New Orleans, Louisiana- Behind a switch to a high-octane spread-style offense in 2018, the LSU Tigers find themselves on the verge of a College Football Playoff National Championship after a historic offensive season.
LSU hadn’t beaten Alabama in eight years, and head coach Ed Orgeron knew something had to change following a 29-0 shutout loss to the Crimson Tide in 2018. Alongside offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger, the decision was made the following day to make the switch to the spread attack in an attempt to score more points.
At media day for the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship, Coach O pinpointed that switch as the turning point for his LSU squad saying, “We did not play well. But that game, adversity makes you better, that’s the time that me and Ensminger decided we were going to the spread after that. The day after that we said we’re going to the spread. So that was a significant game in our history together.”
Flash forward to today, where the Tigers stand undefeated at 14-0 with the nation’s top-scoring offense as they prepare for one final matchup when they take on the Clemson Tigers on Monday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. LSU has set records and won numerous awards along the way, headlined by their Heisman Award-winning quarterback Joe Burrow, so let’s take a look and highlight their success.
The nation’s top-scoring offense, the Tigers have averaged 48.9 points per game, scoring 40 or more points in 11 games this season, an LSU record. Opposing defenses have struggled to slow down the Tigers for any significant stretch this year, and much of that is due to LSU’s ability to attack opponents in so many different ways.
The Tigers are the first team in college football history to feature a 5,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher, and two 1000-yard receivers, which shows just how versatile this LSU offense has been this year.
Quarterback Joe Burrow has taken the college football world by storm on his way to winning the 2019 Heisman Trophy award for the top player in college football. The graduate transfer senior has been consistently great all year and broke the record of first-place votes with 90.7 percent.
This is Burrow’s second year with the Tigers, and he has seemingly benefitted more than anyone in the change to the spread offense for 2019.
Burrow leads the nation in touchdown passes with 55 on the year, breaking the SEC for touchdowns as well as passing yards with 5,208, becoming the first SEC quarterback to surpass 5,000-yards passing and 50 touchdowns in a season. The potential number one overall pick has truly taken hold of the national spotlight and will be fun to follow his development in the NFL.
While Burrow receives much of the headlines for his stellar play, the Tigers feature a pair of ultra-talented wideouts for their star quarterback to target in Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase.
The duo is tied for the SEC record for receiving touchdowns in a year with 18, as both receivers have formed great connections with Burrow this season.
Justin Jefferson, who is projected to be drafted in the first round this year if he decides to leave LSU, reeled in an SEC record 102 passes 1,434-yards this year. The junior wideout had a showcase game in the CFP semifinal game with four touchdown receptions and will prove to be a difficult matchup for Clemson’s secondary on Monday.
Along with Jefferson is Ja’Marr Chase, who took home the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s best wide receiver. The sophomore wideout finished with 75 receptions for 1,559-yards, averaging 20.8-yards per catch. This is the first time the Heisman and Biletnikoff winners have been on the same team, giving the Tiger’s the hardware to go along with their record-setting performances.
The LSU Tigers offense has been on a historic run since the decision to switch to the spread-style offense. With weapons all over the field, the Tigers now find themselves on the verge of a national championship, and an opportunity to put a cap on one of the best runs in college football history to finish as just the second team to reach a 15-0 record.
Written by Brian Pohl
