LSU Offensive Players to watch vs. Ole Miss
Just two years removed from a national title, the LSU Tigers have had to remake their high-powered offense. After the loss of former passing game coordinator Joe Brady to the Carolina Panthers, new offensive coordinator Jake Peetz and new passing game coordinator D.J. Mangas are responsible for trying to bring "showtime" back to Baton Rouge.
Peetz is on record as saying he would like LSU to be "Quarterback U," as Joe Burrow has set the bar very high.
Senior quarterback Myles Brennan waited three years to become the starter, then was lost for the season in 2020 with a freak abdominal injury in week three at Missouri. Freshmen T.J. Finley and Max Johnson split time over the last seven games.
Since then, Johnson has been a fixture under center for the Tigers
LSU's offense last season was only marginally better than their defense, which was one of the worst in the country. The Tigers were ranked 39th nationally in points scored with 32 points per game.
This season, The Tigers rank No. 32 in the country in scoring, averaging 32.4 points per game, and 72nd in total offense, averaging just under 400 yards per game.
However, the Tigers may have just found a new identity in the running game, where junior Tyrion Davis-Price just ran for a school-record 287 yards and three touchdowns last week against the Florida Gators.
Stay tuned to The Grove Report as we continue our preview series of each team on the Rebels schedule in the coming weeks.
Now, on to the Tigers.
QB- Max Johnson
Max Johnson took over for an injured Myles Brennan after week three in 2020 and took advantage of his time under center. Johnson threw 58 passes in six games last season for 1,069 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception.
So far in 2021, Johnson has been fantastic, completing 149 or 243 passes for 1,862 yards and 20 touchdowns, with just four interceptions.
RB - Tyrion Davis-Price
In 2020 Davis-Price rushed for 446 yards on 104 attempts and scored three touchdowns in five games in a season where the running game was not good. That's good enough for an average of 4.3 yards per carry.
This season, it took price some time to get going, but after a record-setting performance against Florida last weekend, in which he rushed for a school-record 287 yards, he is likely to become the next bell cow of the Tigers offense going forward.
WR - Jaray Jenkins
For those who are close to the 6-foot-4, 194-pound pass-catcher, the breakout has always been viewed as a matter of "when," and not "if." With the departure of wideouts Terrance Marshall Jr and Arik Gilbert, 2021 could the the "when." In 2020 where he saw the role as mostly a third or fourth option at wide receiver, he had 23 catches for 397 yards and two touchdowns.
In 2021, it has been a bit of a slow year for Jenkins in terms of Targets, however, the junior is second on the team in touchdown receptions with three, to go along with his 14 catches for 170 yards.
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