LSU has already learned the hard way what a dangerous mobile quarterback can do to its defense, and Saturday brings another test of that same problem.
The last time the Tigers saw Texas A&M, Marcel Reed helped turn Tiger Stadium into a bad night for LSU. The crowd situation made the scene even stranger, with Aggie fans taking over LSU’s home section and leaving many Tiger supporters feeling more sympathy than anger. Reed and the Aggies were simply too much for LSU to handle.
That game fit a familiar pattern. LSU has repeatedly been vulnerable to quarterbacks who can hurt defenses with both their legs and their arm, and Reed fits that mold.
LSU is coming off a loss to Ole Miss and Trinidad Chambliss, the Heisman frontrunner whom Lane Kiffin called the most dynamic player in college football. Reed may not be at that level, but he has already shown he can beat LSU almost by himself.
Texas A&M, though, is not arriving in peak form. The Aggies lost to Kentucky by two scores on Saturday, and Reed has been struggling along with them. Mike Elko didn’t hide the issue.
“You can see him pressing, you can see the stress in him when he’s trying to throw because he’s trying to be perfect,” Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko said Saturday. “I’ve got to get him mentally to a place where he can really cut it loose and feel free.”
That is exactly where LSU wants him: uncomfortable, rushed and forced into mistakes. Outside of the first half against Ole Miss, LSU’s defense has been suffocating, and the biggest reason is speed. Princewill Umanmielen leads the country with 5 sacks, and LSU sits atop the SEC sack leaderboard with 14.
Umanmielen’s matchup with Texas A&M right tackle Wilkin Formby will be one of the key battles up front. Formby has been one of the better tackles in the SEC so far, so LSU’s edge rush won’t come easy.
But the Tigers have more than one threat coming off the edge. Jordan Ross and Dylan Carpenter have also been steady pieces in Blake Baker’s defense, and both have enough power to win at the line and collapse the pocket.
LSU’s path is clear: get to Reed early and force him to operate under pressure. That’s where linebackers TJ Dottery and Whit Weeks come in.
Baker has used them in blitz looks that put them in position to overwhelm offensive lines and wreck plays before routes can fully develop. The one thing LSU cannot afford is blown assignments, the kind that showed up early against Ole Miss.
“I think we lead the country in rush defense, but that hasn’t been worked against a ton of quarterback schemed runs,” Kiffin said Monday at his weekly press conference. “So that’s a different set of challenges. Really takes a lot of discipline and a lot of guys doing really well.”
If LSU can force Reed into hurried decisions, the Tigers’ secondary should be waiting. The back end is one of the best in the country, and Baker’s blitzes only make it more dangerous. LSU has already turned pressure into turnovers against Clemson and Ole Miss, with linebacker or safety pressure leading to bad throws and interceptions.
That formula matters even more now that Reed’s receiving group has taken a hit. Terry Bussey is out for the rest of the season with injury, but Mario Craver and Isiah Horton still give Texas A&M real firepower. The pair combined for 180 yards on 16 catches, and Kiffin made clear they remain a problem.
“[They’re] very explosive, fast,” Kiffin said. “They’re really hard to deal with coming in and out of breaks… so we’re going to have our hands full.”
In Other News...
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LSUs quarterback room was already under a fresh spotlight after Sam Leavitts transfer from Arizona State, and the attention only intensified after the loss to Ole Miss. The game itself was enough to put the Tigers back under the microscope, but the conversation quickly shifted online when an account believed to be linked to Leavitts father, Jared Leavitt, drew notice for controversial comments about Muslims.
Jared Leavitt, a former BYU linebacker, has become part of an unwanted side story around his sons move to Baton Rouge, even though LSU has not said anything publicly about the posts. There has also been no apology from the account, leaving the situation hanging over a program that would much rather keep the focus on the field and on settling in after a high-profile quarterback change. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Drew The Wrong Kind Of Attention In Oxford
Saturdays LSU trip to Oxford ended up drawing attention for more than the scoreboard, with multiple security incidents unfolding during the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. One LSU fan was injured in a physical altercation with security and law enforcement, and video from the scene showed officers using force to restrain him as the situation escalated in the stands.
Elsewhere during the day, a security guard was assaulted in a separate confrontation, and an 18-year-old was arrested on charges including aggravated assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. For a rivalry game already carrying plenty of edge, the off-field disruptions became a bigger part of the conversation than anyone in purple and gold would have wanted. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Are Debating What Really Happened In That Viral Stadium Fight
The weekend trip to Oxford left LSU fans talking about far more than what happened on the field. During the Ole Miss-LSU game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, multiple security incidents unfolded, and one physical struggle between an LSU fan and law enforcement produced visible injuries as video of the scene spread quickly online. Another altercation in the concourse added to the chaos, with a security guard struck amid the commotion.
What has kept the discussion going is the lack of clarity around how the episodes fit together. An 18-year-old was arrested on charges including aggravated assault and resisting arrest, but it is not clear which specific incident that arrest is tied to, leaving fans sorting through viral clips and secondhand accounts trying to piece together what actually happened. [Read more 🡒]