Brian Kelly reveals the key to jumpstarting LSU's offense, masking deficiencies

LSU is coming off its second defeat of the season, a humbling 40-13 loss at home to a top-10 Tennessee squad. The Tigers have been less potent lately, leaving coach Brian Kelly searching for ways of jumpstarting LSU’s offense as the second half of the season begins.

The Tigers averaged 39.3 points and 487.0 yards of offense per game in their first four games of the season but have managed just 17.0 points and 312.5 yards over the last two.

“Look, you watch the game as well as I do. Where were the problem areas?” Kelly asked a room full of reporters coming off the loss to the Volunteers. “The problem areas were we moved the ball between the 20s but we didn’t score in scoring zones. So if you really want to break it down, we have to be critically analyzing key third- and fourth-down situations and really red zone.”

LSU’s red-zone offense currently ranks 78th in the country, scoring on 81.5% of its opportunities. The touchdown rate has been considerably better, though, with LSU’s 70.4% rate ranking 37th nationally.

Still, there are a lot of things Kelly is analyzing to determine how to coax more out of his group.

“It’s not really about plays as much as it’s execution in those critical moments,” Kelly said. “So really probably spending more time during the week in those critical situations in third- and fourth-down and how we can support the group in that situation as well.

“We’ve got some new players on the offensive line. Maybe we have to do some more things. Maybe we have to move the pocket, maybe we have to protect with seven, do some things like that as well. I think its’ really more about situational offense than it is adding anything. Matter of fact I think we probably have to take some things out because we have to execute at a higher level. Maybe less is more and maybe that’s what we have to look at.”

Brian Kelly self-scouting in search of keys to jumpstarting LSU’s offense

One of the real advantages LSU had against some opponents in the first half of the season was that opponents didn’t necessarily know what to expect.

Kelly is in his first season in Baton Rouge, La., while quarterback Jayden Daniels transferred in from Arizona State. Nobody quite knew exactly what things would look like, though they likely had some ideas based on Kelly’s history at Notre Dame.

Now?

“We’re at the halfway point, right? We’re six games into it,” Kelly said. “Everybody knows their strengths and weaknesses, and then everybody knows your own strengths and weaknesses, right, because you’ve been self-scouting and scouted. So I think it’s important at this time of the season you start to look at the areas that people want to attack, and you have to be creative.”

To that end, Kelly is poring over tendencies and trying to figure out what to tweak.

“You have to be able to say, ‘OK, they’re going to attack us here, what’s our answer? How are we going to help our players in this particular situation, whether it be offense, defense or special teams?'” Kelly said. “Are we better served with a 42-yard punt with a 4.6 hangtime than a 58-yard punt that stretches our coverage? All of those things have to be considered across the board from an offense, defense, special teams, and that’s where you go back and look at it critically and say, ‘How can we help our football team?'”

What kind of answers will Kelly turn up?

He’ll put them on the field this weekend when LSU heads to Florida for a pivotal game between two first-year SEC coaches. The Tigers will kick off against the Gators at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, with a national broadcast slated for ESPN.