Three Observations from LSU Spring Game: Running Backs, Defensive Line Show Potential
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LSU's first spring game under Brian Kelly is in the books and the Tigers will now officially shift focus to the 2022 offseason. But the purple and gold were able to collect a little more data on where this roster needs improvement and how it's currently constructed.
Here were three takeaways from the scrimmage:
Running Backs Show Off True Potential
The Tigers' backs were an immense bright spot offensively, particularly as the scrimmage went on. The three standouts on the afternoon were sophomore Armoni Goodwin and juniors Kevontre Bradford and Josh Williams, who handled the bulk of the carries with Noah Cain not yet on campus and John Emery being limited.
Bradford led the way with 85 yards on nine carries while Goodwin added 71 yards and a touchdown and Williams tacked on 51 more yards with two touchdowns. All three showed dual threat ability out of the backfield by combining for five catches as well. When Cain gets on campus and Emery is fully healthy, this will be a running back room that is deep and will likely be able to hit defenses in a number of ways if the offensive line can open up some holes.
"Those backs run really hard, you better tackle them. You better get our backs on the ground and you saw that today. They can catch the ball out of the backfield," Kelly said. "They bring some traits across the board that I think are highly competitive in this league."
Emery also had a productive day, although short lived as he rushed for 24 yards on four carries. Emery was coming off an ankle injury that sidelined him for the better part of a week and the Tigers wanted to be careful with how much run he got.
The idea for Emery to play was completely his as he wanted to know what it's like to play not at 100% according to Kelly in anticipation of the regular season.
"He was less than healthy. Most would've said 'Why would you play him today?' He wanted to go because he was like 'I'm gonna get banged up during the season, I wanna know what it's like not to play 100%.' That kind of mindset says a lot about him," Kelly said. "I was proud of him and we saw what kind of back he is even banged up."
Defensive Line Shows it Can Be One of Best in College Football But Depth Still a Question
Though this group did simmer down a bit as the game went on, there wasn't a more impressive position on the field than the defensive line for the first half. The front four consistently got into the backfield, creating nine tackles for loss and six sacks, most of which came in the first half.
Maason Smith and BJ Ojulari in particular imposed their will multiple times, combining for three sacks on the day. The front four of Smith, Ojulari, Ali Gaye and Jaquelin Roy has the chance to be elite across the board as they're all rare athletes with size and talent.
It's important to mention that quarterbacks aren't allowed to be tackled in the scrimmage but nonetheless this is a front four whose starters all will contribute and capable of putting up gaudy numbers.
"I thought our defense started out with the right mindset. They came out with good energy," Kelly said. "I think by in large there was a lot of plays out there that can be evaluated and gives us an opportunity to know our strengths and weaknesses."
The question becomes what does the depth look like behind those top four guys? There wasn't much resistance from the second team d-line, which was run all over by the offense.
Kelly attributed some of the second half shortcomings to fatigue which is to be expected. The front seven were gashed by the LSU running backs in the second half and it was a lopsided final 30 minutes as a result. But the structure is there for this defensive line to be one of the most devastating in the SEC.
Brian Kelly Believes LSU Has Discovered Weaknesses to Address
The biggest part of the spring for Kelly is discovering where the weaknesses are with his team. A couple of the positions the Tigers have targeted in recent weeks are cornerback, tight end and the offensive line.
A little bit of those concerns have been answered with cornerback transfer Sevyn Banks committing and signing with the team. Defensive back was one of the areas the defense struggled in the spring game and could be a further place to look but Kelly is certainly going to do his due diligence before the May 1 date to fill out the rest of the roster.
"I feel really good about where we are in our evaluation process moving forward and that's what you want going through the spring," Kelly said. "We have some holes and those holes need to be addressed and need to continue to work on. I'll get a deeper dive on this over the next couple of days. I always try to get through the spring and know my weaknesses because I don't want any surprises as I go into camp.
