STARKVILLE — Change for the LSU offense were inevitable as head coach Ed Orgeron hired offensive coordinator Matt Canada. The exact changes were a mystery for an extended period, as Orgeron closed preseason practices to the media.
Two games into the Canada era, the most important changes are coming before every snap.
Presnap motion and shifts have become a trademark of the LSU offense under Canada’s direction. MSU’s turn to defend it comes Saturday at 6 p.m. (ESPN) in Davis Wade Stadium when the 2-0 Bulldogs host No. 12 LSU.
It’s completely transformed an offense that, otherwise, MSU would have some familiarity with: MSU defensive coordinator Todd Grantham was Louisville’s defensive coordinator last year when the Cardinals faced LSU in the Citrus Bowl.
“A lot more movement and motions, things like that, than there were prior to the change in offensive coordinator,” Grantham said. “It’s still going to come down to being able to set the edge on the blocks, build the wall inside and tackle. Tackling is going to be really critical.”
The movement to date has been as diverse as any system in the country, moving wide receivers, tight ends and even tackles alike. When tackles move, it is often to create an unbalanced line, where one side of the offensive line has more linemen than the other. It’s a look that has become highly uncommon in the era of the sprea offenses, where wide receivers and spacing are more often used as the leverage gainers than formational balance.
LSU has shown presnap motion of some sort on nearly every play it’s run this season, at times doing so twice or more before the snap. Orgeron said it took three full weeks of preseason to get the full system installed, but the team has had an easier time with it as it began gameplanning for opponents.
“It was very challenging for our guys this spring, they had run the same offense here for years,” he said on the Southeastern Conference teleconference last week. “The guys were studying early on their iPads and they had their notebooks, but Matt has a nice system. A lot of those shifts have one-word titles so they learn them that way. I think he’s done a great job of implementing his offense not only to our players but to our staff, as well.”
Those movements may gain LSU a numbers advantage on certain snaps, but as Grantham sees it, they also give MSU an extra step.
“Formations tell you things, motions tell you things. If you study and prepare, you’ll be able to play those things a little quicker. Obviously when someone has a successful play on you they’re going to come back to it, so you have to make sure you make the adjustments on the sidelines and handle it when it comes back.
The easiest way to do it might be simply ignoring the motion itself and turning all attention to the aftermath.
“You don’t have to break it down, you just have to worry about where they end up. It’s not about where they’re going, it’s about where they end up,” MSU linebacker Dez Harris said. “That’s all defense: you’re trying to make it as simple as possible so you don’t have a lot going through your head at the same time.
“I don’t want to say it’s complicated, it’s just setting your keys, knowing the gameplan and doing your job. It’s not a whole lot of complexity to it, it’s just knowing your job.”
The only thing that could be complex is the communication required in reaction to formation changes. Harris said the communication responsibilities are spread around: “You can’t have one person trying to call everything. All of us have to communicate.”
Even if the MSU defense is able to navigate the constant changes to LSU’s formations, it still has a force to deal with running through those sets. LSU running back Derrius Guice led last year’s Tigers with 1,387 rushing yards, and that was a team that included first-round draft pick Leonard Fournette. Grantham called Guice, “an NFL back.”
Guice has already run for 224 yards and four touchdowns in two games; only four players in the nation have scored more rushing touchdowns, none in the SEC.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter, @Brett_Hudson
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