Tigers Hold First Preseason Scrimmage

LSU held its first scrimmage preseason game at fall camp on Saturday, in what sounds like a largely situational-focused practice. Here are some excerpts from the official release:

“We had a great scrimmage,” LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. “Our players and coaches did a great job with preparation. There was a lot of energy on the field. “There was a lot of work put in to the preparation, the game planning, and the substitutions. We had a lot of special teams work. We had an outstanding week of practice and I thought our guys finished on a great note.”

Sophomore quarterback Myles Brennan, who played in place of Joe Burrow with the 1s, completed 8-of-13 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire led the Tigers in rushing with 47 yards on 13 carries, while redshirt freshman Chris Curry added 12 yards on the ground.

Orgeron said Burrow was held out of Saturday’s scrimmage as a precaution and is expected to return to practice next week.

Orgeron said Brennan played with confidence on Saturday and showed improvement over last year.

“He walked up there with some confidence. He started off under a lot of pressure, but he came back with two tremendous drives and made some great throws. He still has a ways to go, but I think he is much improved over last year.”

Ja’Marr Chase led all receiver with three receptions for 101 yards, including a 56-yard TD from Brennan. Stephen Sullivan added a pair of receptions for 48 yards, while Tyrion Davis-Price, Lanard Fournette and Derrick Dillon each caught two passes.

Defensively, linebacker Damone Clark paced the Fighting Tigers with five tackles, including a sack. In all, the Tiger defense recorded five sacks. Defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko scooped up a fumble and returned it 40 yards for another defensive highlight.

Scrimmage stats are always greeted with a healthy grain of salt, and honestly they’re meaningless without context. As I always say, who cares about a quarterback’s completion percentage in a third-and-long situation — tell me how many first downs he converted. The running back’s total yardage isn’t nearly as relevant to me as the rushing offense’s situational efficiency (i.e., picking up short-yardage.)

That said, this sounds like a pretty standard scrimmage, with some wins for both the offense and defense. Per a source, Ja’Marr Chase and Derek Stingley Jr. had some notable one-on-one battles. The more pressing information is Joe Burrow’s absence — although I’m told his and the other holdouts remain a case of load management and keeping players fresh for the actual games.

LSU will return to the practice field on Monday, and preseason game No. 2 is set for next Saturday. Here are some highlights the program released: