OL midseason Recognition

[Eq4bits]

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/sports/lsu/article_86cb5834-f4e6-11e9-9819-7fa5a34ce0b5.html

[Fishhead]

Deserved. 

I noticed in that write up they noted the STARTING OL for the FU game. Charles.... who didn't play against MSU.

0 sacks for FU, I believe 3 for MSU.

Points to ponder...

[Hatchertiger]

We need them to come up big against AU's D-line. I haven't seen AU play this year but everything you read is how dominant they are especially Derrick Brown.

[Fishhead]

He's disruptive for sure.  If he happens to get a sack strip fumble and winds up with the ball headed to the end zone, let him go. He'll fall pretty quickly lol (see Florida/AU game)

[cadillacattack]

8 minutes ago, Fishhead said:

He's disruptive for sure.  If he happens to get a sack strip fumble and winds up with the ball headed to the end zone, let him go. He'll fall pretty quickly lol (see Florida/AU game)

 

That wasn't his fault ......  Mullin deployed snipers for that game ...and you've gotta' admit that was a helluva shot .....

 

 

Edited October 23, 2019 by cadillacattack

[Fishhead]

I laughed so hard that play. He blew that whole play up and winds up with the ball headed downhill fast.  TOO fast! All his momentum outran his body! Down goes Frazier!

[LSUDad]

I often say, watch out for player rankings, don’t get caught up with the stars. 
Lloyd Cushenberry was the 1552nd ranked player in his class. Damien Lewis was a JUCO lineman with no offers in high school. Saturday, they anchored a line that put up 46 points and 560 yards on Alabama.


"It shows that people in the media and recruiting rankings, it doesn't really matter," Cushenberry says. "When you step on campus, all the stars are gone, all the opinions are gone. You just have to work. It just goes to show the character we have on this team." #LSU

 

Edited November 11, 2019 by LSUDad

[LSUDad]

Ed Orgeron: LSU's injured Kardell Thomas will be 'ready to play sometime this year'

• BY BROOKS KUBENA | STAFF WRITER
• NOV 19, 2019 - 9:47 AM
•  
•  
•  
•  1 min to read

 

Buy Now

LSU offensive lineman Kardell Thomas, left, hugs LSU running back Tyrion Davis-Price (3) as LSU quarterback Joe Burrow (9) pats him on the head following Davis-Price's touchdown in the second half of the Tigers' 42-28 win over the GayTurds, Saturday, October 12, 2019, at LSU's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.

STAFF PHOTO BY HILARY SCHEINUK

 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• SMS
• Email
• Save

 

 

Brooks Kubena

• Author twitter
•  
• Author email

Once thought lost for the season due to injury, LSU offensive lineman Kardell Thomas will "be ready to play sometime this year," Tigers coach Ed Orgeron said Tuesday morning.

The 6-foot-3, 329-pound Southern Lab graduate was expected to miss the entire season when he injured his ankle and underwent surgery during preseason camp; but the former four-star recruit returned to practice on Oct. 22.

Thomas has not yet played in a game and he has been withheld from major football contact in practice. The true freshman runs through agility and footwork drills — an impressive turnaround, according to Orgeron, who once thought he'd lost the lineman for the year.

 

"He's way ahead of schedule," Orgeron said during an interview on 104.5 ESPN's "Off the Bench." "He's hungry. He told me, 'Coach, I'm gonna be back this year.' I said, 'OK.' And I'll be derned. He's gonna come back. He'll be ready to play sometime this year."

LSU's Michael Divinity is still unable to play, Ed Orgeron says, but his return brings 'energy'

 

Prior to his injury, Thomas was expected to contribute to the offensive line's depth this season. The position group has taken a few hits recently. Starting left tackle Saahdiq Charles has missed five games due to what Orgeron has called "coach's decisions," and starting right tackle Austin Deculus was held out of LSU's 58-37 win over Ole Piss on Saturday due to injury.

Redshirt freshman Dare Rosenthal has been out with an undisclosed injury since starting in place of Charles against Mississippi State, which forced Orgeron to move starting left guard Adrian Magee to left tackle against Ole Piss and start reserve lineman Badara Traore at right tackle in place of Deculus.

[LSUDad]

Magee has been the major guy this year. Took over the starting OG position. As an OG, he added a little extra weight, more of a load to move, playing in a phone booth. He was the heaviest starter. Then having to kick out playing LOT, once again, doing the job. He should do well in Pro Day. 
 

Damien Lewis has played very well. Traore was the more higher rated out of him and Lewis, both coming out of JC. Lewis didn’t have a college offer coming out of high school. Watching Lewis body slam DL, moving linemen around, playing well within the booth, he somewhat reminds me of a Trai Turner. 
 

What Coach Cregg has done this year, a great job. How many guys leave, don’t know. We only have 3 Sr’s, Magee, Lewis and Traore. If all return, we will have one of the better OL’s in all of college football. To think they all return, don’t think so. Cush and Charles have both played well, very well. Both could use another year. Charles will have to answer why he missed games. Cush, playing very well, most OC don’t go real high. Once again, you only need one team to like you, who else at the position comes out this draft? 
 

As we get closer to the draft, we will revisit draft stock. 

 

[LSUDad]

 

Balancing jokes and focus, senior Adrian Magee has become one of LSU's 'best players'

 

 

 

LSU offensive lineman Adrian Magee (73) leaps over Auburn defensive back Christian Tutt (6) to avoid collision as LSU quarterback Joe Burrow (9) is stopped on the carry by Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown (5) in the second half of LSU's 23-20 victory over Auburn, Saturday, October 26, 2019, at LSU's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. STAFF PHOTO BY HILARY SCHEINUK▲

 

 

BY WILSON ALEXANDER | Staff writer

Published Nov 28, 2019 at 3:45 pm | Updated Nov 28, 2019 at 4:03 pm

 

Adrian Magee ran across LSU’s practice fields last week in a gold, non-contact jersey. He had some minor injuries, coach Ed Orgeron said, but with LSU thin along the offensive line and Magee now a starter in his final season, he continued to practice. Orgeron called it a sign of maturity.

That word, maturity, has defined the arc of Magee’s collegiate career. He arrived at LSU as a jokester who sometimes fell asleep in meetings. He spent two years on the practice squad. He began to transform once he competed for playing time, and as Magee approaches his final home game on Saturday, he has become a vital player, the starting left guard on a team aiming for championships.

“I used to get really frustrated with Adrian, because I felt like he didn't take a lot of things seriously,” quarterback Joe Burrow said. “This year, you've seen a lot of growth with him as far as maturity and understanding the offense. He's become one of our best players.”

 

His first two years at LSU, Magee’s role existed for the sake of improving his teammates. He impersonated opponents on the scout team. Without playing in games, he struggled to focus and, at times, seemed like he didn’t want to practice. He snoozed. Orgeron, his scout-team coach, told him to stop going through the motions. 

Issues crept off the field. After his redshirt freshman season in April 2017, police arrested Magee after he was accused of breaking into an apartment and stealing an XBox, six video games, Gucci flip-flops, a bluetooth speaker and $1,200 in cash. Magee returned some of the items and confessed to the burglary, according to a police report. The charges were later dropped. The incident occurred hours after an indefinite suspension for violating team rules.

Magee slowly regained the trust of his coaches. He earned his first start against Auburn that fall and left his redshirt sophomore season as a versatile piece of the rotation. 

All the while, Magee joked and pulled pranks. He walked out of the shower with one towel wrapped around his chest and another around his dreadlocks. He created an Instagram account for his bulldog, Taz. He reached for teammate Garrett Brumfield’s food at the Fiesta Bowl.

“No,” Brumfield said, pulling away his cheese-covered eggs. “You're too fat.” 

“I'm lactose intolerant anyway,” Magee said.

Most of the antics, Magee said, are not suitable for print. 

“Some other ones, I'm not going to mention,” Magee said. “It's not PG-13.” 

As he learned to balance his jokes with focus, Magee started the season opener at right tackle last year against Miami. Then, he injured his knee in the first quarter and missed a month. He started four games at three positions, never fully regaining his spot. 

When preseason practice began this summer, Magee and sophomore Chasen Hines jostled for playing time at left guard. Hines, who underwent knee surgery and missed spring practice, kept pace. Magee got lackadaisical at times during the competition, and when he cracked too many jokes, center Lloyd Cushenberry told him, “Chill.” 

“I have to stay focused more,” Magee said in August. “I don't want anybody saying, 'He's just joking around out here; he's not taking it seriously.' ”

Orgeron didn’t announce a starter until the week of the first game, then Magee and Hines split time during the season opener. Magee hoped to leave the first game healthy. He did, and he has started every game since, playing left tackle and left guard as junior Saahdiq Charles has rotated in and out of the lineup. 

After three straight starts for Magee, as LSU traveled to play Vanderbilt in September, the team reinstated suspended guard Ed Ingram, who had started his freshman season.

The next day, Magee played one of his best games, completing a double pancake block that went viral. Magee had missed the block throughout practice, but in the game, he recognized the defensive front. He flattened one defender and stood over the body. Then he hit another as Burrow scrambled.

 

 

 

LSU offensive lineman Adrian Magee (73) defends against Vanderbilt linebacker Caleb Peart (9) in the first half between the Tigers and the Commodores, Saturday, September 21, 2019, at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. STAFF PHOTO BY HILARY SCHEINUK▲

 

“When I hit him, I clicked out and turned into Terminator,” Magee said. “I was talking s*** in my head. Then I see the other guy and I was like, 'Oh, crap. Now, I got to go get him.' It was fun. I enjoyed every minute of it.”

Orgeron predicted Ingram to take over as LSU’s left guard, but Magee held onto his position. The competition made him work harder. Not as strong as Ingram, he used refined technique and leverage. 

“He's still Adrian off the field,” Cushenberry said, “but when he gets on the field, it's time to work.” 

As Charles sat the past two games, Magee slid to left tackle and Ingram played left guard. Charles returned to the lineup this week, and Orgeron asked offensive line coach James Cregg who he wanted at left guard against Texas A&M: Ingram or Magee.

Cregg picked Magee. 

“He's completely different from even the spring and last year,” Cushenberry said. “He knew he had to step up big this year. It's his last opportunity, and he's done that. I couldn't be more happy for him.”

Magee still cracks jokes, but he has found a balance between playing loose and focused. He makes fun of freshman Anthony Bradford’s weight, even though Magee struggled with his own. Sometimes, he calls opponents “sad” and asks teammates who will block “sada**.” He times the comments better than he did early in his career. He plays best when he’s having fun, he said, because that’s when the game means something to him.

Orgeron feels proud of Magee. So does Burrow. No one doubts his dedication. Magee has learned what it takes to play major college football and become a man, and as LSU begins the postseason next week, he will be an integral part of the offensive line, something he could not have imagined at the beginning of his career.

“I've done so much,” Magee said, “but there's so much more I can do.”

Edited December 4, 2019 by LSUDad

[LSUDad]

LSU offensive line one of four finalists for Joe Moore Award given to top O-line in nation

• BY SHELDON MICKLES | STAFF WRITER
• PUBLISHED DEC 10, 2019 AT 10:28 AM | UPDATED DEC 10, 2019 AT 11:38 AM

 

1 of 2

 

Buy Now

LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry III (79) hikes the ball directly to LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (22) as LSU quarterback Joe Burrow (9) watches during the first half of LSU's football game against Georgia Southern at Tiger Stadium Saturday August 31, 2019, in Baton Rouge, La.

• STAFF PHOTO BY BILL FEIG

 

 

 

Buy Now

The LSU offensive line opens the hole and LSU quarterback Joe Burrow (9) scampers in for a 7-yard touchdown during the second half of LSU's football game against Auburn at Tiger Stadium Saturday Oct. 26, 2019, in Baton Rouge, La. LSU won 23-20.

• STAFF PHOTO BY BILL FEIG

 

 

Sheldon Mickles

Less than a day after quarterback Joe Burrow was named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, the guys who protected him up front and opened holes for LSU's running game followed suit.

The Tigers' offensive line was named one of four finalists Tuesday morning for the Joe Moore Award, which is given annually to the nation's top O-line.

Coached by James Cregg, the offensive line made up of left tackle Saahdiq Charles, left guard Adrian Magee, center Lloyd Cushenberry, right guard Damien Lewis and right tackle Auston Deculus, has played a huge role in the Tigers' record-shattering season.

 

Tackles Dare Rosenthal and Badara Traore and guard Ed Ingram, all key backups, have also contributed as spot starters when called on.

LSU leads the FBS in total offense with 554.4 yards a game and the Tigers are second with 386.8 passing yards per game. LSU is third in scoring 47.8 points an outing.

Other finalists for the Joe Moore Award, a unique honor that has been presented by The Foundation for Teamwork since 2015, are Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon.

The four finalists have a combined 47-4 record and average 512.3 total yards per game (the national average is 404.1) and 198.2 rushing yards a game (170.5).

Named for Joe Moore, widely regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches in college football history, it is the only major college football award that honors a group or unit.

 

The winner will be decided in a vote of 200 current offensive line coaches at the FBS level, as well as former players, coaches, colleagues of Moore and select media members.

Teams on the watch list are judged throughout the season on six basic criteria: Toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique and finishing.

The voting committee will announce the recipient of the 2019 Joe Moore Award during a surprise visit to the winning university’s campus later this month.

[LSUDad]

https://mobile.twitter.com/JoeMooreAward?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^author

[LSUDad]

 

 

 

Despite having to sit out six games, LSU's Saahdiq Charles looks to finish strange season strong

• BY SHELDON MICKLES | STAFF WRITER
• PUBLISHED DEC 26, 2019 AT 2:49 PM | UPDATED DEC 26, 2019 AT 6:47 PM

 

Buy Now

LSU tackle Saahdiq Charles (77) takes on Florida defensive lineman Luke Ancrum (98) while Clyde Edwards-Helaire (22) runs through the line in their Oct. 12 game in Tiger Stadium.

Advocate file photo

 

 

Sheldon

ATLANTA — The 2019 LSU football season has been filled with team highs and personal lows for a prominent member of the Tigers’ vastly improved offensive line.

The good: Junior tackle Saahdiq Charles has started seven games for top-ranked LSU, which is 13-0 going into its College Football Playoff semifinal game on Saturday against No. 4 Oklahoma in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The bad: Charles had to sit six games for what Ed Orgeron called a “coach’s decision,” leaving the Tigers without their starting left tackle — whose responsibility on passing plays is to protect Joe Burrow’s blindside.

 

Basically, Charles, who’s started 26 of 30 games he's played in since signing with LSU in 2017, played in alternating games with one notable exception.

After being held out of the season opener with Georgia Southern, he was in the lineup for the Texas, Vanderbilt and Florida games before making consecutive starts against Auburn and Alabama.

After sitting out the Ole Piss and Arkansas games, he played in the regular-season finale against Texas A&M and in the Southeastern Conference championship game against Georgia.

At Peach Bowl media day Thursday, Charles said he expects to start Saturday. If he does, it will be the first time he’s started three games in a row since opening the final eight games of his sophomore season.

It was certainly an unorthodox way to go through a season, but Charles admitted he had no one to blame but himself and doesn’t have any hard feelings about how it played out.

“It was a violation of team rules, so it was my fault,” he said. “It was my responsibility. Whatever happened, happened, but it’s over with now.”

To be sure, it wasn’t an easy time for the 6-foot-5, 305-pound New Orleanian who moved to Jackson, Mississippi, with his family following Hurricane Katrina.

The silver lining was Charles was able to practice with his teammates when he was scheduled to be held out of a game and took the repetitions he got along with some mental reps to remain as sharp as possible.

“Yeah, it was tough for me not to play or be out on the field with the team,” he said. “But whenever I was out there, I took full advantage of it. I just wanted to have fun and play as hard as I could when I had the chance.”

It was still hard at times, Charles said, but guards Adrian Magee and Ed Charles helped him get through it along with second-year offensive line coach James Cregg.

“It was kind of tough, but I trust Adrian and Ed,” Charles said of the team’s top two left guards. “I always feel comfortable when I’m playing next to them, so it wasn’t that bad when I was in there.”

As a result, he said it was easier to slip back into the starting lineup.

 

“Whenever I didn’t play, it’s not like I didn’t practice,” Charles said. “I was practicing and still taking a lot of the reps, so our mesh was still there. It didn’t really feel like I was gone.

“Coach Cregg pulled me along, making sure I was all right or making sure I was always into it with the guys. He made sure to keep me involved.”

Charles also made sure to credit his mother, Patricia Burrell, for the moral support she provided.

“She was talking to me all the time, like we usually do,” he said. “She came to every game whether I was playing or not, and spent time with me every weekend. I was also chilling with my friends and hanging out with friends … stuff like that.”

Cregg said Charles, to his credit, made the best of a tough situation.

When the Tigers needed him most, Charles was there — playing his best games against Florida, Auburn and Georgia.

He graded out 91% against Florida; 88% against Auburn, one of the best defensive fronts in the nation; and a team-high 92% against Georgia.

“He stayed on top of it and worked; even when he was out, he was always working his craft and staying with it,” Cregg said. “He was into the drills, he was being active and getting all the reps and pushing himself.”