LSU Offensive Issues Stem from a Number of Different Sources
After a two week stretch where it looked like the offense was starting to figure out a little consistency, the group came crashing back down to earth and must start from square one with the 24-19 loss to Auburn on Saturday night.
No longer can this offense’s shortcomings be blamed solely on poor play along the offensive line or the lack of a running game. This is a group that is struggling with some really basic components to run an offense. Just one example is the playcalling and communication needed between the quartereback Max Johnson and the offensive coordinator Jake Peetz.
After finding a groove when pushing up the tempo of this offense down the field the last two weeks, LSU reverted back to its indecision and playcalling snafus that led to struggles. Johnson was looking to the sidelines more and more as the Auburn game wore on and in some cases was seeing a new play call once the team already had broken the huddle.
"The play at first and then the play is being changed after I look over. I have a couple of seconds to try and get my protections right and need to hurry up a little bit," Johnson said. "We gotta figure it out. There's one play being called and based on their coverage, getting that play and trying to change the protection and we call timeout because of that."
The changing of the play calls at the line of scrimmage led directly to some of the clock issues this offense faced in the second half, forcing mismanagement by burning more than one timeout to set up what the offense wanted to run. This offense needs to get back to calling a play, sticking with it and not changing the protections or play calls at the last second.
It's an issue that cropped up more than once but none was more glaring than having to burn a timeout coming off a TV break following an Auburn score that made it 19-17.
What also became a glaring issue early in the game was the Tigers' inability to convert in the redzone. In total, the purple and gold had four trips in the redzone yet only came away with 16 points. Had just one of those field goals that came inside the 20 been a touchdown, LSU might have found a way to win that game.
Johnson said taking a few more shots instead of being so one dimensional when getting into the redzone would help open up the offense a bit. One of the players who's been a touchdown machine is Kayshon Boutte, but after a five catch first half, Boutte saw just one reception in the second half with the offense struggling.
"I think we needed to take a couple of more shots," Johnson said after the game. "We need to get more playcalls to him. We got dudes all over the field but we gotta execute those plays."
That can't be the case when your best and really only consistent option is getting one catch in the second half. There needs to be some serious change to how this offense operates and with the purple and gold heading into Lexington next week, the change better come fast.
