LSU has had to improvise on defense since September, but one of the clearest signs that the unit has steadied itself is the way Ty Benefield has handled his new role.
With junior safety Dashawn Spears and senior linebacker Whit Weeks sidelined by serious injuries, Blake Baker’s defense needed answers fast. One of them was moving Benefield, a senior safety and Boise State transfer, over to STAR. The switch has asked him to do more, think faster and live closer to the action - and he says he’s embracing it.
“Yeah, I feel like I’ve been doing okay, doing my job. I have a lot to work on, for sure.
Big shoes to fill as well,” Benefield said Tuesday. “But I do enjoy how fast everything happens at STAR.
You’re closer to the ball, closer to the line of scrimmage, so everything happens really fast. You can pull your trigger faster and stuff.
I’m really willing to do whatever for this team and for my brothers.”
Since the move, Benefield has been productive. He’s posted 20 tackles, one pass breakup and an interception since the Texas A&M game, showing he can adjust on the fly and keep LSU’s defense moving.
But Benefield made it clear that if there’s one teammate who deserves more attention, it’s redshirt junior safety Tamarcus Cooley.
“That’s like my brother. Me and T-Mac are locked in, and we should be pushing that name out more than ever,” Benefield said.
“He runs the show. I don’t think people understand how hard it is to play free safety when you’re that deep, covering people running full speed at you.
You’re also making plays close to the line of scrimmage like he does. The communication level you have to maintain and the intelligence he has - he doesn’t get enough praise for that, and he should.”
Cooley has backed up that praise with production through seven games: 21 tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery, three pass breakups and two interceptions. In Benefield’s eyes, he’s not just another piece in the secondary. He’s the voice.
“It all runs through him. He’s the communicator.
Getting the call from him and being able to play on a string with him, as well as Jhase (Thomas), is huge,” Benefield said. “Everything you guys see on the field - all of us playing fast and physical, getting the call and playing, doing our 1/11th - is a huge part because of him.”
“That’s my brother, and he’s going to keep doing what he’s doing and keep making plays. People test him, and we love that because he’s going to make those things happen.”
Their relationship goes beyond the field, too. Benefield described Cooley as quiet but deeply caring, someone who has pushed him in ways that matter long after the game ends.
“He’s a great person,” Benefield said. “He’s very quiet, too.
He may seem like he’s on his own, but he has a big heart. He cares for people deeply and wants to see his brothers and people on the team succeed.
He’s totally selfless and puts other people before himself. That’s inspiring to me because he’s helped me learn a lot about myself and unlock things that I never thought I would.
“We’ve got a relationship where we just help each other out with different things. I help him out with football, and he can help me out off the field.
That’s going to be a relationship I have for the rest of my life. Man, I love you, brother.
My dog.”
That bond has become part of the backbone for an LSU defense that currently ranks No. 3 in the country in total defense and No. 17 in scoring defense. If the Tigers keep winning and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff, Benefield and Cooley figure to be right at the center of it.
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