It never did make sense. A backward, sick joke that went against every fundamental experience I’ve had watching college football. LSU’s defense has been below average for too long until Saturday.
Last season they gave up 28 points per game. This is the program that has produced legends like Tyrann Mathieu, Jamal Adams, Ryan Clark, and Patrick Peterson. LSU’s identity used to be to run the football and play great defense. Then…Joe Burrow and the 2019 LSU Tigers happened. That year they scored almost 50 points per game (48.0). The 2019 LSU Tigers changed the narrative a bit for the program and turned it into a pass-heavy, and offense-first program.
One Heisman (Jayden Daniels) and two first-round wide receivers (Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr) last season colored over the fact they were bums on defense.
LSU head coach Brian Kelly and the program paid $2.5 million to fix the problem. They brought over Missouri defensive coordinator Blake Baker to fix the defense. Baker got the most out of the Missouri defense last year and is expected to get the most out of a talented Tiger’s defense.
Where They Started
After an opening season loss to USC in Las Vegas, many freaked out over Brian Kelly. He was grumpy in the post-game press conference, and LSU’s defense didn’t look improved.
Patience is a word used a lot in society, but never in college football. 18-22-year-olds only practice against themselves for a month and are thrust into a spotlight game. Opening day results are often fluky and defenses take the most time to develop.
LSU’s defense was called into question again after giving up 33 points to South Carolina in a narrow win. They gave up 243 rushing yards and didn’t look any closer to solving their defensive issues.
In their next two games, LSU allowed a combined 27 points to UCLA and South Alabama. Those teams have a combined record of 3-9 at the time of writing. No one, not even the most optimistic LSU fans were going to declare the defense back.
As if things couldn’t get any worse, star linebacker and first-round pick Harold Perkins Jr tore his ACL against UCLA. The Tigers had to go without their best defensive player for the rest of the season.
Saturday Night
Heading into the Magnolia Bowl against Ole Miss, LSU were underdogs…at home….and at night. Tiger Stadium is a tough place to play, especially at night.
This game was expected to be a shootout. The over/under was set at 62.5 points.
After the first quarter, the score was 0-0. Is proper LSU football back?
To win a football game you have to control the line of scrimmage. In high school, in college, and in the pros, whoever wins the line of scrimmage wins the football game So when you look at this game you’d think LSU lost. They gave up 180 rushing yards to Ole Miss. However, their bend but don’t break defense forced Ole Miss to take five field goals and make four of them.
The Tigers’ defense sacked Dart six times, and LSU allowed zero. Sophomore linebacker Whit Weeks stepped up in Perkins Jr’s absence recording 10 solo tackles and a sack.
The LSU secondary stepped up by limiting Dart to completing only 57% of his passes. A low number in college football.
The most telling change in LSU’s defense occurred when they scored late in the game. Instead of trying to go for two for the win, Brian Kelly chose to kick the extra point and take the game into overtime. Kelly chose to trust his defense in a big spot, something he couldn’t do last year.
After a sack of Dart, a false start, and two dropped interceptions, Ole Miss drilled a 57-yard field goal in the first overtime period. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier only needed one play to hit Kyren Lacy for a score to win the game for LSU 29-26.
What’s Next
The SEC is tough. Alabama is losing to Vanderbilt, Georgia is beating Mississippi State by only 10 at home, and Tennessee is needing overtime to beat Florida. Sorry Florida fans, that was a cheap shot. Every game remaining on LSU’s schedule has the potential to be close.
Their toughest challenges will be on the road to Texas A&M in two weeks and Alabama at home on November 9th. Other than that they have Florida at The Swamp, Vanderbilt, and Oklahoma to finish the season. Oklahoma will regain the “O” in their name once their Offense shows some life.
If LSU’s defense can cause problems to complement their high-powered offense they’ll have a chance in every game.
If you enjoyed “LSU’s Defense Rises From The Ashes,” then check out Belly Up Sports. Follow me on Twitter/X @nikgable37.
Featured Image: Kevin C Cox/Getty Images
