LSU 2021 Football Preview

2020 Recap

LSU was replacing a ton of talent off their 2019 championship team, but that challenge became even tougher when several key players opted out of the 2020 season. The Tigers’ lost their season opener to Mississippi State, but it turned out that was more an indication of LSU’s troubles in 2020 than the strength of Mississippi State.

LSU beat Vanderbilt the next week, but lost to Missouri the following week. They bounced back to beat South Carolina, but were blown out by Auburn in their next game. So the season went seesawing between wins over bad teams and losses against everyone else.

Finally, with the season winding down, LSU found some success down the stretch. They finished the season with back to back wins over Florida and Mississippi. They beat Florida in a dramatic finish that included a bit of everything, then rode an incredible performance by Kayshonn Boutte to beat Mississippi to finish the season 5 – 5. It was a far cry from the magical 2019 season, but the strong finish and a return to normalcy in 2021 provides hope for this season.

2020 Leaders

Projected Starters

Reasons For Optimism

The Best CB Duo in America

In 2021, LSU”s defense will feature the best cornerback duo in the country. Derek Stingley Jr turned in an incredible true freshman season in 2019 during the team’s championship season. He was in and out of the lineup in 2020 with injuries and was not able to have his usual impact when he was on the field. Eli Ricks backed up Stingley’s strong freshman campaign with an excellent debut season of his own in 2020. He adjusted to the college game quickly and made four interceptions as a true freshman, returning two for a touchdown. With the duo healthy and ready to go in 2021, LSU will be able to match-up their corners one on one on the perimeter with confidence.

Boutte Will Continue WR Legacy

LSU has featured great wide receivers recently, from Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry to JaMarr Chase, Justin Jefferson and Terrace Marshall. Even when the Tigers have struggled at quarterback, the wide receivers have been incredible. Towards the end of 2020, Kayshonn Boutte announced himself as the next great LSU WR. Boutte had over 100 receiving yards in each of the last three games last season. He caught 8 passes for 111 yards against Alabama, 5 for 108 and a touchdown against Florida and 14 for 308 and 3 touchdowns against Mississippi. Despite the changes at quarterback during the season and the team’s overall struggles, Boutte proved he was ready to be a star in the SEC.

Disruptive Defensive Ends

The LSU defense struggled overall in 2020, but they do return three disruptive defensive ends who should be productive again in 2021. Ali Gaye manned the strong side defensive end spot and made 9.5 tackles for loss in ten games last season. He will be a senior this season and should continue his disruptive play at end. Opposite him, the pass rushing ends were Andre Anthony and freshman BJ Ojulari, who accounted for 5.5 and 4 sacks respectively. The duo will continue to rotate in 2021 and should be even more productive as Ojulari gains experience. LSU has good defensive ends that should give the defense some blocks to build around as they recover from a poor performance in 2020.

Causes For Concern

The Defense Struggled Mightily in 2020

For the Tigers to have a good season, LSU’s defense has to be better in 2021. They allowed a whopping 34.9 points per game last season, good for tenth in the SEC. On a yards per play basis the defense was even worse, allowing 7.26 yards per play which ranked 13th in the SEC. For comparison sake the LSU defense had not allowed more than 25 points per game or 5.2 yards per play in any season during the past decade. The defense was not just bad they were historically bad and that trend cannot continue in 2021. LSU fired defensive coordinator Bo Pelini and hopes that a change at the top will help the unit. Additionally, 2020 was an odd year because of the opt outs LSU had to deal with so the ability to prepare with a full roster should help the defense play better.

The Running Game

Another area LSU struggled in 2020 was running the ball. The Tigers struggled to find consistency from their backs and rotated a few players into the game but with minimal improvement. As a team LSU averaged just 3.3 yards per carry, good for 12th in the SEC. They did not fair any better on a per game basis, averaging 121.7 yards per game also 12th in the SEC. The offense needs the running game to be a realistic threat in order to keep defenses honest. Otherwise opponents will sell out to rush the passer resulting in an inconsistent pass offense and a greater likelihood of injuries at the quarterback position. The Tigers need to work their way up to the middle of the pack in rushing offense so their offense can be somewhat balanced and reach it’s potential.

2021 Schedule

Top 25 Players

2021 Projection

LSU starts the season with an interesting game at UCLA. The Bruins played very little in 2020, but appeared to be much improved and could be a tough game to start the year. After a couple of out of conference tuneups, LSU will make the trip to Mississippi State looking to avenge last seasons loss. The conference schedule includes three tough road games at Mississippi, Kentucky and Alabama. The Crimson Tide are always a tough test, but Mississippi and Kentucky could be challenging on the road this year as well. The Tigers also play three tough home games against Auburn, Florida and Texas A&M, though they could win all three but they will present unique challenges. Ed Orgeron is hoping his team will bounce back from a lackluster 2020, but the schedule is not an easy one. LSU is likely to win 8 or 9 games in 2021, a big step up from 2020, but still not where LSU fans want their team to be.