BATON ROUGE – LSU went through its first scrimmage of preseason camp on Saturday as the Tigers went through a 100-play workout in Tiger Stadium.
Saturday’s scrimmage saw the Tigers spend most of their time focusing on short-yardage and first-and-10 situations. LSU also worked on all phases of special teams during the two-hour session.
“The emphasis was on short yardage and first and 10, but we wanted to look at some specific players,” LSU coach Les Miles said following the workout. “Specifically we wanted to see the tailbacks run and we wanted to see the young fullbacks.
“We worked some personnel groups that really needed to be worked so that early on we could make some decisions and have some series to make evaluations. This was a good scrimmage for that.”
Offensively, LSU’s combined to rush 35 times for 163 yards with Stevan Ridley leading the way with 52 yards on six carries, including a long run of 33 yards. Senior Richard Murphy followed with 45 yards on six carries, while true freshman Spencer Ware added 29 yards on eight carries.
“I felt like Steven Ridley came out fast and I like the way Murphy ran,” Miles said. “The freshmen runners are certainly talented and need some work, but they are elusive and they are big and strong and very capable.”
In the passing game, Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee combined to complete 10 of 18 passes for 145 yards and one touchdown. Lee engineered a scoring drive late in the scrimmage, completing passes of 23 and 42-yards to true freshman James Wright. The 42-yard completion went for a score for the Tigers.
“We didn’t light up the numbers on offense, but there was a lot that was accomplished,” Miles said. “We didn’t want to air it out today, we wanted to run the football and we ran it pretty well.
“Both quarterbacks played well at times. The defense is awfully good against the pass; those corners had some really good days.”
Wright led the receivers with 65 yards on two catches, while Terrence Toliver added 21 yards on two receptions and Russell Shepard 18 yards on one catch.
Cornerback Patrick Peterson led the Tiger defense with four tackles and an interception against the No. 1 offense, which he returned 64-yards for a touchdown. Other leaders on defense for the Tigers included safety Craig Loston with a team-best five tackles; Drake Nevis with a sack for an 8-yard loss; Kelvin Sheppard with four tackles and sack; Kendrick Adams with three tackles, including two for losses and true freshman cornerback Tyrann Mathieu with four tackles and two pass breakups.
“We forced some turnovers on the defensive side,” Miles said. “Young Tyrann Mathieu had several breakups in the two minute segment on the back end of the practice.”
In special teams, Derek Helton and Brad Wing each punted twice. Helton averaged 46.2 yards on his two kicks, while Wing posted a 46.5 average on his two punts. Helton booted a long of 57 yards, while Wing’s long went for 51 yards.
“We are 11 practices in and I like what we’ve been able to accomplish,” Miles said. “I like their effort and the intensity that this team brings to the field each day. We finished today with six sprints and they ran hard on every one.
“I feel like we have accomplished some things to a point. We need for this team to continue to bring the same effort and attitude to work each day. I think we are going to get there.”
LSU will take Sunday off and then practice twice on Monday. LSU’s next scrimmage is slated for Thursday afternoon in Tiger Stadium.
LSU Preseason Scrimmage No. 1 – Statistical Leaders
Rushing
Stevan Ridley, 6 att., 52 yards
Richard Murphy, 6 att., 45 yards
Spencer Ware, 8 att., 29 yards
Alfred Blue, 7 att., 25 yards
Michael Ford, 5 att., 15 yards
Passing
Jarrett Lee, 4-for-9, 82 yards, 1 TD
Jordan Jefferson, 4-for-9, 63 yards, 1 Int.
Receiving
James Wright, 2 rec., 65 yards, 1 TD
Terrence Toliver, 2 rec., 21 yards
Russell Shepard, 1 rec., 18 yards
Deangelo Peterson, 1 rec., 18 yards
Defensive Leaders
Patrick Peterson, 4 tackles, 1 Int. returned 64-yards for a TD
Craig Loston, 5 tackles
Kelvin Sheppard, 4 tackles, 1 sack
Stefoin Francois, 4 tackles, 1 sack
Kendrick Adams, 3 tackles, 2 TFL
Tyrann Mathieu, 4 tackles, 2 PBUs
Drake Nevis, 2 tackles, 1 sack