Dayne Young and Brent Rollins collaborate to discover the nuances of the Georgia Bulldogs and college football.
*All grades and other data via www.PFF.com*
Part 1 highlighted the Kansas City Chiefs and the University of Minnesota.
Dayne: The 2019 LSU Tigers are the envy of the college football world. It was a magical ride, complete with a national championship, conference championship, Heisman Trophy winner, and, presumably, the overall number one selection in the upcoming NFL draft. It leaves fans wondering what can be learned from how LSU revamped its offense so quickly to become king.
Brent: With another extremely successful signing day in the books (all the coverage here), it's time to continue our look at offenses Georgia can borrow from as they do their own self and opponent scouting. As Dayne stated, it was a season for the ages in Baton Rouge and quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow had one of the best seasons in college football—and PFF—history. I could provide mountains of data showing Burrow as the best or near the top of almost every quarterback measure we track. However, the point of this now-two-part series is not to say "just have your quarterback put together an all-time season," but rather show the small details that put Burrow and the Tigers' playmakers in the best position to succeed. Further, some of the details below are very basic and easily transferable, yet obviously went a long way in helping the Tigers become an offensive juggernaut. Overall, though, there was one defined theme from LSU's offensive in 2019: They were always on the attack.
Recognizing and attacking 1-on-1 match-ups
Dayne: Having a quarterback with elite accuracy leads to winning, just as facing a team with a precise passer leads to losing. Joe Burrow's 2019 passing accolades cannot be understated. He was spectacular. He made quick throws and often put the football in a spot where only his receiver could make a play.
Brent: No one attacked and succeeded against 1-on-1 coverage like the Tigers did this past season. Against single coverage, Joe Burrow was first nationally in passing grade (94.1), yards (2,472), touchdowns (37), yards per attempt (10.8), and passer rating (131.4). He was second nationally in attempts (228) and adjusted completion percentage (64.7 percent) against single coverage as well. Via formations, RPOs/play-action, or motion, their primary goal was to find and then attack the advantageous match-up.
Dayne: Burrow was very comfortable reading defenses from the spread. From this angle, you can see how Oklahoma's safety immediately drifts to the middle of field. It is likely his eyes and hips gave Burrow an indication of his intention. At that point, it becomes one-on-one coverage with an inexperienced cornerback. Burrow simply needed to put the football in a spot where his receiver would not break his stride. Catching the football in the process of a route was crucial to LSU's success.
Brent: The secondary alignment gave Burrow a strong indication the Sooners were in some form of man underneath. As Dayne points out, the instant number 44 sprinted to the middle of the field, Burrow knew he had cover 1 (man everywhere with a single high safety) and Jefferson manned up against a safety in the slot. Notice the route combination throughout, with three underneath routes to occupy defenders and two go routes from the slot receivers, often referred to as the smash/fade concept. Burrow instantly sees where the advantage is and attacks it with an accurate, in-rhythm throw for the touchdown.