LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier did not have one rush in his season debut Sunday. Jayden Daniels rushed 135 times last season.
Look for that to change slightly as the Tigers’ season goes on. No. 18 LSU (0-1) hosts Nicholls State (0-1) Saturday (6:30 p.m., ESPN+).
“No, I don’t think the risk is too high,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said on the weekly Southeastern Conference teleconference Wednesday. “He’s extremely capable as a runner within the offensive structure. We want to take advantage of his strengths, and quite frankly I don’t think we did all of that.”
Nussmeier did complete 30 of 39 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns in the 27-20 loss to No. 23 USC in Las Vegas. (The Trojans (1-0) have moved up to No. 13.)
“That’s pretty good efficiency, but I think we can do more,” Kelly said. “As coaches, we can move him around a little bit. And I think an occasional run here or there, as long as it’s at the right time and the right place, can be a weapon. So I would not exclude him from the run game.”
Nussmeier will not be running nearly as much, though, as Daniels, who led the Tigers in rushing last season with 1,134 yards and in 2022 with 885. His backups are Vanderbilt junior transfer AJ Swann, who started six games last season and threw for 1,457 yards and 12 touchdowns, and redshirt freshman Rickie Collins.
“Certainly, he’s not Jayden Daniels,” Kelly said of Nussmeier. “Certainly, he’s not a quarterback that you would think about for designed runs as part of your core. But if you don’t defend him, he can hurt you. He is athletic. He has to be part of the overall game plan in terms of making sure they defend the quarterback.”
Safety Position Is An Area Of Concern For Tigers
The one position on defense against USC that looked most like it was still locked in the troubled 2023 season was safety.
“I would say that’s the area where we need to see more production from,” Kelly said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. “Production there is key for us moving forward. We’ve got to get more production at safety. It’s got to be better for us. We got really good play from defensive tackle – very consistent play. We got depth play at defensive end. Really good play there. I liked our linebacker play, and I liked our corners.”
Junior starting safety Jardin Gilbert did not play very well before he drew a targeting penalty late in the game, helping set up USC’s game-winning touchdown. He will miss the first half of the Nicholls State game Saturday as part of the consequences from the targeting penalty, which got him ejected.
True freshman safety Dashawn Spears, who is listed as Gilbert’s backup, will play more Saturday and likely start. Redshirt freshman Kylin Jackson, who is sophomore starting safety Jordan Allen’s backup, will also play more. Allen is nursing a turf toe injury.
“Yeah, for sure,” Kelly said. “We’re looking at Kylin and Dashawn to definitely get a good amount of work.”
In addition to the suspension, Gilbert is also slowed by a deep thigh bruise, Kelly said.
Transfer Cornerback Zy Alexander Likely To Replace Sage Ryan As Starter
Kelly on Wednesday listed his top two cornerbacks as sophomore Ashton Stamps, who started against USC and in four games last season, and senior Zy Alexander, who started eight games last season before a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament knee tear. Alexander did not play Sunday as he comes back from the injury, but he is expected to play Saturday against Nicholls on special teams before returning to cornerback.
“He’s made really good progress,” Kelly said. “What you’ll see is his work load increase dramatically over the next four weeks. It will start this week on special teams and continue to pick up at cornerback. The plan has been about gradually bringing him in.”
Juniore Sage Ryan, who has converted from safety, started at cornerback against USC, but did not play well and shared time with true freshman PJ Woodland.
“We like the worked that Ashton provided us,” Kelly said. “We think PJ is coming along. We believe Zy can be in the rotation. Those three guys and Sage, who has the flexibility to play corner and safety. That’s really where the cornerback room starts and ends with Alexander, with Stamps and Woodland, the flexibility of Sage, and then Johnson and Brown.”
That would be junior JK Johnson, a transfer from Ohio State after the 2022 season who missed all of 2023 with an injury, and junior Jyaire Brown, a fellow transfer from Ohio State after the 2023 season.
“That’s your cornerback room now, and that’s most likely what it will look like throughout the entire season,” Kelly said.
Be the first to comment