Lonn Phillips Sullivan
Apr 25, 20228 min
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
With Tiger Legends & future Tigers in attendance (Tyrann Mathieu, Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Thaddeus Moss, Harold Perkins, Emery Jones, Bo Bordelon, Nursekort and Don Cannon), while big time recruits / commits check out a game at Death Valley for the first time (Ryan Yaites, Michael Daugherty, 5 star QB Dante Moore, Daylen Austin, Christian Gray etc), LSU's Brian Kelly era began in earnest with suitable pageantry.
As ESPN crews were on hand to cover the game, broadcast on ESPN+ and other streaming platforms within the ABC/ESPN family of networks, LSU's new direction under Kelly was put under a microscope, featuring solid color commentary by Anish Schroff & Tom Luginbill.
Images of Death Valley, Kelly undertaking his first ever Tiger Walk, beautiful drone shots of Tigers Stadium, expectant Tigers fans pushing through the turnstiles, crawfish being twisted open and devoured, frothing beer swimming in plastic goblets of fandom.....everything was vibrant today in Baton Rouge; Though the atmosphere was inspiring to a historic level (Tyrann Mathieu & Joe Burrow at LSU on the same day??), how did things look on the field?
Divided into white & purple teams, LSU's White team beat the purple 59-31, but it was definitely a tale of two halves.
During the first half of the L Club Spring game, the offensive line's protections were disjointed, Jamar Cain's defensive line were rabid up front...creating sacks, pressures or forcing mistakes from LSU's four QBs, each getting touch-sacked multiple times.
Matt House's defense were able to make some nice run stops, as well as batting passes at the line, with Maason Smith, Zavier Carter, Mekhi Wingo, Bryce Langston and Quency Wiggins all having a "sack", deflecting passes, bothering QBs or making plays (Quency created the only turnover of the scrimmage, recovering a fumble after an errant Fitz West Jr snap over Myles Brennan's head).
Linebacker Greg Penn III and safety Jay Ward issued devastating (but safe & clean) hits on LSU running backs, exciting the crowd, sidelines & coaching staff.
Still, LSU's offense made some nice first half plays:
Starting the game at QB, former ASU transfer Jayden Daniels' best pass of the day arrived via the outstretched right hand of Brian Thomas Jr, hauling in an accurate, looping ball down the sideline with one mitten (as his view of the ball was obscured by Mekhi Garner's excellent coverage).
Near the end of half one, running back Josh Williams scored the first of his two touchdowns, taking a handoff from Myles Brennan in shotgun, his legs churning past a defender, breaking Desmond Little's tackle and punching it in.
There were some early near misses, such as Nussmeier's nice toss which barely evaded Jaray Jenkins' grasp. As Jaray from Jena went to the ground with the football, LSU's veteran receiver injured his shoulder on the play and didn't return, though that could be more precautionary than anything....we hope.
Sophomore running back Armoni Goodwin scored a brilliant early touchdown with a motoring run for the pylon, showcasing a strong burst of pace, smart vision, and an aggressive brutality.
His feverish first-half rushing lit competitive fires within Frank Wilson's running backs room, as a recently injured John Emery Jr ran directly into defenders with zero fear, even as hits flew in at his still hurting ankle.
Despite being considered RB1 by most fans and media members, Emery Jr wasn't resting on any laurels today.....yet #4 was still limited to 24 yards from 4 carries following some tough running through the middle.
On the other hand, the second half should make LSU faithful feel optimistic about where Mike Denbrock's offense is and where it's going.....while our defense provided a lot of strong previews, especially up front:
LSU's O-line began to take control of the game, using post-snap pulling movement to devastating effect against Jamar Cain's DL, creating major holes for Tre Bradford, Armoni Goodwin and Josh Williams, all combining for 210 yards on the ground, plus all three added multiple catches and solid action as receivers, specifically Corren Norman's 55 yard TD reception on a wheel route from Walker Howard or Josh Williams' 30+ yard grab from Garrett Nussmeier.
The story of the second half will, of course, be focused around these quarterbacks, and you couldn't come away from the 2022 Spring Game thinking Garrett Nussmeier didn't make a statement of intent.
LSU's sophomore played with poise, fire, accuracy and rhythm, eschewing his long ball home run histrionics of the past for quick passing flow, ripping nice underneath screens or crossing routes / slants over the middle, #13 just made his case.
Throwing a beautiful bootleg touchdown to Jack Bech inside the red zone, only a play after a looping ball over coverage to Malik Nabers, connecting well with tight end Kole Taylor for big gains, moving the chains when completing a big time 4th down conversion to WR Chris Hilton Jr.....we already knew Nussmeier could toss the long ball or throw with accuracy and strength on the run....we already knew Nussmeier could extend plays, escape pressure and make moves to evade sacks...but we didn't realize he could run the RPO offense so well, whether handing the ball off or running a play-action bootleg, Garrett looked comfortable and in significant command, especially focusing on two key drives:
LSU's first TD drive of the game was orchestrated by the second year Tiger QB, ending in an Armoni Goodwin score; Then, the opening 2nd half drive finished in the hands of Jack Bech, rising over defenders in the back of the end zone for one of his 2 touchdowns.
Garrett was the first QB to lead LSU to a score in either half, he pulled off touchdown drives through 3 of his first 4 tries....it's only a spring game, I get that......but in a QB competition of this magnitude, everything matters.
Despite calls for Myles Brennan's strong arm or Jayden Daniels' dual threat abilities, red shirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier looked like the best of both worlds at QB.
On the sidelines, Nuss was continuously supporting his teammates; Even during his national television interview, he interrupted himself to root for his brothers:
"Go Kyren! Go Kyren!" Garrett cheered as Jayden Daniels overthrew WR Kyren Lacy by a few yards on a deep route; the Flower Mound, Texas-native could be seen fixing freshman QB Walker Howard's jersey, tied up in his pads;
He was the first to celebrate Myles Brennan's lucky TD pass to Malik Nabers......and after his own exquisite TD to Jack Bech, Nuss went up and down the sidelines celebrating with teammates joyously, reminding me a bit of Joey B's aggressive, confident & swaggering on-field persona....
After Saturday, some will point to Myles Brennan's experience, lengthy history in the program or "great arm" as the true way forward; his passing strength is yet again a point continuously rammed down the ears and eyes of many an LSU fan, although Myles' arm hasn't been at its best throughout Spring regardless of the lazy media typecasting.
Yes, he's shown strong flashes with a few long ball TDs for WR Jaray Jenkins, and Myles was able to uncork a couple good passes to the likes of Jack Bech this weekend, but over the entirety of his 2022 Spring game performance, Brennan's drives were blighted by quick turnovers on downs, less expansive play-calling and once again, he simply is too one-dimensional with his pocket-only profile.
I'm still believing Myles could turn it around, but after this performance I'm worried he could even re-enter the portal, sensing Jayden Daniels' necessity to improve & two years of eligibility, as well as the rise of Garrett Nussmeier....he has the ties to Nebraska, he has Mickey Joseph in his phone...get ready for that possibility.
Jayden Daniels popped on a few plays, showing off his speed in the open field, how quickly he can vacate a dangerous scenario and turn it into yards, however can he turn a few of those plays into long yardage through the air???
Daniels relied on his legs first and foremost, that was apparent more than anything else, yet he still tossed some beautiful passes on occasion (the Brian Thomas Jr snag specifically) & showcased some exciting potential.....although I have to say: I'm left with more questions than before concerning the former Arizona State transfer.
Walker Howard was hampered by his unit's poor execution, missing a few throws to Noah Nash (too high), Evan Francioni (too shallow) and Kyren Lacy (though Lacy should have made the catch) all on the same drive alone, however he battled through the adversity to finish on the right note.
Yes, Walker received a few "hand" sacks early, but he finished strong, completing a scoring drive when he uncorked a splendidly timed wheel route to running back Corren Norman for a 55 yard touchdown. When looking back, I still wish Howard had been able to line up with a full compliment of targets and protection...just to see what is possible.
All in all, it wasn't Walker's best day.
As for the running backs, Armoni Goodwin stood out the most, spinning through a turbine of hits as he flew violently into the scrum, smashing defenders harder than they hit him, an approach which makes me believe Armoni is the "perfect Frank Wilson running back".
Grabbing a steady 71 yards on just 9 carries, Armoni made his every touch of the ball count, and in a pass-first offense predicated on tempo & rhythm, possessing a battering ram speedster with a slippery, cannon-ball frame could be priceless for Mike Denbrock's offense.
Tre Bradford pulled off a couple long runs, impressing Head Coach Brian Kelly as he rattled off 86 yards, showing he can replicate his home-run hitting abilities from Lancaster High. As we saw him pull off vs Florida as a freshman in 2020, we already knew Bradford was strong in the receiving game, although this weekend his aerial powers appear to have strengthened.
As for LSU's receivers, Kyren Lacy could have a lot of promise as a long ball target, but not if he's watching footballs touch the ground only yards in front of him, refusing to dive for the ball on a few reps, or failing to out-jump Quad Wilson on a 1 v 1 battle in the end zone.
As he climbed through Spring, I expected Lacy to erase the competition when given these sort of opportunities. Yes, the passes weren't perfect, but I wanted more from Lacy.
I wasn't alone:
Despite his back injury, Jack Bech took over the game with 56 yards and 2 TDs, all while being innovatively used in the jet sweep action; Delivered the ball quickly over the middle from Nussmeier & Brennan, while catching touchdowns from both Garrett & Jayden Daniels, Jack proves to be the favored target of any quarterback.
He continues to write his legend at LSU....if given 10+ touches a game in 2022, Jack Bech could take over games for the Tigers, just as he nearly did in 2021 without extensive opportunities, good play-calling, or a proper quarterback....
Malik Nabers made an unbelievable catch off the deflected hand of DB Sage Ryan, tipping Myles Brennan's wayward pass up into the air for his fellow Lafayette native to haul in. Nabers exhibited outrageous concentration to keep both feet in bounds as he reeled in the ball off the hand of his teammate.....it was a special play you must see to believe.
Brian Thomas Jr pulled off that aforementioned, disgusting one handed catch from Jayden Daniels, but produced little else. BTJ was rarely targeted, yet did not put a step wrong on the day.
Chris Hilton Jr hauled in some quick catches over the middle, including a huge 4th down conversion from Garrett Nussmeier, continuing what would become a scoring drive.
Overall, the Tigers' offensive line was probably my MVP of the unit, with stellar notices for Kardell Thomas, Charles Turner, Will Campbell, Marcus Dumervil and Xavier Hill, all impressing mightily among OL Coach Brad Davis' improved trench squad.
PART THREE WILL INVESTIGATE THE DEFENSE IN HYPER DEEP DETAIL!
(MOSTLY) FULL OFFENSIVE STATS BELOW!!!
CHECK OUT OUR SPRING GAME REVIEW #1 VIDEO, INCLUDING TONS OF QUESTIONS FROM DIE HARD LSU TIGERS FANS LIKE YOU!
GARRETT NUSSMEIER
9/16
136 Yards
1 TD Pass
0 INTs
WALKER HOWARD
3/7
57 Yards
1 TD Pass
MYLES BRENNAN
11/17
99 Yards
1 TD
0 INTs
JAYDEN DANIELS
3/9
68 Yards
1 TD Pass
1 TD Rush
JACK BECH
56 Yards, 6 Catches and 2 TDs
-Used in the jet sweep game
CHRIS HILTON JR
-A few catches
-4th Down Conversion Catch
KYREN LACY
-Missed a few long ball opportunities
MALIK NABERS
-3 or 4 catches of significant yardage
-1 TD Catch
JARAY JENKINS
-Shoulder Injury on long pass from Nussmeier in first half (dropped)
TRE BRADFORD
86 Yards
9 Rushes
ARMONI GOODWIN
71 Yards
9 Rushes
1 TD
JOSH WILLIAMS
53 Yards
10 Rushes
2 TDs
41 Yards
1 Catch
JOHN EMERY JR
24 Yards
4 Rushes
CORREN NORMAN
55 Yard TD Catch
KOLE TAYLOR
-A few catches
CHECK OUT OUR SPRING GAME REVIEW #1 VIDEO, INCLUDING TONS OF QUESTIONS FROM DIE HARD LSU TIGERS FANS LIKE YOU!
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
Copyright 2022 Uninterrupted Writings Inc