LSU at Clemson Football Q&A Preview (Part 2)

Clemson and LSU battle on Saturday night in what may be the biggest home game Clemson has hosted in the post-Lawrence era. To help us preview it, we connected with Zachary Junda of And the Valley Shook. Give him a follow and X and then enjoy the interview below.

Ryan Kantor: In recent videos and articles, I suggested the battle in the trenches when LSU has the ball is the most critical juncture of the game. My argument was that Nussmeier is a pocket passer (negative rushing yards last year) and LSU’s exceptional pass blocking O-line loses four starters to the NFL. If Clemson is getting pressure to Nussmeier, it could be especially damaging because Nuss is more like Caron Beck or Sheduer Sanders (but better) than a Cam Ward or LaNorris Sellers. A lot of LSU fans have told me I’ve completely miscast Nussmeier. Can you set me straight?

Zachary Junda: To me that sounds like a fair assessment of Garrett Nussmeier, and I think you’ve gotten the key to this game down as well. It’s funny, one of the biggest complaints from fans about Nussmeier’s first year was the exact opposite of the complaints fans had for Jayden Daniels in 2022. In 2022, people (rightly) complained that Jayden Daniels ran too much and didn’t take enough chances pushing the ball down the field; two years later, people (again, rightly) complained that Garrett Nussmeier DIDN’T run enough, and took too many chances pushing the ball down the field. Nuss and the coaching staff are adamant that he’s learned to take off if the running lane is there, and everyone lost their minds that Nuss can reportedly hit 21 MPH running or whatever, but I’ll have to see the scrambling Nussmeier before I believe it.

To me the best comp for Nussmeier is Brett Favre (though hopefully without the welfare fraud). He doesn’t just have a cannon for an arm, it’s more like a damn naval warship. He’s got maybe the strongest arm in the country and can make throws other QBs wouldn’t dream of taking…but there’s always that one throw he’ll make. The type of throw where he rolls to his right, chucks it back across the field and at best it’s going to be a heartstopping incomplete pass. That’s what he’s got to get out of his system. 

RK: LSU’s wide receiving corps is getting a lot of acclaim, but it seems it is filled with immense talent that maybe hasn’t proven it consistently on the field with the exception of Aaron Anderson. Chris Hilton has never had more than 13 catches in a season, Barrion Brown has declined in receiving yards for three straight years, Zavion Thomas 218 yards last season, Destyn Hill didn’t pan out for FSU last year, and Nic Anderson is coming off injury. It seems like they took enough high-upside shots on great talent that a few will pan out, but if I told you it may not click immediately would you scoff at that notion?

ZJ: I actually think I would, and I’m surprising myself by saying that. I’m trying to slow my own roll though; I’m reminding myself that LSU only scored 20 points against USC in last season’s opener on a neutral field, so it’d be really bold of me to just pencil in 30+ points on the road against a top-five team in week one. 

Aaron Anderson is awesome, and the only reason he’s not viewed as the next can’t miss wide receiver coming out of LSU is because he’s 5’8″. If he were two or three inches taller he’d be Ja’Marr Chase reincarnated. Reports out of camp is that Barion Brown’s smoking the LSU DBs and it seems more like Kentucky just had no idea how to truly utilize him; Zavion Thomas is going to be used in a variety of ways, Destyn Hill will, if nothing else, block his ass off, and while we won’t know how healed up Nic Anderson is coming off a ruptured quad, guys who are 6’4″ that averaged 23 yards a catch don’t just grow on trees. Then there’s the tight end tandem of Bauer Sharp and sophomore Trey’Dez Green, a 6’7″ freakshow athlete who is poised for a breakout sophomore season.

But the effectiveness of the passing game really does come down to the availability of Chris Hilton. We’ve waited five years for Hilton to have that breakthrough, but injuries have kept him on the sideline for basically all of his career. High school rankings aren’t the be-all end-all, but for a little bit of context about who Hilton could be: he was in the same high school recruiting class as Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas, and was viewed as the best receiver in the state of Louisiana that cycle. I know this won’t sound very analytical, but it’s just different when Hilton’s out there as the vertical threat. He only caught nine passes last year but it was for, hello, an average of 27 yards a catch. I understand that’s a small sample size, but it’s not a coincidence that LSU’s offense getting back on track late in the year synced up with Hilton getting his sea legs back.

RK: Clemson’s defense was weakest against the run last year, but LSU was best through the air. Do you expect LSU to adjust and try to attack what at least was a major weakness a year ago, or continue to lean primarily on the pass to open the game this season?

ZJ: They’re going to have to find out what they have in the running game. The run to pass ratio got way out of whack last season, and that doomed LSU more than anything in late October/early November. Last year over a five-game stretch (Ole Miss to Florida), Nussmeier averaged 44.8 attempts per game, and it shouldn’t come as a shock that LSU went 2-3 over that span. Now running the ball doesn’t necessarily mean I-formation, hand it off and run up the guy, LSU’s going to try and do some different things to get a run game going. Zavion Thomas has been lining up in the backfield, sophomore running back Ju’Juan Johnson is getting some reps as a wildcat QB, five-star freshman running back Harlem Berry is going to be a weapon catching the ball out of the backfield. But yes, I think the outcome of Saturday’s game will hinge entirely on what LSU’s final rushing stats look like. If it’s something like “25 attempts for 90 yards” they’ll probably lose, but if it’s “30 attempts, 120 yards” then they’ll win.

RK: Lastly, what is your prediction for how this big season opener between Clemson and LSU plays out?

ZJ: I picked Clemson in our preview earlier this summer, I picked Clemson in the Q&A I sent to you, and I’m going to pick Clemson here. There’s just too many unknowns about this LSU team for me to say they’ll go on the road and beat a top-five opponent…on opening week at least. If this was week 2 and the Tigers had a tuneup at home against Louisiana Tech first I’d be more confident, but as it stands right now I’m not sure what kind of LSU team we’ll be getting. I THINK the defense will be the best it’s been since 2019. I THINK the offensive line will surprise people and keep Garrett Nussmeier upright. I THINK the rushing game will be much more effective and Caden Durham ends up being one of the top backs in the SEC, but I have to see it happen first. I’ll say this though, I’m not so sure this won’t be the only time these two meet; and if all the talent on this LSU roster meshes the way I think it will, well…the best is yet to come for LSU. 

Thank you to Zachary Junda for this two-part Q&A preview. If you missed part one, you can read it here.