re: Top SEC Offenses of the Last 3 Years

quote:

---

And, to be fair, we were super talented (mainly on defense) from 2010-2012.

---

I thought that I had specified on both sides of the ball, but maybe not. Looking at the 2011 roster, the only NFL talent we had on offense was Reuben Randle and Spencer Ware, with Alfred Blue and Odell Beckham in complementary roles. Neither of our QBs and nobody from that 2011 offensive line even sniffed the NFL.

Whereas now, we are literally stacked with NFL talent at the skill positions and in the trenches.

1) The 2013 offense can not be maintained yearly. Beckham and Landry are setting NFL and team records. Mett is the 1st LSU QB to start an NFL game since Matt Flynn. He's actually started more games than Flynn. Jeremy Hill had 1100 yards and 9 TDs as a rookie and although he had a sophomore slump, he finished with 795 yards and 11 TDs this year.

If we need star NFL power who are two juniors WRs, a RSSR QB, and an eligible to declare for the NFL sophomore RB, just to finish with an efficient and respectable offense, then the whole system is fudged up.

2) The 2015 offense is statistically that good because both Fournette and Guice are ridiculous RBs. We can't expect to get guys like that every year in recruiting. We haven't had an RB as good as these two since Kevin Faulk.

Again against top competition, the offense was shut down. Our three worst yards per play performances were in the month of November, and 4 of our 5 worst was the entire month of November. And they weren't slightly worse either, I'm talking the 3 worst were off by 2 yards per play. Given a typical 60-80 plays, that's an incredible 120-160 in yardage drop. This effect can be seen with the scoring as well. We averaged 32.5 ppg for the year, but only 16.5 ppg for the month of November. Every other month was significantly higher.

Outside of Bama, these weren't juggernaut defenses. Sure TAMU had a top passing defense, but anybody who watched the game knew it was more that LSU was bad than TAMU was extremely good. Sure Arkansas has a pretty good run defense this year, but that doesn't explain them sacking Harris 5 times and us being pretty much irrelevant rushing the football. They weren't THAT damn good. The sacking was especially bad seeing as the were one of the worst teams in the country in getting to the QB prior.



So yes, while the end result of the offense looked pretty on the stat sheet, digging deeper showed just how awful we were when it counted.

quote:

---

Again against top competition, the offense was shut down. Our three worst yards per play performances were in the month of November, and 4 of our 5 worst was the entire month of November.

---

We'll see how it goes. Nobody expected we'd be an offensive juggernaut this year, and there were some obvious shortcomings against top competition, but you look at where this team was last year and where we're headed, and I do believe that we will be virtually unstoppable in Harris's junior and senior years.

ETA: Against Ole Miss, Alabama, and Arkansas last year, we scored a combined 20 points.
Against Ole Miss, Alabama, and Arkansas this year, we scored a combined 47 points.

We are SLOWLY getting to where we all want to be.

quote:

---

An OC who was tied for the highest paid in 2014, then was the highest paid in 2015. We are 2nd to only Bama in recruiting in the SEC West, and our offensive recruiting is on par with Bama.

---

We're also 2nd to only Bama in offensive production in the SEC.

Look, I get what you're saying, and it's true. The last three years, our most physical games have been Alabama, Arkansas, and Ole Miss, and we're 2-7 against them over that time, and we need to perform better against those three teams specifically if we're going to have success in this conference.

That being said, we're returning everyone who touched the football on offense last year minus Diarse and three All-Americans on the offensive line, we're recruiting better at both the skill positions and the trenches that we ever have, and maybe, just maybe, we can land Haskins, Narcisse, and Dinkelmann in consecutive classes and finally get some stability at the QB position.

Rome wasn't built in a day.

Here's my main point, you look at these offenses within the division and when they're at their highest and lowest points.

Alabama (2), Auburn (5, 8), Texas A&M (1), and even LSU (4) have had some of the most successful offenses during this era, but each of these programs slipped back after losing McCarron, Marshall, Manziel, and Mettenberger, respectively.

On the other hand, Arkansas (6) has steadily improved with the progression of Brandon Allen and State has been productive as well with Dak Prescott (10, 14). I expect both of those programs to take big steps back next year offensively.

LSU is uniquely positioned in that we were able to have a successful offense (to what extent is debatable), due almost exclusively to Fournette and to a lesser extent, Guice. If Harris can take even a small step forward in his development, it is entirely possible for LSU to put up the best offense that the conference has seen in the last few years en route to Fournette's Heisman campaign.

quote:

---

LSU is uniquely positioned in that we were able to have a successful offense (to what extent is debatable), due almost exclusively to Fournette and to a lesser extent, Guice. If Harris can take even a small step forward in his development, it is entirely possible for LSU to put up the best offense that the conference has seen in the last few years en route to Fournette's Heisman campaign.

---

All valid. LSU most certainly, on paper, should have a good offense next year.

But. If they turn out to shite the bed in the same way again this year, I know who you will NOT be blaming.

quote:

---

If we need star NFL power who are two juniors WRs, a RSSR QB, and an eligible to declare for the NFL sophomore RB, just to finish with an efficient and respectable offense, then the whole system is fudged up

---

this is what ive been thinking. we basically needed an nfl team on offense to make LSU's offensive gameplan under Miles work. we basically run the same offense. we just dont have nfl stars doing it.

oh well im just glad football is over

quote:

---

Cam's offenses have averaged over 430 yards in both 2013 and 2015. The only other years that an LSU offense can say that is 2007 and 2001 for as far back as I looked.

---

OK. So, in other words, no matter what happens next year, we know that if things go poorly, you'll blame the 18-22 year olds, not the millionaires tasked with developing offenses.

I mean, we know this. But it is good of you to go on record. You'd prefer to trash the players over the coaches.

quote:

---

If Aranda is as good as advertised, then with our defense having returned the entire DL and DBs, and hopefully with Beckwith returning, then this is truly a NC or bust year for the LSU program. Anything short of an SEC championship and playoff berth will be a complete and total failure of..... THE COACHES.

---

Ahh. I see. Well frick the defense. If the defense shits the bed but we put out good offense, them's the breaks. But, your response is an easy set up.

It will NEVER be Miles' fault. It will either be the players on offense of the defense's fault.

Got it.

quote:

---

So the team with the least points sometimes win games in September?!?!

---

Pansies (opponents) in September help inflate offensive stats. SEC-W schedule in Nov is a stat killer.

quote:

---

you support poor and lazy coaching.

---

....they are "Les fans" not LSU fans.