The camp portion of LSU’s preseason practice came to an end with the second major August scrimmage.
For the second straight Saturday, the defense came out on top during the scrimmage conducted inside Tiger Stadium.
"The defense dominated the day,” said coach Ed Orgeron at his post-scrimmage press conference.
Orgeron’s comment was quite succinct. But, the offensive numbers revealed by Oregon told the story.
Quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Myles Brennan were a combined 15-of-43 for 167 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions. Burrow, who threw the scoring pass, was 10-of-24 for 120 yards. Brennan was 5-of-19 for 47 yards. Both players threw an interception.
According to Orgeron, Terrace Marshall was the only wide receiver to catch more than one pass. Marshall had three catches for 44 yards and the one touchdown. Tight end Foster Moreau caught two passes.
The top three rushers – Chris Curry, Nick Brossette and Lanard Fournette – combined for 64 yards on 19 attempts. Curry, of whom Orgeron said “showed some things,” had 35 yards on eight carries. Brossette had 16 yards on six tries and Fournette had 13 yards on five attempts. Edwards-Helaire had two carries.
A week ago, Orgeron was critical of the pass protection by the offensive line. He spoke in a better light of this group Saturday although he admitted that defensive linemen were told to pull up if they got near the quarterback.
“The pass protection was a lot better,” Orgeron said. “The only way there were sacks were if the (lineman) got totally free. There may have been more sacks if we would have let them go. There were a lot less penalties. I thought the line made some improvement.”
So, the main problem with the offense involved the receivers catching the ball. Reportedly, there were about a dozen dropped balls. Starting slot receiver Jonathan Giles did not scrimmage. Starting outside receiver Justin Jefferson scrimmaged “a little bit.”
Drake Davis and Stephen Sullivan did not scrimmage. Orgeron simply said that Davis has been indefinitely suspended from the team. Davis was arrested Friday for battery charges against his girlfriend.
“We had a lot of dropped passes,” Orgeron said. “It was an unusual number of dropped passes. We had a lot of young guys out there (Saturday).”
Orgeron identified five defensive players for their work during the scrimmage – nose tackle Tyler Shelvin (four tackles, one tackle-for-loss), inside linebackers Jacob Phillips (five tackles) and Damone Clark (five tackles, one sack), outside linebacker Michael Divinity and cornerback Kelvin Joseph.
After spending a practice Monday working on corrections from the scrimmage, the Tigers will begin preparations for the season-opener against Miami on Tuesday.
“This was a very successful camp,” Orgeron said. “The guys had a great attitude and a great mindset. There was a players-only meeting Wednesday night after the leadership committee of the team met. The leadership has been fantastic. The players have done a good job blocking out the noise.
“We are banged up a little bit. This has been a physical camp. There is a lot of soreness – sore shoulders and sore knees. I expect most of these guys back.”
Orgeron said that defensive linemen Rashard Lawrence and Ed Alexander “pushed through” some injuries and played in the first half of the scrimmage. Defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko “took it slow,” according to Orgeron.
