LSU Football: 3 reasons the Tigers will struggle in 2020
3. LSU football has too much offensive production to replace
LSU’s 2019 season featured one of the greatest offensive outputs ever, but in the afterglow of a national championship victory in New Orleans, the feeling became bittersweet for Tiger fans. As special as that year was, a huge chunk of the key people responsible for it are now gone.
Joe Burrow, along with his 6,039 yards and 65 touchdowns, have moved on to the NFL. Co-offensive coordinator Joe Brady, the man who introduced this offense to the bayou, has returned to the pros as well.
Wide receiver Justin Jefferson, responsible for 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns, will leave for the draft, along with tight end Thaddeus Moss, who had 570 yards and delivered over and over on the College Football Playoff stage. Even tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire and four offensive linemen will leave for the NFL as well.
Related Story. Will Joe Burrow win a Super Bowl with the Bengals?. light
Now offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger, along with his new running mate Scott Linehan, are tasked with replacing the Tigers’ number one player at every offensive position group.
Myles Brennan is the likely quarterback. He saw action in ten games last year and completed 60 percent of his throws while compiling 353 yards and a touchdown. He’ll be handing off to a group of running backs that will include Chris Curry, John Emery and Tyrion Davis-Price. All three backs saw action a season ago, but Curry was the number two back down the postseason stretch.
The remaining weapon from a year ago will be the go-to player in 2020. Wide out Ja’Marr Chase had 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns last season, and those numbers could go up now that he is the clear number one guy on the outside.
Replicating the production of 2019 is an impossible task. The numbers that LSU put up last year were historic, and they had a perfect storm of circumstances.
This year’s Tiger squad doesn’t have a great deal of experienced and proven talent on the offensive side of the ball. Brennan has had two years to learn and grow without being thrust into high-pressure situations, and there’s talent around him, but there’s going to be a notable drop-off in 2020.