Spring game

[dachsie]

Did anyone watch?  What were your thoughts.  I was not able to see it as I was in The Woodlands.  Here is Dandydons take:

 

https://www.dandydon.com

[COTiger]

http://lsufootball.net/

That link provides replays.

[Hatchertiger]

I’m looking forward to watching it. Sounds like Nussmeir made the QB race even tighter.

[LSUDad]

All 4 QB’s looked good, it’s a tight race in the fall. Howard should get a Red-Shirt. We have a great class of WR, even with the top WR sitting out. Lacy #16, unless something changes, he should have not transferred. We have a good class at RB’s. All looked good, knew the offense well. 
 

OL, Dellinger sat out, will be in the mix for sure. They need to find the 5 best. They will only get better. Center is the need position to fill. The rest is good, they can make a good line with what I saw out there Saturday. 
 

On the other side of the ball, DL is good and has depth. LB looked good with Penn. They have one coming in for the fall, he will definitely be in the mix. 
 

DB, not bad, but that one is a step down from years past. 
 

Looks like the ones coming in the fall, will add depth, with a chance to get into the two deep at a few positions. 
 

 

[LSUDad]

Three LSU Players Who Made Biggest Jump in Spring Football

Nussmeier, Campbell show immense potential during successful spring rise

• GLEN WEST
• 9 HOURS AGO

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With spring ball now officially wrapped, LSU will move to the next phase of the offseason, constructing a post spring evaluation of every player on the roster. The 15 practices were enough to draw some finite points about where this team's strengths and weaknesses lie.

Here were three of the biggest winners from the spring session:

Garrett Nussmeier (QB)

There was a common belief that because Brian Kelly brought in two veterans like Myles Brennan and Jayden Daniels, there was a vision in place about what this offense could look like behind a more experienced arm. But after 15 spring practices culminating in a spring game, the redshirt freshman Nussmeier has made this battle tighter than ever heading into the summer. 

Perhaps the biggest winner of the entire spring, Nussmeier showed tremendous growth and poise in his decision making while striking a balance with his immense arm talent. Kelly heaped a ton of praise on the kind of improvement that Nussmeier has made behind center, with the primary improvement coming in taking what the defense gives him.  

“Don’t over coach it. You can be paralysis by analysis. You start to over coach that and then he starts to pull back a little bit and you lose a really good quarterback too, so you’ve got to be careful there," Kelly said. "You try to coach them on things that matter the most and that is taking great care of the football."

In his action during the spring game, Nussmeier threw for 136 yards and a touchdown while driving the offense down the field on three separate occasions that ended with the group reaching the endzone. This quarterback battle is far from reaching a final decision and Nussmeier is proving that the future of this program with him behind center, could be sooner than many anticipated. 

Will Campbell (OL)

It would take a long, hard look to find any negatives coming out of LSU's camp where Campbell is concerned. The maturity and level of play over the course of the 15 practices was apparent and why Kelly and offensive line coach Brad Davis made the decision early on to shift him to left tackle. 

Campbell is a unique freshman talent as he approached his first several months with an aggressive mindset on building his body up. He's added 17 pounds since January and has drawn comps by some to former LSU star lineman Andrew Whitworth with the way he carries himself. 

As spring wore on, Campbell at left tackle and Charles Turner at center were the most consistent first team o-line centerpieces and having a vision for that lineman who will protect the quarterback's blind side is an important development in camp. To add even more fuel to the fire, Campbell has listened to what the narrative has been on this LSU offensive line the last few years and wants to be a part of the solution.

 

"It was irritating for me to hear that even though I wasn't here," Campbell said. "Definitely taking that as a chip on our shoulder, preparing each other and we'll be ready by Florida State. I just wanna come out here and go against the best. I wanna play, so I'm gonna do whatever I gotta do to get on the field."

Greg Penn (LB)

On the defensive side of the ball, while the cornerback and safety depth chart is far from decided, the linebacker consistency the Tigers got from Mike Jones and Greg Penn was another major positive. It was hard to learn a lot from the defense as they ran out really just one look against the offense all day.

But the effort and athleticism Penn showed was noticeable, putting together six tackles which was good for third on the team with 0.5 tackles for a loss. Having defensive coordinator Matt House who is also the linebackers coach has been very beneficial to a player like Penn, who has taken that next step as a player and ready to contribute in a starters like role come fall. 

"We got a lot of guys improving,” House said. “And as they show improvement, they become more comfortable and you see those personalities come out. We are building through that and I think that is a process as a unit.” 

 

 

 

[Herb]

Nice to see these youngsters literally stepping up their game.

Nussmeier went to great lengths to inprove his game - going as far as getting an NFL coach to live in his house in the offseason (lol).

We knew Campbell would be special, but he has exceeded the expectations I - and I suspect others - have had.

Greg Penn played up here at DeMatha, which is a football powerhouse in the Washington DC suburbs. I don't follow local HS football that much but I did get to go to a DeMatha game several years ago when my son was in HS. DeMatha's team was like a team of goliaths playing against Lilliputians. It wasn't pretty for the home team.

[COTiger]

I'm watching the game.  It's near the end of the 1st qtr.  The OL looks the same as last year which isn't good.

[houtiger]

12 hours ago, COTiger said:

I'm watching the game.  It's near the end of the 1st qtr.  The OL looks the same as last year which isn't good.

I haven't watched it yet, have it recorded.  It was advertised as vanilla, so I'm not too enthused to watch it.

As far the o-line, Masson Smith and Jaquelin Roy are going to give lots of folks trouble, and add Ojalari and Ali Gaye, that is an experienced and talented d-line.  The o-line will have to improve just to survive practice against our d-line.  I hope.

There is what Brian Kelly says in public, much of which he has to say to keep the troops motivated and competing, then there is what he and the staff know in private.  I wonder what they really think.

Edited May 1, 2022 by houtiger

[LSUDad]

My friend Mike talks LSU. 
 

Mike Detillier on LSU’s Football — Post Spring Practice, 2022: Part 1

May 1, 2022

On the quarterback position battle…

Mike: Walker Howard is the future after this season. He has all the physical skills you are looking for. Now, the game is so much faster than high school football and you have to have experience. Walker is talented but this is not his time. But it will come soon for him and this gives him time to develop what I call “timing senses,” which is essential in growth for a quarterback. He’s the guy in 2023.

Garrett Nussmeier surprised me with his growth as a passer and his timing skills. He has displayed so much better touch on his short passes and he times his throws much better than what we saw in 2021. He’s developed into a passer now much more than the gunslinger we saw last year. I know he didn’t like that label but he was just that as a freshman. You see his overall development and he’s impressive getting the ball into tight windows because of his arm strength, but he’s developed better footwork and is throwing on balance better. He’s also seeing the field better. Bottom line: he was very impressive this spring.

Content continues below.

 

Jayden Daniels was erratic. When Jayden set his feet and threw on balance he was accurate. But when he threw off that back foot he was sailing throws. Its like he’s falling back at times and it throws the timing off with a receiver. Daniels has a thin build but he can put some real mustard on those “hot” throws. And his ability to run with the ball is really impressive. He’s got excellent foot speed and “cut-to-the-corner skills.” You have to build some packages to utilize his running skills. Brian Kelly will have that element in his offense. 

If you had to start a game today, it would be Myles Brennan. Myles is your prototype “pocket passer.” He’s not a runner, but he can move a little left or right and can really hum it. He has the arm strength to make all the throws. 

Brennan sees the field well and he’s accurate with the short and intermediate passes. He has good rapport with the wide receivers and experience with many of them. Hopefully he can stay healthy. But he’s bigger, stronger, and more comfortable and confident with his techniques as a passer.

It is an interesting battle, though, due to the rapid development of Garrett Nussmeier. But if you kickoff today, Myles Brennan is the starter. And they are building packages to utilize the running skills and throw-on-the-move plays with Jayden Daniels. Why not, right? He’s an excellent open-field runner.