LSU’s 38-17 win over Auburn had plenty going for it on the stat sheet. The offense rolled up 552 total yards, the Sam Leavitt-Jackson Harris connection hit another level, and the running game finally looked firmly in place on Saturday.
But the real separation came on the other side of the ball, where DJ Pickett put together the kind of performance that makes an entire secondary look better. Auburn targeted the LSU cornerback five times, and the result was a lone one-yard catch. Pro Football Focus handed him an 83.9 coverage grade for the game.
Pickett has now pushed himself into clear No. 1 cornerback territory for LSU, and it’s getting harder to ignore how well he’s playing beyond Baton Rouge. The 6-foot-4 defender has been especially sharp in one-on-one coverage, which is a big reason the Tigers usually don’t have to shade a safety his way. He handled Auburn’s receivers with a physical edge and kept them from getting loose into separation.
That physical style is part of what sets him apart, but so is the discipline that comes with it. Pickett has found the sweet spot between aggressive and flag-worthy, and that balance has turned him into a true lockdown corner. Over his last four games, he’s added six pass deflections and has also become a reliable tackler in space.
That last part is unusual for a corner, but Pickett has shown he can close quickly and finish in the open field. Lane Kiffin was asked about Pickett’s physicality last week, and he made it clear how much that kind of play matters.
"Yeah, that's a good take, because he was, he really did, and I could feel that. I could feel players feel that, and I think that's important," Kiffin said.
"The number one thing at your position isn't evaluated to tackle at corner; okay you got to cover you know. What Deion (Sanders) used to say, 'You get paid to cover, not to tackle.'
So I think it's really critical we show those things when a receiver's downfield blocking, creating a big play like that or in this situation him being a physical tackler like that. It's great for your team to see."
Pickett’s impact goes beyond one matchup. LSU has allowed the third-fewest passing yards in the SEC at 172.75, and Pickett is a huge reason why. One side of the field has become extremely difficult to attack, and when opposing quarterbacks do test him, the ball usually ends up on the turf or out of bounds.
The simplest sign of a corner doing his job is that you don’t hear his name much during the game. Pickett has reached that point, and then some. He’s become one of the SEC’s best defenders and a steady force in Blake Baker’s defense as LSU heads into a demanding stretch.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Quietly Added An Offensive Voice As LSU Feud Escalates
As LSU's offseason and early-season storylines kept spinning, Lane Kiffin revealed that the Tigers quietly added Nate Carroll as an offensive analyst before the season, a move that had not been publicly disclosed at the time. Carroll, who brings NFL coaching experience and comes from the Pete Carroll coaching tree, has been helping LSU's offensive staff during games, giving the program an extra experienced voice behind the scenes.
The timing adds another layer to a situation already marked by legal friction between LSU and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey over the schools recruiting practices and Kiffins comments. With the public focus elsewhere, the quiet addition of Carroll underscores how much of college football now unfolds away from the spotlight, even as the larger LSU-Sankey dispute continues to simmer. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Got A New Reason To Worry About Alabamas Passing Game
Alabamas passing game has been dealing with a hit since the injury to Ryan Coleman-Williams in the Georgia game, and LSU now has another name to plan for ahead of Nov. 7. Kalen DeBoer said the wide receiver is expected back for that matchup, a development that matters because Coleman-Williams had already been part of the offense before the injury sidelined him for recent games.
For LSU, the timing is hardly ideal. Alabama has had to adjust without one of its receiving options, but DeBoers comments point to a possible boost when the Tigers arrive, with Coleman-Williams expected to be available and, in the coachs view, ready to matter right away. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Holds Firm As AP Poll Chaos Shakes Contenders
Week 8 turned the AP Top 25 into a weekly stress test, and the ripple effects were felt well beyond the top line. With nearly a third of the top ten taking losses, the rankings shifted in a way that opened the door for movement all over the board, including a boost in first-place support for Miami after No. 2 BYU went down. Teams such as Texas and Utah were among the biggest movers, while the fallout also pushed some familiar names, including Iowa and USC, into the vote-getting crowd without a place in the poll itself.
For LSU, the bigger takeaway is the kind of volatility that can reshape the path ahead in a hurry. Poll weeks like this tend to reward teams that keep stacking clean Saturdays and punish anyone living on the edge of the rankings, and the churn around the top 25 only sharpens the pressure on contenders trying to stay in the conversation. It also leaves the picture unsettled enough that every ranking checkpoint now feels like a referendum on who can hold up when the standings start to wobble. [Read more 🡒]