LSU Football: Do Tigers have enough talent to repeat in 2020?
By Nick Fiore
Myles Brennan has massive shoes to fill
Last season, the offense set the world of college football on fire with their aerial attack created from the mind of Joe Brady.
LSU has had one of the top receiver pipelines. In fact, since 2000, the Tigers have had the second most receivers drafted. That kind of talent and production would make you think LSU was a notorious pass-heavy offense that threw the ball all over the field but that wasn’t the case. Going back to the 2003-04 season, LSU’s average in team passing yards per game was No. 77 and they finished top 20 just once in 2006.
Brady and Joe Burrow changed all of that last season, but with both gone how will the offense look in 2020? Steve Ensminger is still around as offensive coordinator and Scott Linehan is replacing Brady as passing game coordinator.
The loss of Brady shouldn’t be understated, he completely turned around an offense and did something in Baton Rouge that’s never been done. Linehan has plenty of NFL experience and after seeing what Brady did, I don’t think Orgeron or Ensminger are going let any crazy offensive scheme changes go down.
Stepping in to replace the massive shoes Burrow left is junior Myles Brennan. He’s looked good in the limited action he’s had in his career, going 42-for-70 for 600 yards. Nobody is expecting Brennan to come close to Burrow’s numbers, but there’s still talent on this side and if he can limit mistakes the offense should be OK.
The Tigers did take a major blow with the news of Biletnikoff winner Ja’Marr Chase deciding to opt out of the 2020 season. He is one of the top receivers in the country and was primed for another huge season. Without Chase, you can expect an even bigger regression than what was already expected.
Some of the younger guys at the receiver spot are going to need to step up this year.
The projected No. 1 guy now is Terrace Marshall Jr. who had 46 catches for 671 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns last year as the third or fourth option. Given his experience and the likely increase in usage this season, Marshall could put up big numbers.
Replacing Thaddeus Moss at tight end is five-star freshmen, No. 5 overall prospect, according to 247Sports, Arik Gilbert, who could more be described as a hybrid receiver/tight end. He’s 6-foot-5, 253 pounds and is an absolute beast. Look for him to be lined up all over the field, he’s fast and athletic enough to play receiver and still strong enough to line up inside. He’s a matchup nightmare and could become an immediate playmaker in this offense.
At running back Tyrion Davis-Price, Chris Curry and John Emery Jr. will be competing for the top spot with Clyde Edwards-Helaire now on the Chiefs. Davis-Price ran for 295 yards on 4.6 yards per carry while Curry ran for 189 yards including a 90-yard outburst against Oklahoma in the playoff. Emery had the least amount of touches of the three but ran for 188 yards as a freshman. This could easily turn into a committee if nobody breaks out early on in the season.
The biggest issue on offense could end up being the line that is returning just one starter in Austin Deculus. With multiple guys leaving early for the draft, younger guys are being thrust into starting roles ahead of schedule.
Losing your starting quarterback, running back, top receiver, tight end, four starting offensive lineman and passing game coordinator would completely derail almost any other offense. With the way Coach O has recruited and built this program there’s a lot of talent to fill the huge void left by the 2019 national champions.
There’s definitely going to be some growing pains and the offense won’t be as relentless as last season, but I’m still expecting the Tigers to put up points.