Max Johnson, North Carolina Football News: Draft Scout Player News

09/12/21 - QB Max Johnson, rSr/2026, North Carolina

LSU coach Ed Orgeron was happy to get his first victory of the season, but still knows there is plenty of work to do. Max Johnson threw for 161 yards and three touchdowns and LSU beat McNeese 34-7 Saturday night. "Not good enough offensively," Orgeron said. "It starts with protection; we must protect the quarterback better. We have to continue to improve and hopefully we will get better when we get some of our linemen back." LSU's defense held the Cowboys to 142 yards total offense.

After sputtering last week in a season-opening loss to UCLA, the LSU (1-1) offense still struggled against McNeese, gaining just 262 yards of total offense through the first three quarters and scoring just 24 points on an FCS opponent. "I'm a little surprised with how much we have struggled (offensively) these first two weeks," Orgeron said. "We want to get our athletes in space; but right now the protection is preventing it from working. If we can't protect the quarterback; it isn't going to work." Taking advantage of McNeese's (0-2) lack of depth, LSU pulled away with 10 points in the final quarter. "We weren't in a good mood coming back from Los Angeles," Orgeron said. "It didn't matter who our opponent was this week; we focused on LSU getting better." The LSU defense, however, bounced back with a stellar performance, allowing a single score on the night when senior quarterback Cody Orgeron found Carlo Williams for a 44-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. "I was very pleased with how we played defensively," Orgeron said. "Particularly with our pass rush." Freshman defensive tackle Maason Smith led the way for LSU with three sacks and six total tackles. - LSU/AP College Football

rSr/2026