Lonn Phillips Sullivan
Oct 7, 20207 min
IF YOU ARE READING THIS IT'S BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE IN WHAT WE'RE DOING...THANK YOU, WE WILL SUPPLY THE BEST LSU ACCESS, INFO & DOMINATION AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
AS ALWAYS, GEAUX TIGERS!!!
The LSU healing began in earnest once the players met by themselves after their debacle vs Mississippi State:
Jacoby Stevens led the meeting and gave the team a piece of his mind.
There would be no more Madden hang-outs that week, there'd be no Monday night or Thursday night football get-togethers...the players would instead gather to watch Vanderbilt footage...nonstop...over and over...Jacoby made them repeat the viewings, some of the players "needing reminders" from Jacoby to attend the same meeting, watching the same team again.
What was at first a slog (through a week of turbulent criticism from all sides) became a rip-roaring 5 days of practice: our LSU Tigers began having fun once they started improving, feeling good mentally and physically as they knew they'd do everything to "get it right" vs Vanderbilt
LSU's new #7 made damn sure none of the players missed assignments so blatantly, so woefully again...in fact, none of our younger DBs dared disappoint Jacoby a second time....he growled, grimaced and stalked the hallways of LSU's HQ, looking menacing, intimidating....after 623 yards and 44 points, Jacoby demanded immediate change.
The return of Derek Stingley Jr aided DBU's confidence most, every DB magnetized to his aura: they were playing alongside the best of DBU once again, and accordingly, we knew every corner or safety would improve vs Vanderbilt...Stingley Jr is the MJ of their position....as such, every DB improved markedly from Week 1 to Week 2.
Brennan followed Jacoby's lead on offense, obsessing over his pocket moves, his presence, the angles of his deliveries in concert with his bouncy feet. and most of all, the rapid fire, blade runner decision-making....
During practices, Ensminger and Callaway stood on either side of Myles, the quarterback pummeled with swimming pool noodles by support staffers (which they'd drilled before) and surrounded by pop-up dummies or other vision blockers while Ensminger stood on the right, Callaway on the left yelling "THROW!" at their beck and call (something they'd never drilled before), the ball would need to be released towards a certain spot in a precise manner....at first they used receivers, then the offensive coaches preffered inanimate objects as targets.
As Coach Orgeron told Off The Bench and the press during his post-game conference, our staff fed Brennan cut-ups of Drew Brees orchestrating his offense within the pocket, pointing out Drew's "tennis player moves" and motivating his quarterback through pure encouragement and expectation.
"Be the best Myles Brennan you can be and we'll be fine," Orgeron repeated the mantra again last week.
Most of all, the 4x National Championship-winning head coach put his team through the ultimate test: one practice day after another, never letting off the gas pedal, our staff really pushing these young men through the paces mentally and physically....on Saturday night in Nashville, the results spoke for themselves.
They were back to their divine fury offense, Bayou Airlines (as @aperkins2113 calls it) thundering responses down the field in the same manner, posture and pace from last year producing 5 scoring drives under 2 minutes, including three in the first half which allowed LSU to take control.
Our passing rhythm was dictated by Brees-inspired short, crisp passing routes chosen by Myles himself...after all, that's the basics of the 2019 G.O.A.T offense:
An LSU Odyssey exclusive source embedded within the team revealed that at some point early last week, Steve Ensminger asked Myles "What would make you most comfortable?"
"Give me the keys... give me the offense..." Was the response Myles reportedly gave.
Sections of the playbook went out the window, others were revised, routes were edited and polished...the timing needed to be far better and always pushing for plays with the highest yards after catch probability:
Mickey Joseph's receivers improved in each area: LSU had four receivers average over 10 yards per catch vs Miss State...vs Vandy, Myles threw to 7 LSU receivers who averaged over 10 yards per catch...there were 8 drops vs Miss State...vs Vanderbilt there were 3 (Jaray Jenkins' most notably although he atoned).
Myles made further checks at the line, we watched far more pre-snap motion and unorthodox looks in pursuit of match-up hell (Gilbert and Marshall bunched up in the slot together for one example) coupled alongside Kevin Faulk's dynamic running attack, our reinvigorated offensive line's huge performance and a defense obsessed with revenge were all ingredients which combined for a masterful victory.
Witnessing that type of sacrificial blocking made it obvious....there's a togetherness and bond between these players which geauxs beyond football...maximizing their willingness to lay it all on the line for each other out there: if you care about 2020 LSU as human beings, you value those subtle moments...such as the way Jabril Cox and Derek Stingley danced and sang together jokingly pre-game or how happy Terrace and Myles were for Jontre Kirklin on each of his first two career touchdown grabs.
This 2020 team has such a varied depth of ultimate talent, an endless wealth of play-making ability across all three phases, even some overlooked 2019 title-winning returners such as vicious punter Zach Von Rosenberg or nocturnally chill kicker Cade York's Grade A contributions (Cade York said "53? That shit's good from 65!");
This core of National Champion returnees hold the necessary experience to take LSU back to the top: staying healthy, focused and consistent is what our veterans need most for success...still, our leaders set an example:
Jacoby Stevens showed off his future as a top 5 NFL "can't miss" Draft pick with 2 FR, 1 FF, 2 sacks vs Miss State; 11 tackles, 5 solo vs Vandy!!!) letting us all know he is the complete LSU Tiger and the team's heartbeat;
Stingley's mere presence resulted in a massive defensive turnaround and nearly 2 special teams TDs;
Andre Anthony came alive on the cusp of a breakout performance, Damone racked up the tackles (although #18 missed on a long pass play and lost the plot on gap assignments during the 1st half), Terrace lives in the end zone, Todd Harris grabbed his first INT since his freshman year vs Alabama;
When all eyes were on LSU's starting quarterback, Myles Brennan hit 11 different pass-catchers including 8 WRs for multiple grabs, notched his second straight 300+ yard game, set a trio of LSU QB records when he became the first QB to throw for 683 yards, 7 TDs & 50 completions in his first 2 starts and to top of it all off, when #15 threw the flea flicker with 2 feet of leeway and 35 yards of ground to make up in 3 seconds (all as a 300 pound leviathan careened towards him with Myles' full knowledge he would be smashed by an imminent, devastating impact) we saw the delicious aerial prowess Myles has to offer.
Right when you begin to applaud so much about these 2020 Tigers' response, there's still so much work to be done:
There's the random blown tackles and lack of gap control from our linebackers, Myles' interception vs Vandy, our early penalties, Myles' overthrowing receivers dangerously, the 3rd down drops...
Due to their wild card nature (as well as our squad's legitimately exciting talent), I must believe this group is either building up to a 2019-esque sequel in 2021 or they're still very capable of winning a repeat title while rebuilding....the possibilities are endless in both directions...and we're currently watching tape as well as comparing those telling subtleties of 2019's early greatness for any indication.
But it's too early and this team's depth is much too young for anyone to truly know...right now, we feel right this team has every chance to outscore or defensively stuff Florida, while Kyle Trask and Dan Mullen can only beat these Tigers in a madcap shootout.
As LSU prepares for Missouri, they'll have the full understanding of the week they're facing: yet another thankless SEC victory improving morale and confidence, potentially some further forced turnovers on defense, another 300+ yard 3 TD game for Brennan, a chance for Ty Davis-Price to take his opportunities (Coach O said "we need to keep giving him the ball, he offers us something different than John"), another occasion for Terrace Marshall, Arik Gilbert, Jontre Kirklin, Kayshon Boutte and Jaray Jenkins to shine...but more than anything, there's two things we're looking for most this week:
1. This game has been moved to Missouri due to Hurricane Delta's annoyance and danger
The hurricane is forecasted at a Category 4 right now, winds pre-calculated at 110 mph before they claim it'll eventually wither down to a Category 2 before landfall...once again, all speculation...but one thing we know for sure: Baton Rouge is in the middle of the cone.
My concern most is with the people of Baton Rouge getting through Hurricane Delta: the players, coaches and team will be fine; their focus won't shift from the task ahead.
They'll be primed to stomp Missouri regardless of the situation, home or away...because if these Tigers lose to Missouri, their chances at a CFP spot would be less than Lloyd Christmas's chances with Lauren Holly....and after the thorough erasing of Vanderbilt, combined with LSU's intensified practicing, we won't see the focus slip.
2. Who Will Start for Missouri and how that affects or informs Who Starts vs Florida?
In our next piece, we'll be analyzing who could start vs Missouri and whether those decisions will impact the lineup was Florida....BUCKLE UP.
COMING UP NEXT:
-LSU'S STARTERS?
-NFLSU: TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT
-THE JO JO EARLE EXPERIENCE
RIP Rodney "Smokie" Bourgeois
Copyright 2020 Uninterrupted Writings Inc LLC
SHOUTOUTS: Kendale Netterville & Blake Ruffin, Harold, El Jefe, Jamer for finding those errors, AD for being honest, Tony Two Bets for his Italian heritage & Manieri disgust.