After a disastrous 2023 season, new LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker has not only brought in a style that promises to be more aggressive, he also changed the energy. Sophomore Linebacker Whit Weeks says the players needed someone to inject some confidence into them.
“We know how it was last year and it’s not going to happen again, and the energy Coach Baker brings, it has rejuiced us, last year we got deflated and now we are flying around and having fun again,” Weeks said.
In the last couple of practices, LSU’s defense has made strides against what is expected to be a very good offense. In Tuesday’s practice, the Tigers defense forced a long field goal during a two-minute drill.
Weeks says one of the major differences between this year and last year is the defensive calls are simple, which allows them to play without thinking too much.
“We get to fly around now, we get to play a lot faster than we’ve been able to play, so now that we can play fast, we are making way more plays than we’ve ever made,” Weeks said.
And the media is getting to see a lot more blitz packages during practice. Some of them involve Weeks and fellow linebacker Harold Perkins.
“Just blitzing that’s what you want to do playing linebacker, you want to be aggressive and go get sacks on the quarterback, because your stats look a lot better,” Weeks said.
If LSU can get more pressure on the quarterback, it should lead to better results for the defense as a whole and help suspect defensive secondary.
