K-State defense faces unique challenge at Texas Bowl as LSU overhauls depth chart
Brad Davis doesn’t want anyone outside of the LSU football team to know who the Tigers plan to start at quarterback against Kansas State at the Texas Bowl.
LSU could go with freshman Garrett Nussmeier, walk-on Tavion Faulk or converted wide receiver Jontre Kirklin as the leader of its offense, but the choice won’t be publicly known until kickoff arrives at 8 p.m. Tuesday in NRG Stadium (ESPN).
Why all the secrecy?
It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book for a college football coach. Davis, who will serve as LSU interim head coach at the game, wants to give his team every advantage possible. In this case, that means trying to make K-State prepare for multiple quarterback options. So far, it appears as though his plan is working.
“You don’t know what their identity is going to be,” K-State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said. “It’s one thing if you’re down an offensive lineman or you’re down a receiver or you’re down a tight end. But when you’re not sure who is going to be the trigger man, that’s a big deal.”
The Tigers actually have more position uncertainty than at quarterback. LSU was hit hard by injuries, transfers and opt outs following the conclusion of the regular season, so it only brought a roster of about 70 players to Houston. Leading rusher Tyrian Davis-Price won’t be in attendance. Neither will some of the Tigers’ usual top defensive players. Usual starting quarterback Max Johnson transferred to Texas A&M.
Watching replays of the 12 games that LSU played earlier this season might not give K-State coaches a good feel for what to expect from the Tigers.
“There is going to be some adjustments that are going to need to made on the fly,” Klanderman said. “We have tried to cast a wide net, so to speak, to be prepared for different scenarios, and we’ll see how it plays out. We’ll get into the game and go from there.”
LSU revealed a few clues when it shared its depth chart for the Texas Bowl on Sunday evening.
The Tigers listed Nussmeier as their starting quarterback, Faulk as the backup and Kirklin as a receiver.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean LSU will go with Nussmeier at quarterback. The Tigers have been careful not to share any photos of videos of their quarterbacks leading up to this game. It seems unlikely they would spill the beans now.
Nussmeier would no longer be eligible to redshirt this season if he plays in the Texas Bowl, because he has already seen action in four other games. LSU requested a waiver to allow him to keep his eligibility and play in the Texas Bowl, but Davis has declined to share if it was approved. Is Nussmeier willing to play even if his waiver was denied?
It seems more likely that Kirklin, a former high school quarterback, is in the game plan.
“We don’t really know who is going to be back there,” K-State linebacker Cody Fletcher said. “We have some idea of what they are going to do. They could run some wildcat (formation) at us. We have had a long time to prepare for anything they can throw at us.”
K-State is trying its best to prepare for everything, knowing that its defensive strategy could change shortly after kickoff.
“It’s something on the fly that we are going to have to adjust to,” K-State linebacker Daniel Green said. “We are just going to have to stay true to our defensive rules and principles and make plays.”
This story was originally published January 3, 2022 at 10:04 AM.