LSU football vs. Arkansas: Max Johnson, Garrett Nussmeier scouting report, prediction

Adam Hunsucker, Lafayette Daily Advertiser

November 12, 2021 at 9:21 AM·3 min read

Ed Orgeron has kept a mundane situation fresh with his time as LSU football coach so close to expiring.

Orgeron added a quarterback competition to an already riveting season this week. Will it be Max Johnson or Garrett Nussmeier under center when LSU (4-5, 2-4 SEC) hosts Arkansas (6-3, 2-3) on Saturday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network)?

The plan is to play them both.

LSU will deploy a two-quarterback system needing to win two of it last three games to reach bowl eligibility. Nussmeier lobbied Orgeron for the chance to play, willingly sacrificing a redshirt if it helped the Tigers win.

But will it work? Here is the scouting report and a prediction.

Picking a passer

While naming Johnson the starter, Orgeron left the door open for Nussmeier to take the job. Any potential change will be decided on the field at Arkansas. Johnson finished 16-of-32 for 160 yards with one touchdown and an interception in the 20-14 loss to Alabama last week. He missed Jack Bech on a fourth-down throw with 2:36 left. If Johnson completes the pass, LSU has a first down at the Crimson Tide’s 30 trailing by six points.

MAX OR GARRETT?: LSU to play Johnson and Nussmeier vs. Arkansas

BOWLING?: LSU's bowl chances have drawn mixed reviews

BETTER OR WORSE: Ed Orgeron will finish at LSU on his terms

Nussmeier replaced Johnson in the fourth quarter at Ole Miss. He was 7-of-12 for 103 yards and a touchdown in a 31-17 loss.

Arkansas operates out of a unique 3-2-6 scheme, which LSU copied in a 28-25 win at Mississippi State. The Razorbacks bend but rarely break, allowing 24 points per game despite a pass rush that has produced only 16 sacks.

Treylon Burks will challenge LSU’s secondary

Burks ranks among the SEC’s most productive receivers. He sits fourth in the league in catches (48), third in receiving yards (799) and second in touchdowns (eight). The problem for Arkansas is there’s considerable dropoff after Burks. The next most-productive threat is Tyson Morris with 17 receptions. That should benefit an LSU secondary still on the mend.

Cornerback Cordale Flott is expected to play. Nickel back Sage Ryan remains unavailable, leaving the Tigers with free safety Jay Ward, strong safety Cameron Lewis and cornerback Dwight McGlothern flanking Flott.

Without Flott, LSU allowed Bryce Young to pass for 302 yards and complete 65% of his throws. Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson has thrown for over 300 yards twice.

Why base was better on defense

Injuries at defensive back forced defensive coordinator Daronte Jones to junk the 4-2-5 that LSU had played for most of the year. Jones stuck with a base 4-3 against Alabama while dialing up blitzes out of 3-4 looks. The adjustment spawned a ferocious pass rush that produced five sacks.

Most impressive of all, LSU held Alabama to 6 yards rushing. Arkansas leads the SEC with 243.8 yards per game on the ground. The Razorbacks use three primary backs — Jefferson (433 yards, five touchdowns), Trelon Smith (476 yards, four touchdowns) and Raheim Sanders (460 yards one touchdown).

Reserve linebacker Mike Jones, a Clemson transfer, and defensive end Soni Fonua benefitted the most from LSU’s schematic revisions. Jones made five tackles and a sack while Fonua had two tackles and a pass breakup.

More injuries

Orgeron announced Wednesday that guard Chasen Hines is out for the rest of the year. LSU already lost left tackle Anthony Bradford in October.

The Tigers are now without 12 players who have started multiple games — Bradford, Hines, defensive end Andre Anthony, wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, safety Major Burns, defensive end Ali Gaye, defensive tackle Joseph Evans, offensive lineman Ed Ingram, cornerback Eli Ricks, defensive back Sage Ryan, defensive lineman Maason Smith and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.

Prediction

LSU 34, Arkansas 21: The two-quarterback system throws Arkansas off balance. LSU keeps its bowl hopes alive on a Saturday night in Death Valley.

Adam Hunsucker covers LSU for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at ahunsucker@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @adam_hunsucker. Enjoy Adam’s work? Consider a digital subscription for unlimited access.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU football vs. Arkansas: Scouting report, score prediction

CBS News
Google Maps now shows Gulf of Mexico as Gulf of America for U.S. users
Google Maps renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America in its app — but only for U.S. users.
AFP
Jordan king set for tense Trump talks over Gaza
Jordan's King Abdullah II faces a tense meeting with Donald Trump at the White House Tuesday as he leads opposition from Arab nations to the US president's controversial Gaza takeover plan.Abdullah and Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein will meet Trump in the Oval Office before having lunch, the White House said.
NBC News
Trump threatens ‘all hell is going to break out’ if Hamas delays hostage releases
The Israel-Hamas ceasefire was at risk Tuesday after President Trump warned “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas does not release “all” remaining hostages.
The Conversation
Art and science illuminate the same subtle proportions in tree branches
Artists and scientists explore how we subconsciously perceive subtle proportions in trees.
Yahoo News
Which pandemic-era purchases do you still love — or regret — the most?
Next month will mark the 5th anniversary of the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown. And we all remember the things we were doing — and buying — while we were stuck at home.
USA TODAY
A Super Bowl performer pulled out a Palestinian-Sudanese flag. What were they protesting?
A performer with Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show was banned from NFL events for holding up a Palestinian-Sudanese flag on the field.
Associated Press
The Latest: Trump to host Jordan’s King as he escalates pressure on his Gaza resettlement plan
President Donald Trump will host Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday as he escalates pressure on the Arab nation to take in refugees from Gaza — perhaps permanently — as part of his audacious plan to remake the Middle East. Meanwhile, Pope Francis issued a major rebuke to the Trump administration’s mass deportation of migrants, warning the program to forcefully deport people purely because of their illegal status deprives them of their inherent dignity and “will end badly.” The United States, under President Donald Trump, champions a hands-off approach to fuel innovation, while Europe is tightening the reins with strict regulations to ensure safety and accountability.
AFP
Canada, EU vow firm response to Trump steel tariffs
Canada and the EU vowed Tuesday to stand firm against US President Donald Trump's move to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports -- pushing Washington further towards a trade war with key global partners.- 'No winner in trade war' - Trump has shown his determination to weaponise the United States' power as the world's largest economy, ordering tariffs on key trade partners China, Mexico and Canada soon after taking office.
Associated Press
Winter sowing in upcycled containers creates stronger seedlings in spring
Winter sowing is an easy, low-maintenance technique for planting seeds in miniature, makeshift greenhouses that you can make yourself from upcycled materials. The only materials and equipment you’ll need for winter sowing are suitable containers, potting mix and seeds. Any food-safe container with a lid that can hold roughly 3 inches of potting mix will do.
CNN
Ukraine ‘may be Russian someday,’ Trump says ahead of Vance-Zelensky meeting
US President Donald Trump suggested that Ukraine “may be Russian someday,” throwing into question the future independence of a sovereign country that, with Western backing, has defended itself against Moscow’s full-scale invasion for nearly three years.
Reuters
Quantum computing startup QuEra closes $230 million funding round
QuEra Computing said on Tuesday the neutral-atom quantum firm has completed a funding round in excess of $230 million, with investment from Google's Quantum AI business unit and SoftBank Vision Fund, among others. Neutral-atom quantum computing makes it easier to scale up the system and reduces error rates compared to other quantum systems. QuEra expects to use this funding, among other things, in the development of fault-tolerant quantum computing technology, which refers to quantum computers that can reliably perform computations even in the presence of errors.
Reuters
Trump squeeze wins concessions - some real, others less so
His threats - from swingeing trade tariffs right through to outright resource grabs - are part of a transactional approach to diplomacy often accompanied by explicit demands. The 10,000 National Guard troops which Mexico has sent to the border with the United States to work on migration controls and stopping the flow of drugs are clearly new additions to its security presence on the border. That move was enough to prompt Trump to suspend his threat of steep trade tariffs last week.
Yahoo Finance
Why the Federal Reserve could shock the markets this summer: Economist
Don't rule out a rate hike this year — maybe sooner than you think, prominent economist Torsten Sløk said.
Yahoo Finance
Coca-Cola beat earnings expectations as it battles for market share with PepsiCo
Coca-Cola is expected to post another strong quarter as it gains ground on rival PepsiCo.
Associated Press
NATO allies await US defense secretary's visit, the first by a member of the Trump administration
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will on Wednesday become the first member of the new Trump administration to visit NATO, where the allies are keen to understand how America now plans to influence the course of the war in Ukraine. Most U.S. allies fear that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not stop at Ukraine’s borders if he wins, and that Europe’s biggest land war in decades poses an existential threat to their security. President Donald Trump has promised to quickly end the war.
Reuters
UN says aid flows into Gaza have risen since ceasefire, including shelter items
U.N. humanitarian officials said on Tuesday aid flows into Gaza had increased significantly since a ceasefire deal took effect on January 19, including for items such as tents that had previously faced Israeli restrictions. Hamas announced on Monday it would stop releasing Israeli hostages until further notice over what the Palestinian militant group called Israeli violations of the truce accord, raising the risk of reigniting the 15-month conflict. It said that such alleged violations included stopping humanitarian aid from entering Gaza as stipulated in the deal, such as 60,000 mobile houses and 200,000 tents as well as heavy machinery to remove rubble and fuel.
CNN
Go green this Valentine’s Day with flowers that help at-risk youth
Southside Blooms employs at-risk youth in Chicago to create flower bouquets, seed-filled cards and other gifts, using green practices.
Reuters
'Hell worse than what we have already?' Gazans reject Trump plans
With his Gaza home destroyed in Israel's military offensive, Shaban Shaqaleh was intending to take his family on a break to Egypt once the Hamas-Israel ceasefire is firmly in place. He changed his mind after Donald Trump announced plans to resettle Gaza's Palestinian residents and redevelop the enclave - plans which the U.S. president said on Monday would not give them the right to return. The Tel Al-Hawa neighbourhood in Gaza City, where dozens of newly built multi-storey buildings once stood, is now largely deserted.
AFP
Vance puts Europe, China on notice over AI regulation
US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday warned European allies against over-regulating the US-dominated artificial intelligence sector and China against using the technology to tighten its grip on power.- 'Authoritarian regimes' - The US vice president took a thinly veiled shot at China, saying "authoritarian regimes" were looking to use AI for increased control of citizens at home and abroad.
Reuters
Binance, SEC request pause in legal battle as Trump's crypto policy takes shape
The move to stay for 60 days, which requires the judge's approval, marks the first clear effort to retreat from the SEC's previous crypto enforcement under Democratic leadership. In a motion filed late Monday, the parties said the SEC's task force, formed last month to work on crypto regulations, may "impact and facilitate the potential resolution of this case". The stay could be an early sign of the SEC's pivot to a more crypto-friendly stance, reflecting President Donald Trump's pledge to make the U.S. a global hub for the industry.