LSU’s defense is the part of this Ole Miss matchup that could tilt the whole thing.
The hype around this one points straight to offense - two modern, explosive units built to score in bunches. But if LSU and Ole Miss are going to settle things on Saturday, the story starts up front. The Tigers’ front seven has been overwhelming through two games, and the defensive line in particular has set the tone.
LSU has already piled up 23 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and 14 quarterback hurries. The line alone is responsible for 16.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and 10 quarterback hurries. That kind of disruption has made life miserable for opposing offenses, forcing hurried decisions, busted plays and quarterbacks trying to survive without rhythm.
The results have been loud. LSU is holding opponents to a 16.4% success rate on passing plays, which leads the country. Its 12 sacks are tied for the national lead, too.
Still, this weekend brings a different challenge. LSU got pressure on Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss eight times in last year’s meeting and still didn’t bring him down once. Chambliss also ran for 71 yards in that game.
Senior defensive end Princewill Umanmielen, who transferred to LSU from Ole Miss, said the key is staying disciplined against Chambliss.
“We really just need to keep him in the pocket, be grindy and gritty, go hard, play each play, if something goes wrong, next-play mentality,” Umanmielen said.
If LSU’s rush gets home again, the rest of the defense is built to clean up the mess. The Tigers have one of the country’s best linebacker groups behind the line, with Whit Weeks, TJ Dottery and Davhon Keys all making their presence felt.
Weeks and Dottery have each logged at least one quarterback hurry, and all three have at least one tackle for loss. Weeks and Dottery are also LSU’s top two tacklers, which tells you how often they’re showing up when something slips through the first wave.
And if the ball gets beyond the linebackers, LSU’s secondary has handled its part, too. The Tigers have given up just 248 passing yards, the 11th-lowest total in the country. Opponents have needed 46 pass attempts to get there, and that works out to just 5.4 yards per attempt, the 25th-lowest average nationally.
LSU has also broken up six passes, with all but one coming from the secondary.
For LSU, the formula is clear: pressure first, clean up second, survive anything that leaks through. Against Ole Miss, that front line may end up deciding everything.
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