ends and just talked about ways that we can improve and hone in on details. But also getting healthy was big, too.”
LSU runs the ball for 104.8 yards per game. Only five Power Four teams are worse. It’s a problem that has festered for a couple of seasons.
“We just lack details,” Moore said. “We just lack execution. I can’t tell you why that is. We’re trying to figure that out. We’ve just got to focus in more.”
Brian Kelly’s teams have traditionally run the ball well. Offensive line play has generally been a strength. This group can’t seem to make that click.
“Getting the running game going is a relative term for me in terms of efficiency,” Kelly said. “You don’t want to be one-dimensional, but you want to be able, when you run the football, you can have some success like we did against Ole Miss late in the game. 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 you honest that you can’t put five guys in the box and cover now with seven others. So, clearly, box runs we’ve got to be better at. We’ve got to be able to run the ball efficiently when you give us that look.”
Ole Miss spent nearly the entire game in Oxford dropping numbers into coverage. LSU couldn’t make that hurt. A passing game that hummed to the tune of 315 yards per game last season is 55 yards per game south of that pace currently.
“Running the ball opens up the rest of the offense,” Moore said. “With the inability to run the ball, teams are going to drop eight. Then it makes it hard for Nuss and the passing game to get going, so as an o-lineman, I take responsibility for that. That’s on us. We have to be better.”
No team in the SEC has created less 10-plus yard runs than LSU. Saturday night is an opportunity to move things in the right direction against a South Carolina defense that ranks in the bottom half of the SEC in rushing defense.
“From watching the film, I think the strength of their defense is the front seven,” Moore said. “They’ve got a good front, and then they’ve got good backers, too. So, we’ve just got to be very technique sound and hone in on what needs to be done and then go do it. That’s the biggest thing. We can talk about it all we want, but we’ve got to actually go do it.”
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