How Myles Brennan and the LSU Offense Can Build Off of Inconsistent Week One Performance

In previous LSU seasons, one look at Saturday's box score and most fans would be pleased with the kind of performance the Tigers displayed on the field. LSU racked up 425 yards of offense and 34 points en route to a 44-34 loss to Mississippi State.

But the 2019 LSU offense raised the bar of what is to be expected and while there were moments of brilliance, the end result was a mixed bag for offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger and the first look at the 2020 offense. There were missed opportunities in the first half as dropped passes, protection breakdowns and tentative throws saw the offense produce just seven points and 146 yards of total offense.

Junior quarterback Myles Brennan was forced out of the pocket on countless occasions, sacked seven times and held onto the ball a little too long at times. LSU coach Ed Orgeron said some of the inconsistencies on Saturday come with an inexperienced group still learning how to play with one another. Some of it is scheme.

Either way, there needs to be some adjustments to get the offense rolling on a more consistent basis.

"On offense, we gotta protect the quarterback better, and then we gotta make better decisions in the pocket," Orgeron said. "We had some guys open, we didn't hit them. Could have stepped up in the pocket and made the decisions. I think that's going to come with more experience. We gotta eliminate the drops. We had too many drops, especially in the beginning of the game we had some critical drops that hurt our drives, and we gotta run the ball better."

The running attack was a topic of conversation on Monday as the Tigers utilized all three running backs but none were able to break the game open. Chris Curry rushed for 47 yards, Tyrion Davis-Price ran for an additional 43 yards and John Emery 27 yards.

Orgeron admitted that Curry seems to be the favored back in the offense at the moment but that all three will continue to play significant roles. One of the areas LSU had plenty of success in during its 2019 run was utilizing Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the passing attack.

Edwards-Helaire brought in 55 receptions a season ago but that part of the offense was really nowhere to be found on Saturday. Emery was the primary back used in those situations against the Bulldogs, hauling in three receptions for 25 yards. It'll be an area that Ensminger will want to try and get more use out of against the Commodores.

"Obviously Chris is our lead back right now, in our opinion, but Tyrion and John -- I thought John did some good stuff on short yardage," Orgeron said. "You would think that Chris and Tyrion would be there with short yardage, but Kevin [Faulk] played with short yardage. He had some good runs. So I'm pleased with our backs. I think we need to run the football more, get them more carries and give them more touches out of the back field. They didn't catch the ball enough out of the back field."

As for Brennan's performance, Orgeron thought that a combination of drops, busted pass protections up front and miscues spoiled what was otherwise a pretty solid day. There were times where Brennan didn't look very comfortable in the pocket and missed a few receivers down field but he also made some great throws down field.

OH BABY!!
Terrace Marshall Jr. comes up with an awesome catch. pic.twitter.com/06ilYCM5TC
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 26, 2020

The connection between Brennan and Marshall will be important throughout the season as the chemistry has already proven to be strong with his eight catch performance for 122 yards.

"I thought Brennan threw the long ball very well. He missed a couple down the pipe there, but I thought he threw the long ball very well," Orgeron said. "That catch that Terrace made was outstanding. The skinny post was really good.

"The chemistry between the receivers and quarterback, I think it clicked well,” Marshall said Tuesday. “I think we’ll be able to work with it. It can grow quickly just by putting extra time in after practice. I feel like as the weeks go, we’re gonna get better.”

What Mississippi State did to Brennan and the LSU offense was possibly a blueprint that other teams could use. The Bulldogs dropped back in short yardage coverage, taking away some of the simple reads and throwing lanes that the Tigers could've attacked to help get Brennan into a rhythm. Brennan described them in the postgame press conference as "hole droppers," saying there were times he'd drop back to throw and Bulldog defenders were right in his throwing lane.

Orgeron said making better in-game adjustments by spreading the receivers out even more will make a big difference. Brennan getting the ball out a little quicker than he did on Saturday will also help in this area. The junior quarterback completed 21-of-29 passes for 250 yards and one touchdown when holding the ball for under three seconds.

"We gotta make better adjustments. I mean, we gotta spread 'em out, make better adjustments, especially when we're looking we stop at the line of scrimmage and we look over and we know defense is better, we gotta make better adjustments," Orgeron said. "I think he needs to get rid of the ball a little bit quicker. A little bit hesitant in the pocket. Stay in the pocket a little bit more, have better pocket presence and make better decisions. I think it's a combination of both."

The next few outings against Vanderbilt and then Missouri should be about trying to shore up some of the breakdowns on the offensive line and finding some go-to, shorter routes to help get Brennan in more of a rhythm. There were positives to be taken out of Saturday's performance but a more balanced offense will keep the Tigers afloat in more games than not.

"Myles is humble. He made some good throws, though, but he was inconsistent. And obviously we gotta protect it. When Myles feels a little pressure, he wants to scramble outside, he's gotta sit in there. But, you know, sometimes he can't. I think it all comes to the protection first, easy throws where he can make decisions, put our play makers in space, let them make plays, throw them the ball and take shots. And once we get that rhythm, we're going to be fine."

Center Liam Shanahan believes Brennan has been given some unwarranted criticism after week one. In the 72 hours since the loss, Shanahan says Brennan has looked laser focused on the task at hand and is ready to go.

"We got our lift in on Monday morning and I could tell he's ready to kind of bounce back," Shanahan said. "We're gonna do everything we can to protect him so he can have an easier job."