https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/9/19/17870860/joe-burrow-lsu-qb
Is Joe Burrow good?
Burrow’s arm has opened things up for the LSU run game, and he’s played better than the numbers show.
By Ian Boyd
The numbers and the team results say two different things. In his first three games of 2018, new LSU QB Joe Burrow completed just 36 of 78 passes for 540 yards at 6.9 yards per throw, with three TDs and no interceptions. Adjusted for sacks, he chipped in 17 carries for 71 rushing yards and another score. Burrow didn’t complete 50 percent of his passes in any of the three games, and LSU’s offense finished them ranked 76th in S&P+.
On the other hand, the Tigers reached 3-0 with wins over Miami and at Auburn, the latter of which snapped a 13-game home winning streak. The LSU defense is playing at a high level (predictably), and thus far the Tigers have been able to get the offense they need.
LSU still has a bunch of difficult dates on its schedule. Whether or not Burrow is good figures to have a substantial impact on whether the Tigers keep finding wins. Is he?
LSU has a diverse offense that demands a lot of Burrow.
The Tigers are much more spread-oriented now than they ever were under Les Miles, or even last year under Matt Canada, who geared the offense around running the jet sweep from under center. The 2018 Tigers spend a lot of time in the shotgun with three receivers, stretching the defense to the hash marks and beyond.
They’re fairly deep at receiver, with Texas Tech transfer Jonathan Giles, big targets Dee Anderson(6’5, 220 pounds) and Stephen Sullivan (6’6, 235), and emerging star Justin Jefferson. Heading into the season, the perception was that LSU’s talent was really clustered here, rather than at RB, where the program has been absurdly loaded the last few years.
It’s still a run-centric team, though. LSU spends some time under center and often employs spread sets to create space for the run game. The passing game Burrow leads is heavy on play action and RPOs designed to help or benefit from the threat of the run game, although it also has some other drop-back plays mixed in to offer options on passing downs.
Take this third-and-12 conversion against Auburn:
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It’s a typical drop-back menu, with the receivers running a stick route and slot fade to the three-WR side and then a whip/dig combination to the boundary. Auburn plays a safety deep over the three-WR side, so Burrow works the whip-dig combination, throwing the dig for a first down.
Cont'd ...
Is Joe Burrow good?
Burrow’s arm has opened things up for the LSU run game, and he’s played better than the numbers show.
By Ian Boyd
The numbers and the team results say two different things. In his first three games of 2018, new LSU QB Joe Burrow completed just 36 of 78 passes for 540 yards at 6.9 yards per throw, with three TDs and no interceptions. Adjusted for sacks, he chipped in 17 carries for 71 rushing yards and another score. Burrow didn’t complete 50 percent of his passes in any of the three games, and LSU’s offense finished them ranked 76th in S&P+.
On the other hand, the Tigers reached 3-0 with wins over Miami and at Auburn, the latter of which snapped a 13-game home winning streak. The LSU defense is playing at a high level (predictably), and thus far the Tigers have been able to get the offense they need.
LSU still has a bunch of difficult dates on its schedule. Whether or not Burrow is good figures to have a substantial impact on whether the Tigers keep finding wins. Is he?
LSU has a diverse offense that demands a lot of Burrow.
The Tigers are much more spread-oriented now than they ever were under Les Miles, or even last year under Matt Canada, who geared the offense around running the jet sweep from under center. The 2018 Tigers spend a lot of time in the shotgun with three receivers, stretching the defense to the hash marks and beyond.
They’re fairly deep at receiver, with Texas Tech transfer Jonathan Giles, big targets Dee Anderson(6’5, 220 pounds) and Stephen Sullivan (6’6, 235), and emerging star Justin Jefferson. Heading into the season, the perception was that LSU’s talent was really clustered here, rather than at RB, where the program has been absurdly loaded the last few years.
It’s still a run-centric team, though. LSU spends some time under center and often employs spread sets to create space for the run game. The passing game Burrow leads is heavy on play action and RPOs designed to help or benefit from the threat of the run game, although it also has some other drop-back plays mixed in to offer options on passing downs.
Take this third-and-12 conversion against Auburn:
It’s a typical drop-back menu, with the receivers running a stick route and slot fade to the three-WR side and then a whip/dig combination to the boundary. Auburn plays a safety deep over the three-WR side, so Burrow works the whip-dig combination, throwing the dig for a first down.
Cont'd ...
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