Week 5’s Stripes of the Week for McNeese were spread across the roster, and five of the six players landed in the series for the first time. The biggest winners came from a game LSU controlled from start to finish, with a few young players using the opportunity to make their mark.
Harlem Berry and Deuce Geralds each earned three stripes.
Berry’s season has taken a real turn after a slow opening stretch. He began as RB3 and managed only five carries for 13 yards against Clemson and Louisiana Tech, then didn’t record a stat against Ole Miss.
But with Lane Kiffin emphasizing blocking, Berry has earned more trust by showing more willingness there, and the touches have followed. Against Texas A&M, he moved into the RB2 role behind Dilin Jones, and since then he has averaged 8.3 yards per carry.
Against McNeese, Berry turned 15 carries into 125 yards and a touchdown, giving LSU the kind of explosive run game fans expected from the former five-star recruit. Berry wants to be RB1, but the process Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr. are pushing him through should make him a better player down the line.
Geralds kept building on what has become an eye-opening start. The true freshman added one sack against McNeese, pushing his season total to five and leaving him just 2.5 sacks shy of Harold Perkins’ freshman single-season record of 7.5.
He also added a rushing touchdown on a direct snap at the goal line. The production has been there every week, and so has the personality, which has quickly made the Georgia native a fan favorite and brought plenty of high praise and elite-player comparisons.
Corey Barber Jr. and Stacy Gage were the two-stripe selections.
Barber was LSU’s leading receiver on Saturday, catching seven passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns. Both scores came from Sam Leavitt, and neither came in garbage time. In a receiver room loaded with talent, breaking through is never simple, but Barber’s performance could earn him a longer look with the starters.
Gage’s stat line jumps off the page too: six carries, 110 yards and two touchdowns. Most of that damage came after the game had already been decided, but the production was still strong, and his cuts on the long runs were impressive.
His blocking and his run-game ability are a big reason why it has been tough for players like Harlem Berry and Caden Durham to get touches. LSU’s backfield has become a three-headed monster, and Gage is a major part of why the run game looks so much better than it did a season ago.
The one-stripe picks were Roman Mothershed and Tylen Singleton.
Mothershed had been on the radar since LSU brought him in from the transfer portal. At 6-foot-5 and 208 pounds, he brings a rare frame to the receiver group, and his limited tape made him an intriguing watch even though he still needed development.
When Trey’Dez Green went down with an injury, attention quickly shifted to Mothershed because of the size comparison. Against McNeese, he answered with two catches for 11 yards and a touchdown from the one-yard line on a play LSU has run many times for Green in that spot.
The one stripe may carry a little forecasting, but LSU running that play with Mothershed suggests he can help cover part of the void until Green returns.
Singleton stepped up in a linebacker room hit hard by injuries, including Whit Weeks and Charles Ross. He, Zach Weeks and Dylan Carpenter tied for the team lead with five tackles, but Singleton gets the nod with four solo stops and a tackle for loss. His performance helped anchor a defense that was smothering throughout the night and, if not for Jamaal Levi, would have been nearly perfect for Blake Baker’s unit.
Zach Weeks finished with five tackles, Dylan Carpenter also had five, and Jayce Brown caught four passes for 52 yards.
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Patrick Peterson Just Gave LSU Fans Another Reason To Celebrate
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Petersons LSU rsum still carries plenty of weight because what he became after leaving campus only added to the legend. He went on to a 13-season NFL career and earned multiple Pro Bowl selections, giving the Tigers another marquee figure to celebrate as the SEC prepares to recognize its latest group of greats. [Read more 🡒]