What is LSU’s New Identity?
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The first game in the Lane Kiffin era at LSU went as well as anyone outside of the facility in Baton Rouge could have reasonably expected. After LSU threw an interception in their own territory and gift wrapped a field goal to them, Clemson didn’t seem to be able to execute any play call besides “Punt” on either side of the ball until Blake Baker put his 3rd string defense on the field. While I have watched my fair share of Lane Kiffin coached games while he was at Ole Miss, seeing his highly efficient and faster than fast paced offense was like letting the fresh red light of a new sunrise grace your eyes. It was invigorating, refreshing, and soothing to the Purple and Gold soul all at once. While many things can be taken away from week 1 of the Lane Kiffin era (and the media circus surrounding it) there is a definite, clear as day, difference in the identity of this football team compared to last year that should make LSU fans rejoice.
Speed
It was a beautiful sight to see Clemson’s entire defense completely worn out in the second quarter. Defenders weren’t loafing necessarily, but simply did not have the gas in the tank to continue to chase Sam Leavitt around the field – I cannot envision how any team in the country could while playing man coverage all night against this roster as Clemson attempted to do. A common theme of Brian Kelly’s last LSU team was disorganization and quickly became the most frustrating piece of his LSU coaching pie. For a man with the moniker of “CEO Head Coach” the level of efficiency on either side of the ball was never up to par for being a serious football team. Efficient, however, could easily be the one word used to describe LSU’s performance against Clemson. Witnessing the exponential increase in overall operational speed and precision delivered by the coaching staff felt like “money well spent” personified. The speed with which the offense operated on Saturday was only possible because of the obvious heightened focus on being organized that Lane Kiffin and his offensive staff have impressively installed in just one off-season. It is clear that playing fast is a pillar of this team’s identity and it was displayed like a fine piece of art in Death Valley this weekend.
Physicality
The speed of the team was obviously impressive, but another striking difference in this year’s team compared to last is the way they embrace physicality. It takes a certain type of mindset to seek contact and completely annihilate someone on the goalline of a football field in any level of football; there’s a different level to that mindset that can be described as “being a daWG” (emphasis on the WG). Dillion Jones, the starting running back, seeking to end an opposing player while carrying the ball into the endzone to go up…. 41 in the 3rd quarter…. is DAWG activity at the level we haven’t seen since 2019. That killer instinct based on physicality was another obvious pillar of the team’s identity this year that was missing from last year’s squad. Jordan Seaton and Braelin Moore stood out on the offensive line from the TV copy for their absolute relentlessness when it came to physicality. Personally, I want my offensive lineman to play on the edge of a personal foul every play, it isn’t called “The Trenches” for no reason; I’ll take Jordan getting a 15 yarder on one play if he has that same mentality for the rest of the game. There was a run play where Braelin could’ve been penalized for (in a football sense) decapitating a defender that was closing in on the pile.That is another perfect example of playing physical until the whistle and reminding everyone who the LSU Tigers are. While this wasn’t the same heavyweight fighter type of physicality that was on display in the Saban and Miles years, the striking resemblance to the style of someone like Dustin Poirier was breathtaking. With each drive you could see the life being depleted from Clemson’s team as they became more and more tired and Dillion Jones delivered the resounding knockout punch with his 12-yard touchdown that rocked the CFB world so hard the conversation around the game quickly changed from “Clemson will keep this close because of Dabo” to “Dabo is done”. This unique blend of speed and physicality is only possessed by championship caliber teams and will be my favorite part of watching these LSU Tigers.
Diversity
Diversity was noticeably lacking from last year’s Tigers on both sides of the ball. As I’m sure every Tiger fan knows, the offense could not run the ball or stretch the field vertically – which was easily snuffed out by opponents especially as the season went on. On the other hand, lack of a serious pass rush hindered the defense in a similar way as highly sought after edge players Jack Pyburn and Patrick Payton were not able to generate a serious threat without extra blitzers. Diversity of attack however was a definite strength on display vs Clemson on Saturday night. Yes, the offense ran the ball well, but the way they did it was more impressive than any LSU team I could remember. The Tigers put nearly every run scheme on display, including my personal favorite, direct snap to the running back with simple zone or man blocking in short yardage. From the same side splitback trap to pistol wide zone and everywhere in between, the offense put so many schemes in different formations on display that it is no wonder Clemson stood no chance. Preparing for LSU’s roster is hard enough, but when you add in the speed at which they get lined up and the physicality they finish plays with, the diversity of play calls was the proverbial nail in the coffin. The microcosm of the game came thanks to the diversity of the offense when Winnie Watkins caught a 32-yard touchdown in the 3rd quarter as the nearest Clemson defender was completely turned in the opposite direction of Watkins. Diversity was not lacking on the defensive side of the ball either as new edge rushers Jordan Ross and Princewill Umanmielen provided constant pressure in the passing game with Ross’s pick-six highlighting the versatility of the unit. Unlike last year, the Tigers seem to be able to now utilize Blake Baker’s full defensive scheme which sinks its teeth into offenses when the confusing back end coverages can be combined with constant pressure applied to the pocket. Continued diversity will ensure that this year’s team will be much more entertaining and far less predictable than last year’s group.
Though these three words (speed, physicality, and diversity) are thrown around a lot in clichés about football and in coach speak, it is clear that these are pillars the Tigers have identified and embraced as the identity of their football team. This is a striking difference from last year’s team which was seemingly void of a true identity besides the tunnel screen and solid defense. Moving forward into the season it will be very intriguing to see how the team evolves and grows into possibly one of the more dangerous LSU teams in recent memory.
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