Ed Orgeron wants LSU to be ‘more diverse’ in run game moving forward

LSU’s 2021 campaign is not off to the best start after falling 38-27 to UCLA at the Rose Bowl on Saturday afternoon. 

The game was filled with explosive offensive plays, and both teams had dynamic passing games. However, LSU fell short, very short, in the run game. 

The Tigers finished with just 49 total yards on the ground. Tyrion Davis-Price led the team with 31 yards on 13 carries for an average of 2.4 yards per rush. Last season, Davis-Price, LSU’s leading rusher, averaged 4.3 yards per carry. Quarterback Max Johnson had the team’s longest run play on Saturday. It was 12 yards.

LSU head coach Ed Orgeron joined “Off the Bench” on ESPN radio on Tuesday in Baton Rouge to recap the loss and commented specifically on the dismal run game. 

“I’ve met with the offense, and we have to be more diverse,” Orgeron said. “That’s something that I’ve wanted, that’s something that, again, it didn’t happen in the game. That’s my responsibility.

“The run game has got to get better,” Orgeron added when addressing the biggest concerns after Saturday’s loss. “We’ve gotta be more multiple, we gotta block better, we gotta call better plays. That’s where we need the biggest improvement, the run game and protection of our quarterback.”

The 49-yard performance was last in the SEC this weekend. Granted, LSU played a higher caliber opponent than many of its conference foes, but the point remains: LSU will need to better their performance on the ground to be a threat to many of its remaining opponents.

LSU seeing run difficulties for second-straight season

Last year, the Tigers had the third-worst rushing attack in the SEC ahead of Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. They averaged 121.7 yards per game, by far the team’s lowest average since 2009 when they averaged 122.8 yards each week. 

LSU has relied heavily on an inside zone rushing attack, but defensive coordinators have figured out how to stop it. Orgeron acknowledged a few remedies he hopes to include for next week. 

“We have to get the ball outside,” Orgeron said. “We have to run some pin and pulls. We have to be more diverse, and I guarantee you’re going to see it this week.”

The Tigers host in-state opponent McNeese State on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. CT. McNeese State’s quarterback is Orgeron’s son, Cody. The fifth-year graduate student went 31-for-47 with 367 yards and two scores in last week’s 42-36 loss to West Florida. The Cowboys did not play a 2020 season due to the pandemic.