LSU fell one spot in the AP poll to number 13, despite beating Arkansas 31-28 on Saturday night. The oddsmakers had Tigers beating the Razorbacks by double digits, but their defense allowed Arkansas to stay in the game and nearly pull off the big upset.
It’s the second time in four games that LSU’s defense could not slow down the opposing team’s offense, especially in the second half.
Remember in the spring, when LSU Baseball Coach Jay Johnson kept saying the Tigers have a good pitching staff and it’s not all about Paul Skenes. It turned out Johnson was right as LSU’s pitching became their strength as the program won a seventh national championship.
Well, LSU football coach Brian Kelly is singing a similar tune, he believes LSU will have a good defense, before the season ends.
Heading into Saturday’s game at Ole Miss, Kelly is asking his defensive players to do the ordinary, extraordinarily well.
“We are trying to make plays that are really not our plays to make, and we just need to do our job, I think once we settle down, and just do the ordinary things extraordinarily well, this could be a really good defense, because it has shown itself to have resiliency, and toughness and the players necessary to do that,” said Kelly.
When Kelly mentions resiliency, he points to the Tigers defense not allowing a touchdown on Saturday in the third quarter after Arkansas kept a drive alive with a fake field goal.
But he wants to see the self-inflicted errors go away. Like defensive back Zy Alexander getting burned on a 59-yard touchdown play as he zoned in on the scrambling KJ Jefferson and the Arkansas quarterback found his tight end for a long TD pass.
“We’ve got young corners that don’t have a lot of experience and our safeties have to be consistent, they are trying to make up for some inexperience and trying to do a little bit too much, and they just got to do their jobs and when that group really comes together with our front seven, I think we are going to be a really good defense,” said Kelly.
Despite the growing pains, the coach continues to see improvement.
Kelly said safety Andre Sam’s interception in the Arkansas game would not have happened earlier this year, because he was not playing a post pattern correctly.
LSU’s defense will be tested again this Saturday. Ole Miss is second in the SEC in scoring, averaging 42 points a contest and averaging 470 yards a game. Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart is second in the SEC in total offense at 329 yards a game.
Jordan Watkins is Dart’s favorite as he’s hauled in 24 passes for 347 yards and a touchdown. Former Louisiana Tech standout Tre Harris has been the big play threat, with five touchdown catches and averaging 24 yards a grab.
The Rebels are still trying to get running back Quinshon Judkins going. The 2022 SEC Newcomer of the Year is only averaging 3.5 yards a carry with a long of 14.