About That LSU Running Game … It Keeps Getting Stuffed

GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

Either LSU has the best defensive line in the country, or the Tigers’ running game will struggle again this season.

The season opener is still more than two weeks away when No. 9 plays at No. 4 Clemson on Aug. 30 (6:30 p.m., ABC), which has one of the better defensive lines in the country. But the running game appears to have a long way to go.

That is how it looked at practice Tuesday morning as LSU’s defensive line, particularly tackles Ahmad Breaux and Dominick McKinley, blew up left guard DJ Chester and right guard Josh Thompson. Over and over, LSU running backs Caden Durham, Harlem Berry and Kaleb Jackson either lost yardage or made very minimal gains.

Guards Paul Mubenga and Coen Echols also got work at the guards and struggled at times as well along with center Braelin Moore. Defensive tackles Jacobian Guillory II and Bernard Gooden also dominated.

“Obviously, we’ve got to run the football,” LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan said on Friday. And he did not see that happen consistently well on Tuesday.

“You’ve got to run the football in the SEC,” he said. “That’s critical – establishing that in different ways.”

One way may have to be using fifth-year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and a talented group of veteran receivers and blossoming tight ends to set up the run with the pass. Nussmeier continued to pass nearly flawlessly Tuesday and again showed no signs of his minor knee injury bothering him.

“We’ve looked at some scheme things,” Sloan said. “We’ve looked at some personnel things. It’s a combination. Having Caden Durham as a second-year player – he’s an electric player. He’s a lot better today than he was at this time last year. Some schematic things where we’re going to be able to put some guys in positions to make sure we can create some more explosives. That’s the key, creating explosives in the running game.”

Sloan has been trying different combinations in the backfield. On Tuesday, he lined up wide receiver Kyle Parker and running back Kaleb Jackson behind Nussmeier. Then both shifted into the slot, and Nussmeier threw a perfect 25-yard pass to the end zone for senior wide receiver Xavion Thomas, who was well covered by highly touted true freshman cornerback DJ Pickett. But Thomas came down with the touchdown.

“We’re a different offense than we were a year ago,” Sloan said. “We’re going to make sure that we adapt it to who we have, and put them in positions to use their talent and skill to attack defenses. We have a lot of pieces to allow us to do a lot of different things. That’s what we’re excited about.”

Translation: finesse game. The offensive line, which lost four starters from last season, does not appear ready to just line up and go right at quality opponents, such as Clemson. That continued to be evident in the offense’s red zone struggles on Tuesday, other than big plays here and there by Nussmeier, who found wide receiver Aaron Anderson and tight end Trey’Dez Green on some nice connections.

Nussmeier also threw right on target to Durham over the middle, but he dropped it.

“That was a f-ing touchdown,” running back coach Frank Wilson yelled.

Sloan, meanwhile, ripped into quarterback Michael Van Buren – a starter at Mississippi State last season – for a bad decision. Redshirt freshman quarterback Colin Hurley, who is battling Van Buren for the No. 2 job, threw several excellent passes.

The defense also collected sacks and fumbles. A snap over the head of reserve quarterback/running back Ju’Juan Johnson was picked up by cornerback Mansoor Delane and returned virtually the length of the field for a touchdown.

Cornerback PJ Woodland has had a good camp at nickel, but he did draw a pass interference Tuesday against wide receiver Barion Brown.

INJURY REPORT: Sophomore transfer Tamarcus Cooley of North Carolina State and AJ Haulcy, a sophomore transfer from Houston, have looked like the starting safeties throughout camp. Cooley provided a scare, though, when he went down and limped off. Fortunately, about 10 minutes later, he was back and looked as good as new. … Cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson worked on the bike on the sidelines and did not practice. … Offensive tackle Solomon Thomas also did not practice because of an injury.