LSU Defensive Line dominates first scrimmage

The 2021 version of the LSU football team is expected to be much improved, according to many preseason pundits and experts. According to Phil Steele, the Tigers are expected to have one of the most improved defenses in America.

The Tigers recently strapped on the pads and had their first scrimmage of fall camp. What were some highlights? LSU head coach Ed Orgeron met with the media recently to discuss his thoughts.

DEFENSIVE LINE SHINES

One of the first units Orgeron talked about when discussing the scrimmage was the defensive line and the amount of pressure they put on the quarterback.

“I thought our defense tackled very well,” Orgeron said.” “We put a lot of pressure on the quarterback.”

He couldn’t stop raving about the defensive line and mentioned several Tiger defensive linemen specifically in his press conference.

“I thought that overall it was a great scrimmage–mostly dominated by the defense and the quickness of the defensive line. We had Ali Gaye back. Andre Anthony had a good day. Neil Farrell, Jr. had a good day. A lot of guys ran around and played well.”

He went on to mention Ali Gaye and Andre Anthony, “I thought those guys did a tremendous job in pass rush today.”

Ali Gaye was the second-rated JUCO prospect in America when he signed with LSU in 2019. He didn’t disappoint in 2020 and big things are yet again expected from him in 2021. This defensive line unit will likely be one of the most talented in college football.

PASS PROTECTION NEEDS WORK

Orgeron thought some young players got thrown into the fire on the offensive line. But that was one of the biggest areas he cited that needed improvement.

“But we need to make a big improvement, especially in the area of protection,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys that got thrown into the fire today. Sometimes they did well. Sometimes they didn’t. But the pressure was way too much on the quarterback. So we’ll watch the film and fix it.”

QUARTERBACK PLAY

He broke down the quarterback play stat-wise.

“Max (Johnson) was 11 of 19, 127 yards, and one TD. Garrett Nussmeier was 11 of 17 for 225 yards and three TDs.”

Orgeron was very complimentary of Garrett Nussmeier, a former four-star prospect who drew rave reviews for his performance.

“Garrett made some big plays out there; scrambled around and made some big plays,” he said.

IMPRESSIVE DEPTH AT CORNERBACK

Orgeron couldn’t stop raving about the talent and depth of LSU’s secondary:

“Give Corey Raymond coach of the day. We had two corners out and put a couple of other guys at corner. We didn’t blink. Those guys played very well. We gave up very few big plays with the first team.”

Speaking of the secondary, LSU returns one of the best cornerback duos in America in Eli Ricks and Derek Stingley, Jr. Both players are currently nursing injuries. Orgeron gave an update on both players.

“Eli Ricks is perhaps going to come back in some capacity next week,” he said

As for, Derek Stingley, Jr, it sounds like the coaching staff will be very cautious on allowing him to return to play.

“This is more of a precautionary measure,” he said. “We don’t want him out there when he’s not full speed. It may take more than a week but whatever it is, he’s going to be fine. It’s just that we want to make sure that when he comes back, he doesn’t reinjure it.”

WR BRIAN THOMAS, JR. IMPRESSING

Coach Orgeron couldn’t find enough good things to say about star freshman receiver Brian Thomas, Jr. He earned a four-star rating coming out of high school from Rivals.com, 247sports.com, and ESPN. Rated as the 86th best prospect in America, Thomas, Jr. has not disappointed.

“Brian Thomas is a big receiver with good moves. Big, strong hands. He’s hard to cover one-on-one-especially in the red zone. He can go up and get it,” Orgeron said. “He’s good with yards after the catch with the football. I think he’s going to be one of the great receivers we’ve ever had here at LSU.”

The LSU Tigers return 18 of 22 starters for the 2021 campaign. They kick-off their season on September 4th, when they travel to Pasadena, California to face the UCLA Bruins in the Rose Bowl.