re: Watching the McNeese replay, a few notes

quote:

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Max has limitations.

Nuss came out firing downfield and that’s something Max lacks. It’s short/intermediate passing when he’s in and his lack of accuracy hurt us vs UCLA. If you can’t be a great downfield passer, you better be accurate where you can throw.

It’s why everyone wants Nuss because he gives you an extra dimension down the field which could lead to better running lanes for our RBs.

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He came into a 24-0 game at then end of the 3rd where it was clear McNeese wasn't going to be able to do anything on offense. Thus, he had ZERO pressure on him allowing him to just sling it at will. That is a MUCH different situation than playing a good opponent when the game is on the line.

It's no different than in 2014 vs. Mississippi state. LSU was down 34-16 with about 4 minutes to go in the game. They inserted true freshman, Brandon Harris, into the game. There was no pressure on him as the game seemed to be decided. He slung the ball all over the field and damn near orchestrated a miraculous comeback. The fans loved him and screamed for him to start. He finally did two games later vs. Auburn and was destroyed. He looked completely in over his head vs a good opponent in a game where the outcome wasn't already decided when he came in.

I like Nuss's skill set. He has long reminded me of Baker Mayfield. I think he could eventually be a good QB. But a few NO PRESSURE throws in garbage time vs. McNeese isn't enough to say he absolutely should be the starter right now. Even if he did become the starter he would still have to play behind the same poor OL and with the same OC.

Johnson has not been great in the first two games. No one will deny that. And that's made more disappointing by the fact he looked good in his first two starts ever last season. At minimum, he looked poised and not overwhelmed against SEC opponents. Now he looks the complete opposite against lesser opponents. So what happened? Did he all of a sudden become a bad player? Or is it that the current, completely green, OC is struggling to get comfortable? Even with Jonhnson last season LSU seemed to play with a bit of tempo and understanding of what they wanted to do on offense. Now, they are spending almost the entire 40 seconds of the playclock seemingly in uncertainty.

IMO, I think the biggest issue is you have a first time OC who is unsure of himself and a bit overwhelmed with the pressure of being a playcaller in the heat of the moment. Now, EVERY OC had to start somewhere. So my hope is that Peetz becomes more comfortable as the season progresses. If so, I think you'll see Johnson, and the entire offense play better. Unfortunately, the time to work out the growing pains is quickly coming to an end.