LSU’s 31-0 win over Mississippi State was never going to be remembered for drama, but it did give a clearer picture of who showed out - and who didn’t - when Pro Football Focus handed out its latest grades from Saturday’s game.
On offense, the headline belonged to quarterback Leavitt. His performance was a big talking point because it was the first time he finished a game for LSU without a turnover.
He did have a fumble that went out of bounds, but he avoided an interception for the first time as a Tiger and looked clean from start to finish. LSU didn’t need fireworks to take control, and Leavitt still put together a sharp day, going 31-for-38 for 289 yards and four touchdowns.
At the other end of the spectrum, OT Jordan Seaton drew the lowest grade on the night with a 34.8. The pass-blocking number was especially rough - 3.3 - and he gave up four pressures.
That was the most he had allowed in a game since Week 12 of his freshman season, and it tied for the second-most pressures he’s allowed in his career. Even so, the source of the grade is careful to note that this isn’t a steady problem for him, and he remains projected as a top-10 pick in the coming NFL draft.
On defense, Ross stood out in a big way. With Princewill Umanmielen drawing most of the attention in LSU’s pass rush this season, Ross’ work has flown a bit under the radar, but Saturday was another sign that he’s moving closer to the player he was expected to be after two uneven seasons with the Tennessee Volunteers. The former five-star recruit finished with six pressures, four stops, no missed tackles, a strip sack and 1.5 TFLs.
There wasn’t much in the way of poor defensive grading overall. Green ended up as the lowest-graded LSU contributor on that side, but even he landed at an average level.
He recorded two tackles and batted a pass, though two missed tackles dragged his grade down. Those were his first two missed tackles of the season, so it didn’t amount to a major concern.
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