Advertisement

Unpacking LSU football's 2023 spring game: Starters and Jayden Daniels' efficient day

koki riley, lafayette daily advertiser
·4 min read
3

BATON ROUGE – LSU football held its annual National L Club Spring Game on Saturday, as the offense vs. defense scrimmage ended in a 32-32 tie.

The defense held a 29-14 at halftime but touchdown passes from Jayden Daniels and Garrett Nussmeier and a two-point conversion throw from Daniels to Brian Thomas set up Damian Ramos for the game-tying field goal in the final seconds.

"It was what we had hoped it to be," LSU coach Brian Kelly said after his second spring game in Baton Rouge.

Here's a closer look at Saturday's spring game.

Starters on offense

With so many injuries and 12 freshmen plus Mason Lunsford not joining the team until the summer, LSU's depth chart on both sides of the ball is still a work in progress.

But Saturday was still the clearest look at the Tigers' starting offense and defense since the Citrus Bowl. Here's what LSU's starting offense looked like.

Quarterback: Jayden Daniels

Running back: Noah Cain

Tight end: GiVanni Peterson

Wide receivers: Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas, Kyren Lacy

Offensive line: Left tackle Will Campbell, left guard Garrett Dellinger, center Marlon Martinez, right guard Miles Frazier, right tackle Emery Jones.

No major surprises for LSU's first team offense. Cain earned the start with Josh Williams recovering from injury and John Emery Jr. being away from the team, while Peterson started with Mac Markway and Mason Taylor both out.

Garrett Nussmeier earned a large chunk of first team snaps, despite Daniels serving as the starter. Trey Holly, Jackson McGohan, Kyle Parker, Jalen Brown and Landon Ibieta also rotated into the first team lineup.

Starters on defense

Here were the starters on defense:

Jack edge: Ovie Oghoufo

Defensive line: Paris Shand, Jacobian Guillory

Big edge: Sai'vion Jones

Linebacker: Harold Perkins, West Weeks, Omar Speights

Cornerback: Zy Alexander, JK Johnson

Slot cornerback: Javien Toviano

Safety: Greg Brooks, Sage Ryan

Denver Harris not earning a starting role was notable, although he did rotate in with the first team as the scrimmage went along.

Toviano and Weeks went in and out of the lineup for each other depending on LSU's defensive alignment. Quency Wiggins also earned some reps with the first team.

Kyren Lacy stands out

Lacy had a massive spring game, capitalizing on what has been a productive spring for the wideout.

On Saturday, Lacy had four catches for 92 yards and a touchdown, including a 70-yard one-handed catch that he took to the end zone in the first quarter.

"The work that he's been doing is much more about (a) consistent approach in practice and I think we're starting to see how that's translating to performance," Kelly said.

LSU FOOTBALL IN THE PORTAL: Why LSU football should - and shouldn't - be aggressive during the spring portal window

LSU FOOTBALL INJURIES: Major Burns ruled out for spring as injuries pile up for LSU football

An efficient day for the QBs

Daniels and Nussmeier proved their worth as one of the best one-two quarterback combinations in the country on Saturday.

Daniels completed 10-of-11 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns while Nussmeier was 5-for-8 with 139 passing yards and two touchdowns. Both were smart with the football but it was Nussmeier who showed off his arm strength more often with two 50-plus-yard completions.

A good day for Laterrance Welch

Latterance Welch stuck with the second-team defense but he showed out when called upon.

The sophomore cornerback had two pass breakups and a tackle, showcasing good ball skills and agility on the outside.

"We saw glimpses of Laterrance with his play today," Kelly said.

A growing list of injuries

Markway and Greg Penn III sat out the spring game with Grade 2 hamstring strains, according to Kelly, joining a long list of Tigers that were out or limited during the spring.

LSU already had Major Burns, Da'Shawn Womack, Maason Smith, Aaron Anderson, Duce Chestnut, Mekhi Wingo, Jordan Jefferson, Taylor, Josh Williams, Armoni Goodwin and Charles Turner out for the spring game.

Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU football spring game 2023: Unpacking Brian Kelly's second spring