On LSU's offensive line, it's 'next man up'
BATON ROUGE, La. — “Next man up” has been uttered in LSU’s locker room all too often this season.
The mantra has been exercised in the secondary and linebacking corps, but it’s mainly gotten its reps with the offensive line. Starting left tackle Saahdiq Charles has played in half of the Tigers’ games thus far. Adrian Magee was injured one quarter into the season and starting right guard has been suspended from the team indefinitely. For the past two weeks, starting left guard Garrett Brumfield has been knocked out of the contest, and against Louisiana Tech, spent the post-game in crutches and a knee brace.
As injuries pile up, Ed Orgeron’s “next man up” slogan continues to resonate. Austin Deculus replaced Magee at tackle; Badara Traore has emerged as the team’s swing tackle, and true freshman Chasen Hines has filled in seamlessly as Brumfield’s heir at left guard each of the past two weeks.
Attrition aside, the results have remained the same.
“No matter what we put 11 on the field and we play like Tigers,” said Deculus, who stated that there’s an ongoing competition along the offensive line going into each and every Saturday.
Deculus echoed the sentiment of his head coach. “We don’t blink,” especially when one starter exits a game.
Against Louisiana Tech, Traore had to shift from right tackle to the left side in place of Charles, who was believed to be dealing with a lingering illness. Then Brumfield, the lone senior of the unit, went down to the turf, grasping his knee with 45 seconds to play in the first quarter.
The left side of the line — which by most counts is the strength of LSU up front — was completely replaced and there’s no timetable for the starters’ return. Yet there’s little panic in the locker room even with Ole Miss coming to town.
“Since Day 1 of camp, we’ve always said that we’re going to need everyone in this room,” center Lloyd Cushenberry said after the 38-21 win. “If one man goes down, the next man steps up. A lot of times, Bruiser and I share the vocal leadership. When he goes down, it’s on me. I step up and lead the guys.
“Chasen stepped up big and we’re going to need him (Garrett) to come back healthy, but until then, it’s next man up.”
When Brumfield went down against Auburn a week ago, Charles and Cushenberry turned to the true freshman and urged him to “listen” and “play hard.” Hines followed his cohorts blindly.
When the Texas native replaced Brumfield again on Saturday night, Cushenberry reminded him of what to do, which yielded the same results. This time, it would appear that Hines is in line for an expanded role heading into the most arduous portion of the season.
“He did great,” Cushenberrry said of Hines. “Everyone has things to work on, but he’s young and he’ll get it as the season goes on.”
“Chasen has been great for us,” Deculus added. “You can honestly see how good he is and his confidence is rising.”
“It’s next man up around here and I’m proud of Chasen,” said running back Nick Brossette, who notched three more touchdowns to add to his team-leading total (5). “He stepped up and he’s doing a really good job. There’s no drop-off. I’m proud of him and looking forward to him playing more. He’s going to be a good one.”
With Brumfield’s status unclear entering LSU’s second conference tilt next week, Hines is potentially in line to make his first start — five games into his collegiate career under the lights in Tiger Stadium.
Charles could return, according to Orgeron. So could Magee, who has not played since Week 1.
There will likely be a new starting offensive line combination for the fifth consecutive week. New faces in new positions and reserves thrust into starting roles. Don’t expect this unit to blink, though.
“They’ve done a really good job,” tight end Foster Moreau said of the line. “We’ve thrown a lot of young guys in there, switched a lot of positions, and I’m proud of the way our guys have handled it. I can’t tell the difference honestly. The guys have done a heck-of-a-job. I’m proud of our guys and confidence in our offensive line right now.”