Everyone knows LSU is going to run the ball a ton every time they step on the field. Every game, the goal seems to be 50-plus carries of straight power football. That’s no doubt what Texas A&M was expecting on Thursday. They got the 50-plus runs right at them, but they probably weren’t expecting all of the wrinkles the Tigers inlcuded in the game plan.
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of LSU’s game plan was how Les Miles and Cam Cameron used Anthony Jennings. The sophomore quarterback’s struggles have been pretty well-documented; he finished the regular season below 50 percent passing (48.8 percent, to be exact), averaged just 121.7 yards per game through the air and looked lost in the pocket.
Instead of asking Jennings to beat the Aggies through the air — which would have been a risky proposition, no matter how bad Texas A&M’s defense is — the staff kept the ball in Jennings’ hands. The quarterback moved the pocket on read-option plays, and more often than not Jennings kept it. Coming into Thursday, Jennings had only four games this season with 10 or more rushing attempts, and in none of them did he top 40 yards rushing.
Jennings running the read option was a welcome jolt for an LSU offense that averaged 1.1 yards per carry in its previous game, as he went off for 119 yards on 14 attempts. Of his 14 runs, five went for 10 or more yards and seven picked up first downs.
The read-options weren’t the only interesting thing the running game pulled out. In the second half, LSU lined up Jerald Hawkins, the team’s starting right tackle, outside of La’el Collins on the left side of the line. They used that heavy side of the line to steamroll Aggies standout defensive end Myles Garrett, running to the left side with Leonard Fournette repeatedly in the second half as the freshman racked up 146 yards on the ground. It had the SEC’s freshman sack record holder completely gassed, as he was unable to bring down Jennings with a free shot late in the game.
The Tigers also pulled out the sweep play with Travin Dural as well, bringing the receiver in motion and putting the ball in his hands four times on jet sweeps, with a fifth called back on what would have been a big gain.
In the end, LSU wound up with its best rushing performance of the season. While it was against a team that fired its defensive coordinator the day after the game, the way LSU piled up the yards is an encouraging sign that the offense is embracing modern college football treads.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
