SCRIMMAGE #2

by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

@LonnPhillips

- We're hearing a few interesting things coming out of the second LSU Tigers scrimmage of 2021:

-DL Jarell Cherry, a member of the 2019 National Championship team, suffered a nasty ankle injury. Completely devastated for him and hoping it's nothing. Hearing & reading that it looked rough, though.

Prayers are for you big Cherry!

-LSU's defense won out again as Peetz & Mangas's offense failed to solidify a rhythm due to the quarterback shuffle. This was very evident to the staff source we spoke with.

There are "concerns about the offensive line" but "only as much as we'd have any year...cause it's just that important".

-WR Alex Adams has supposedly made the move to safety as well, bolstering Daronte Jones' depth...we are yet to confirm that. We'll see what we can confirm / find out.

-I've been told DL B.J Ojulari, Joseph Evans & Jaquelin Roy were "beasts out there", safety Todd Harris took charge, Damone Clark played solid reps at linebacker, and at the running back position, Corren Norman seemed to go up a gear due to his heavy workload last scrimmage, running easier and smoother, yet still getting stonewalled on most runs;

The running backs "ran a lot of passing routes of the backfield" however they must work on their catching.

When talking LSU running backs, another source bemoaned junior RB Ty Davis-Price's temporary injury, saying he "most likely has the best hands in the running back room."

LSU has a major issue at the running back position due to the injuries, however once we get TDP and John Emery both back fit, we can have ourselves a real running back competition.

Interestingly enough, I saw a few cool clips of Peetz's offense getting creative in the running game, calling end arounds or having a WR motioning into the backfield on one hip while a RB stands on the other and feeding little tosses across the line of scrimmage which utilized the jet-set speed of WRs Trey Palmer or Jontre Kirklin.

We saw a lot of these wrinkles deployed by the Ensminger/Brady offense of 2019, yet not enough for my liking. These little dumpoffs to Jefferson were always major plays or one block away from a 20+ yard gain.

Whether LSU figures out who their #1 running back is in Spring or not, we need to keep running these kind of plays to keep the defense off balance and take advantage of our athleticism.

-Like I said, this team is so hard to figure out on offense due to the quarterback carousel, there are worries that the lack of an established leader will hurt the offensive chemistry.

Still, a persistence to finding the right guy to win football games right now, this season, no matter what his age seems to persevere over any fears of chemistry.

Regardless, the pressure to find the right quarterback has never been higher on the Tigers' new offensive staff.

-As for the quarterbacks themselves, tons of competitive tension abounded between 2021 sophomores: T.J Finley, many saying that he was "impressive" as was Max Johnson.....it seems Mad Max has "greatly improved" on his deep ball as so many were hoping.

-Everyone is excited about this 2021 defensive unit....complete and utter violent attrition, even at this raw point in the off-season....we're not even into April.

That's the kind of effect new coaches like Andre Carter, Daronte Jones and Blake Baker have had on the unit, combined with a group of guys who are disgusted by last year and are aiming for revenge.

Well...they're starting off in fine fettle, looking sharp in the secondary (allowing little over 10-15 yards) and the front seven worked well in concert, while there could still be some improvement at linebacker (we were told Damone Clark played very well, but the rest of the unit lacked the "pop" Baker kept calling for from the sidelines.

Tons of credit keeps heading Andre Carter's way, with many already blown away by the reverence his DL students have for their coach....not to mention the abundantly brutal pass rush this line has been sustaining recently.

Using both 4 and 3 man fronts, 4 man base, the DL has been a pillar of ultimate strength for this team, although Cherry's injury does hurt the depth of the interior, I'm really hoping he dodges a bad one and will be back in May.

-I've only seen some cool choice clips but let's hope we can find out more during this critical early period before the summer heat really starts to prove who the real starters are.

by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

@LonnPhillips

Copyright 2021 Uninterrupted Writings Inc LLC

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