In last Saturday’s scrimmage, heavy winds forced the LSU
offense to focus on the rushing attack – which put together a 230-yard
afternoon in the process.
With just a week of workouts left for the Tigers this
spring, Saturday’s scrimmage in Tiger Stadium saw the offense move the ball by
both air and ground.
“There was more balance today by design,” said head coach
Les Miles. “I think the design was fine, I just didn’t like how we executed.”
The offense, slowed by both strong play from the defense and
penalties, saw just one passer reach 100 yards and only Michael Ford, who
rushed for 76 yards on 16 attempts, go for over 40 yards on the ground.
Jordan Jefferson went 6-of-13 for 94 yards and a touchdown,
while Jarrett Lee was 11-of-19 for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Patrick
Peterson recorded the day’s lone interception, while Drake Nevis forced the
only fumble.
“The day was won by the defense,” Miles said. “They were
crisp and tackled well. We had strips and turnovers, and boy they looked good.”
Once again, redshirt freshman Sam Montgomery was the top man
on the defensive line. After a five-tackle, two-sack performance last week,
Montgomery recorded a team-high eight tackles, with one for a loss, on
Saturday.
“The Sam Montgomery’s and Ken Adams’ are getting to the
ball,” Miles said. “The defense is just faster. They just flew to the ball.
Their presence was felt and they didn’t miss tackles. It was the way a defense
is supposed to look.
“The defense seems a little more advanced than the offense
at this time.”
The first hindrance was penalties, which Miles said kept the
unit from putting together the long drives that he had hoped to see.
“We were inconsistent, and then guys had penalties that
should not have been there,” he said.
The dropped passes also contributed, especially on a day
where Miles had hoped that his quarterbacks could get into a settled rhythm
with their receivers. Instead, the performance left the headman wanting more
from coach Billy Gonzales’ group.
“Our routes are pretty disciplined, there were just a couple
of balls that should have been caught that stopped drives,” Miles said. “You
have to make those catches.
“We are talented and have ability, but [the receivers] must
improve,” he added. “They aren’t where they are going to be when fall comes
around. That improvement needs to take place.”
On the ground, Ford – though he went without a score –
rushed for nearly 80 yards for the second consecutive week. With senior Richard
Murphy still being held back from contact, the performance from the team’s
third back gives promise that the redshirt freshman can contribute on Saturdays
next fall.
“Michael makes a nice natural cut and gets into space,”
Miles said. “He is a good runner, and he will give us carries this fall.”
The bad news from the scrimmage involved injury. T-Bob
Hebert, who served as a starting center for LSU in 2009, suffered a broken leg
that will require surgery.
“It will be fixed and he will have no long-term issue,”
Miles said. “It will stop his opportunity to compete from this point forward.
He will be back in the fall.”
Stats:
Rushing
Michael
Ford
16 att., 76 yards
Stevan
Ridley
13 att., 39 yards, 1 TD
Russell
Shepard
5 att., 11 yards
Dominique
Allen
3 att., 9 yards
Jordan
Jefferson
3 att., 26 yards
Passing
Jordan
Jefferson
6-of-13, 94 yards, 1 TD
Jarrett Lee
11-of-19, 140 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving
Rueban
Randle
6 rec., 41 yards
Terrence
Toliver
2 rec., 13 yards
Russell
Shepard
2 rec., 41 yards, 1 TD
Chris
Tolliver
2 rec., 36 yards, 1 TD
Deangelo
Peterson 3 rec., 116 yards, 1
TD
Defensive Leaders
Sam
Montgomery 8
tackles, 1 TFL
Drake
Nevis
4 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 FF
Kelvin
Sheppard
5 tackles
Michael
Brockers
4 tackles, 1 TFL
Craig
Loston
4 tackles
Patrick
Peterson
1 int., 2 tackles
Field Goals
Josh
Jasper
5-of-5 made: 29, 33, 35, 36, 39
Punting
Derek
Helton
6 for 40.6
Josh
Jasper
6 for 37.0
Scoring Plays
D. Peterson 77 yard pass from Jordan Jefferson
Russell Shepard 33 yard pass from Jarrett Lee
Chris Toliver 12 yard pass from Jarrett Lee
Stevan Ridley 5-yard run